More and more people in Florida and elsewhere are raising monkeys as a substitute for children. They call them “monkids” and won’t refer to them as pets. Lori Johnson adopted a baby capuchin after her youngest child left home.
The trend is controversial. Animal sanctuaries are seeing a rise in monkeys who are abandoned or relinquished as they mature. The Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary in Gainesville has a waiting list of monkeys that need placement.
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At Gemini Springs in DeBary recently, Johnson pushed "Jessy" around in a toy-filled red stroller, a sight that drew attention. "Hey, it's a real monkey," hollered one youngster, who did a double take.
Johnson replied with a grin: "That's not a monkey; that's my kid."
The trend is controversial. Animal sanctuaries are seeing a rise in monkeys who are abandoned or relinquished as they mature. The Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary in Gainesville has a waiting list of monkeys that need placement.
Many owners say they adore their hairy companions and give them the best of care. Animal-rights groups, however, are fighting hard to ban primate pets. Congress is discussing a bill that would prohibit interstate travel for monkeys, a move that would hamper sales.
Beth Preiss, director of The Humane Society's exotic-pets campaign, said animal sanctuaries are full of monkeys whose owners coddled them as infants and then abandoned them when they became tough to control.
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"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.
Poachers go to steal the babies and end up killing all of the adult monkeys in a troop/family who defend their babies and then sell the meat. very cute