Monkids

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.
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.

Link -via Fark

"Johnson replied with a grin: “That’s not a monkey; that’s my kid.”"

"Your kid it may be," the youngster retorted "but it is definitely still a monkey."
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Hmm, both small children and monkeys: smell funny, are cute (for the most part), poo everywhere, throw said poo, are not understandable, climb on things, need a leash...sounds good to me!!

/sarcasm
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"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."

To bad we can't do this with our kids as they turn into teenagers. LOL
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That'd be great; my sibling gets one of these things, and I'd be a monkey's uncle.

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.
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hmm.... I'd rather have a cutesy rat and a dog (most preferred a Husky.... now how do I teach it not to eat the rat? ;D) than a monkey. Although a squirrel monkey would be rather sweet...
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Sure "they adore their hairy companions" now, but suddenly you find the Statue of Liberty half buried on a beach, and apes chaising after you with guns.
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CheeseDuck: on the one hand i am quite curious about "what kind of stuff", on the other hand i am curious about if i really want to know the former. :D
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What about orphaned children? Or the thousands of dogs and cats and other DOMESTIC animals in shelters?

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.
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and how do they get the baby monkeys?
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
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This is totally wild. A monkey as a pet is one thing, but as a psuedo-child? Sick!

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.
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This is so amazingly irresponsible. Exotic animals should never be considered pets, let alone children. A very large majority of the exotic animals out there are under private owners and mis-treated. People rarely know how to properly care for their animal. Most don't go through the right steps so they are not being held accountable.

"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.
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