Keeping Monkeys as Pets

By: Elvin Martes

Norwalk Community College

Intro

For many years, humans and animals have lived side-by-side in this world as bonded
creatures or as hunter and hunted. As humans and animals evolved, we have learned to coexist
together in a home or a zoo. But while there has been some sort of mutual connection and peace
between animals and humans, does that mean that we can domesticate any or all species of
animals? Surprisingly, the one species that has more of a biological connection to humans more
than any other house dog or cat is a volatile species that has struggled to live amongst humans:
The Monkey.
Monkeys are well known for their physical and mental similarities to humans. Some
species of monkeys have been shown in many forms together with humans as companions,
research subjects, and entertainment acts. The studies that Ive found in this report give readers
information whether or not Monkeys can be domesticated and kept as pets.
Expert Opinions
Can monkeys be kept as a pet? This is the question that will be discussed with the expert
sources I found.

On The Problem With Pet Monkeys by Lianne McLeod, she discussed the commitment
it takes to raise a pet monkey. She states that baby monkeys may be cute and innocent early on,
but also says that caring for an adult ape can become very challenging and hazardous. She
considers herself to being an exotic pets expert on the article.
In a National Geographic article titled The Perils of Keeping Monkeys as Pets by
Maryann Mott, she reiterates the woes of raising a pet monkey. She also included a quote from a
Phoenix Zoo veterinarian in Arizona named Kevin Wright. According to Kevin, he gave an
interesting statistic about what would happen if a monkey was to be domesticated: If you try to
keep them [monkeys] as pets, youre creating a mentally disturbed animal in 99.9 percent of the
cases (Wright 1)
A number of incidents have occurred with other exotic animals that have been held
captive as pets in United States. In Wild Obsession by Lauren Slater, she mentions several
incidents from pet owners that have acquired their exotic pets through pet trades. According to
pet owner Michelle Berk, she witnessed her pet kinkajou tearing herself to pieces. She claims
that the pet was kept in peace, but its behavior changed when it went into its first heat.
If you try to keep them [monkeys] as pets,
youre creating a mentally disturbed animal
in 99.9 percent of the cases

In a more recent incident, a Connecticut woman named Charla Nash was attacked by a
pet chimp. The attack left Charla Nash with horrible injuries to her face and hands. It took 20
hours and a team of 30 doctors to repair Charlas face, according to Lukas I. Alpert of NY Daily
News. Although its seems that many experts are against the idea of having a pet monkey, I

wanted to see if I can find people that can help answer the main question of this essay: Can
monkeys be kept as a pet?
Methods
I decided to see for myself what other pet owners thought about the question of - - Can
pet monkeys be kept as a pet? - - through a survey I created. The survey was at least 10 questions
long and 5-6 minutes estimate to complete. I included mostly multiple choice and open-ended
questions.

I went to a local Petsmart store and was allowed to pass surveys to people who own a
pet(s) and to aspiring pet owners. The goal of this survey was to collect at least 25 responses and
put it all on a table to see what gender and age group would agree or disagree on the survey
topic. It took 2 visits to complete the survey and the results are as follows: 17 participants (75%)
were females, and 8 participants were males (25%). I also discovered that most of the female
participants (55%) were between 18-35 years old and all male participants were also 18-35 years
old.

Results
From what I gathered, I found out that all 25 of the survey participants chose that
monkeys should not be kept as pets. Around 80% of the participants were pet owners and
believed that animals such as cats and dogs are safer and friendlier than apes.

Age 18-35. Male

25% No

Age 36-50. Male

N/A

Age 18-35. Female 55% No

Would You Want a Pet Monkey?

Age 36-50. Female 20% No

Some of the participants gave me reasons as to why they wouldnt want a pet monkey. I
got comments that related to the Charla Nash incident to monkeys are too wild and messy. All
the comments I got seemed to be more on the negative side.

Discussion
The results I got seem to indicate that most pet owners do not want or recommend having
a pet monkey. The animals that were picked to be more suitable pets were cats, dogs, and
reptiles. These results seem to show me that these pet owners know enough that wild animals
such as monkeys should be kept in the wild or zoo and shouldnt be domesticated.

Conclusion
The results I got from the survey I created indicates that monkeys shouldnt be kept as
pets. The results go together with the sources I used on this essay, since the majority of the

responses I got were of that monkeys can be too much of a liability and aggressive. The expert
sources I used did explain the difficulties and aggression of raising a pet monkey.

With the information I gathered, it seems that ordinary pet owners would rather stay with
dogs and cats, but there are people out there that would still acquire exotic animals through pets
in states where owning a monkey is illegal.

References
Alpert, Lukas I. Charla Nash, woman disfigured in chimp attack, reveals new face after
20-hour transplant NY Daily News. Presented 11 August 2011. Web. 21 October 2015

McLeod, Lianne. The Problem With Pet Monkeys About.com. Web. 1 October 2015

Mott, Maryann. The Perils of Keeping Monkeys as Pets. National Geographic. Presented
16 September 2003. Web. 1 October 2015

Slater, Lauren. Wild Obsession: The perilous attraction of owning exotic pets. National
Geographic. Presented April 2014. Web. 6 October 2015

About the author: Elvin Martes is a college student at Norwalk Community College. He
is majoring in an Associates Degree in Graphic Design and taking ENG 101.