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Ownership of Non-Human Primates as Pets
So you want to own a primate?
How many times have you watched a tv special or visited a local zoo where some kind of primate is on display—monkey, ape or other—and said “That’s adorable! I want one!” Many people share that sentiment, but few are prepared for the consequences of primate pet ownership. The allied effort to save other primates, an international organization dedicated to saving monkeys and apes, estimates that 15,000 primates are kept as pets in the U.S. Alone! Sadly, that’s just a drop in the bucket for world primate pet ownership.
Support for Animal Cruelty
What drives people to even want to hold a primate captive as a household “pet” anyway? Many things. The primates we see and buy are often precious and precocious youngsters, full of energy and curiosity. Some even resemble us in many ways. In some cultures, primate pets are a status symbol; in others, they are used more pragmatically by an owner, earning their keep as organ grinders’ pets or props in tourist photos. We think these intelligent creatures somehow need us. We even dress them up in clothes and treat them like family members.
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But did you know that the vast majority of primate pets are literally ripped from the arms of their natural mothers in the wild? These mothers—like human mothers—care deeply for their offspring and will go to great lengths to protect them from harm. In many instances the mother can not be subdued while her baby is snatched. She is then killed outright, and her infant is then smuggled out of the country or sold in the illegal pet trade to an owner ill-prepared to care for it. Do not believe that these primates were “orphaned” in the wild. There is simply too much money to be made in the illegal trade of these animals. |
Lifelong Commitment
Primates can live anywhere from 15 to 50 years. How many people can actually care for a pet that’s as demanding as a primate for that period of time? Through marriage, divorce, job changes, moving, having children, even death, all the day-to-day activities that typically fill up our lifetime, a primate pet requires daily one-on-one care and attention. No more vacations. No pet sitters. Basically no freedom for you or your pet when you take on a primate.
Most people have no concept of how expensive a primate pet is to keep either. After spending from $2,500 to $5,000 for a smaller monkey to a whopping $50,000 for a chimpanzee, you will pay from $5 to $15 per day for the animal’s basic care. Veterinary care is often prohibitively expensive, assuming you can even find a qualified vet to attend to your pet. Because primates are susceptible to illnesses like humans, they will need a lot of medical care and treatment during their lifetime.
Disease - Some Fatal!
Even worse, primates are highly vulnerable to catching diseases and illnesses from us. A simple cold sore transmitted from a human to a small marmoset or tamarin can be fatal. You are just as likely to get seriously ill from a primate pet. Viral diseases like hepatitis a, measles or even herpes b can be fatal to humans. Bacterial diseases include tuberculosis in many forms, shigella and salmonella. Primates are likely to carry fungal diseases and parasitic diseases such as giardia and protozoa. In the course of handling and caring for a primate pet, you are exposed to disease through animal bites, illness and fecal matter.
Aggressive Behavior
Unlike dogs, cats, fish, or other common household pets, primates have not been bred for domestication. That little bundle of joy purchased or smuggled into your household can soon be a living, breathing and jumping nightmare! While most infant primates are, like humans, helpless and dependent on others for care, they do grow up. When a primate approaches puberty, at anywhere from 18 months for smaller monkeys, to five or ten years of age for great apes, watch out! These are wild animals with incredible strength and sharp teeth. Household furnishings are fair game, and you will find many of your possessions shredded, broken or destroyed. Did you know that an adult male orangutan can weigh as much as 250 pounds with an armspan of 9 feet? Even very small monkeys become very hard to care for as adults.
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These primates may even turn on their human “family” members, exhibiting behavior such as chasing, biting and scratching, and increasing the likelihood of disease transmission. At this stage, some owners are forced to have their primate’s teeth removed as a safety measure. How humane is that? As primates grow older, stronger and more unpredictable in their behavior, owners are no longer able to keep them. In the U.S., Primate sanctuaries are full to capacity, with scores of calls, letters and emails coming in daily from desperate owners trying to unload a problem pet. Zoos will not take former pets, so some of these animals end up in laboratories—the last place a former owner would ever want to see their pet! |
Legal and Ethical Issues
In 1975, the health and safety issues associated with primates prompted the U.S. Centers for disease control to prohibit their importation as pets. This means that monkeys for sale today are ostensibly surplus animals from roadside zoos and laboratories or from domestic breeders. Even so, monkeys may be illegal to keep in some areas. You’d need to check locally as well as state or province wide. If legal, permits may be required, and sometimes permit holders are subject to inspection for proper facilities and care.
The bigger issue here is one of ethics. Given the traumatic beginnings of many of these primates, is it even fair to support the business by purchasing a primate? Some of these primates finding their way into homes are actually on the endangered species list. If you think owning a primate and dressing it up in clothes or keeping it captive in a sturdy cage is somehow supporting its culture and breed from extinction, you’re wrong. Your money would be far better spent supporting the existing primate sanctuaries–and there are many right here in the U.S.
We urge you to educate yourself further on the hazards and moral dilemma of primate pet ownership by exploring the following links:
Read more about keeping primates as pets (PDF) – courtesy of the primate conservation and welfare society.
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