“Humanizing” wild animals is one of the worst mindsets for animal conservation. If I ever meet someone who owns an exotic animal, I will not hesitate to give them a peace of my mind.

I can see the scenario, as far as people adopting the chimps, then seeing that they cannot be controlled as they grow up. Few people realise that your ‘run of the mill’ chimp grows up to be a very strong, aggressive individual. We are talking lethal strength from these critters. I can see the animal shelters filling with these animals, who had no business being pets, in the first place.

My wife and I got our dog, Heidi, from an animal rescue shelter. She had been taken from a kill pound, as a pup. There were plenty more dogs and cats sitting in their cages, waiting for someone to take them home with them. We did all that we could do. I would have taken the whole lot of them, if situations warranted it. Putting apes in these non profit shelters would drive them under, financially.

My dog is my dog, by the way, not my kid.

Ooh, better yet, what about learning to deal like people have forEVER until now?

People will so readily call animals family but still get rid of them when they become an inconvenience. At least when that happens with human children, someone (usually) has to pay the price.
People need to understand the emotional and physical investment it takes to raise an animal, no matter what species.

I can see the appeal for some people; many enjoy having a tiny dependent who doesn’t talk back, and is little more than glorified toy. It’s when those toys start growing up and thinking for themselves that those people start regretting having kids. A monkey, however, will forever act like a three year old kid, and will forever be needful of a “parent”.

That said, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Wait until the first custody fight over a monkey.

To bad we can’t do this with our kids as they turn into teenagers. LOL

/sarcasm

“Your kid it may be,” the youngster retorted “but it is definitely still a monkey.”