You Think You Want a "Pet" Monkey?

The reason why sanctuaries such as ours exist is because these animals more often than not end up becoming a danger to humans and to themselves when held in inappropriate conditions. Exotic animals require very special nutritional, medical and emotional needs. When the time comes that these animals need medical attention, many people will realize that it is difficult to find a good veterinarian that specializes in exotic animals and that the medical bills associated with the treatment are much higher than any procedures on a dog, cat or other domestic animals.

The other issue is that of personal liability. As with dog bites an owner is liable for any damage or harm that comes to a human being caused by his or her animals. The big difference is that with wild animals, the risk of anyone getting hurt by a bite is much more prominent. Wild animals are cute when they are little, but they grow up and after a few years their wild animal instinct will become evident and frequently take over. Many monkeys will live 40 years or longer, maturing to the point of aggression and becoming unhandleable in only 2-3 years. The cute little animal now becomes a danger to those around it and by being put in a dangerous situation, the animal more than likely will meet a fate that could result in death. Most states require decapitation of an exotic animal if it bites someone – this is the only way to test the animal for rabies to ensure the safety of the person who was bitten.  Vaccinations and quarantine periods only apply to domestic animals and ferrets, because those are the only species that have been extensively studied for this purpose.

Many people start with the best intentions but just don't realize that exotic animals have very special needs that require experience, lots of funding and excellent resources to care for the animal. Every time an exotic animal is allowed to come into contact with people, there is a threat of a bite and that translates to a direct threat to the animal’s life.

Pet monkeys will become aggressive and are a good example of why it is not a good idea to have an exotic animal as a personal pet. The following link will take you to a presentation regarding pet monkey ownership. Some of the pictures in this presentation are quite graphic and thus, viewer discretion is advised.

Click HERE for the presentation and save it to your PC to open. Once you save it pick Powerpoint from the list of application to open the file with.

This presentation was made possible by www.petmonkey.info.

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