First off, the question here is NOT if the monkey was taken care of properly, the qustion is legally was she allowed to have this monkey? The answer to this question is NO. In the county, in the state where this woman lives Primates are NOT allowed to be owned, housed, or taken care of by private owners. This law went into effect BEFORE Elyse bought this monkey. She should have checked with both the county and the State regulations to make sure that this type of animal was permitted. This is NOT a child by any means it is a WILD animal which in years to come will NOT be the same loving baby that he is now. He will become what he is.. a wild animal by instincts. Monkeys have not evolved over the millions of years such as humans (babies as you say) therefore are not capable of living in a society without doing harm to not only his owner but to others. The monkey was taken away because of the law, not because of any phone call made of dietary needs or changes. There are tooo many people that try to substitute monkeys as children just to find out when they reach sexual maturity that they are in fact a wild animal. By this time the monkey is unable to be socialized with other monkeys and will live a life that is unnatural to monkeys. Monkeys live in troops up to 40 depending on the species and to have one in solitude is unkind and inhumane. There is NO comparison between a child and a monkey. The monkey belongs with other monkeys and that is why the law exists, from other bad experiences that have been found in the state of maryland with bites of humans to escapes and the unfortunate killing of monkeys to capture them. It is a good law, and a law which is being inforced as should be. You couldn’t be 1/2 drunk and say “but I was really upset so can’t you please let me go” NO a DUI is a DUI. Same as Monkeys are against the law in MD no if, and’s or buts. It’s the law, everyone needs to abide by the law.

I assume your article is satire, but in case it’s not, I would say that what this woman needs is some psychological help, not legal aid in a fight to get her pet back.

And, it is still true that it is illegal to own primates as pets in Maryland, as it should be. The Exotic Pet law took effect October 1, 2006, and clearly includes primates. Mr. Johnson is absolutely correct.

To Tom J,
How do YOU know whether or not the monkey was legal. Did YOU sell it to her?There was a grandfather clause in the law that may exempt Armani completely, so that is for the judge to decide. Under the County law, the burden of proof is on the county ” that Armani is “wild” or “inherently untamable””.She was only charged with violating the county law ans NOT the state law. In other words, (for those that cannot read)The COUNTY broke their own law! They violated her rights (which still superceed that of animals wether you like it or not) by seizing her valuable property, without allowing her a chance to prove the birthdate of the monkey, and hauled her of Gestapo style in a country where you are supposed to be presumed INNOCENT, until proven guilty, beyond a resonable doubt. Cappuchin monkeys are clever little creatures, often used to assist the disabled. That do not need to live
“in troops up to 40” to thrive, and enjoy contented domestic lives “without doing harm” to anyone! Many human children grow up to be a menace to society, so while I personally would not choose to own a pet monkey, it would appear that Elyse made the smarter choice of species here. After all, she works with animals for a living. Perhaps she is of a more sound mind than Tom J or Rick!

Jade;
Trust me I know the birth date of the monkey. Anyone can obtain these records from the USDA. The breeder that sold this monkey is obligated by the USDA by laws to fill out what is called a transfer paper FYI and on that document it must have the monkey’s DOB. You yourself if you wish to investigate as I did can obtain the same information as I have about the birth of this monkey. HE was not born before the date of the law going into effect. He is NOT grandfathered in. As far as the way they arrested her, she did not cooperate with the authorities, she stood in the way of them doing their job, therfore it was their only recourse. (I have spoken to them) It was her choice as to how the monkey was going to be taken. And of course lets all not forget about the fact that she also received violations on not having her dogs properly vaccinated. She is a dog groomer, suppose to love dogs yet can’t even provide proper care for her own dogs? If she can’t provide that then what would make anyone think that she would provide proper vet care for such a special animal with only few vets that look after them? There is NO innocent or Guilty in a case where a woman is standing in her house with a monkey that is NOT allowed in the county or the state. Just like if you were caught with pot standing in your house, your guilty, no questions asked, it’s against the law. As far as the helping hands monkeys are concerned, you should do some more research on that subject because there are only special qualified people that train and have hands on with the helping hands monkeys. She by far is not experienced or knowledgeable of Primates. Period. What good was she going to do with this monkey? Was this monkey going to be a helping hands monkey? No then why the reference? Capuchin is spelled this way, not with 2 “P’s” I think you have no idea what you are talking about. I have been doing this for 14 years, I have one monkey here that was someone’s baby and oh she loved him so much, he was her baby. He was her baby so much that when he was 10 years old she left him in the garage in a small cage and went on vacation for 2 weeks and oops forgot to tell someone to feed him and guess what? he chewed his arm off he was so hungry. Do you want to hear more of my ex-pet monkey stories, I have lots. And they are ALL true. Now you see why she shouldn’t get him back? Because there’s probably only 1 out of 10,000 people that are private owners that can really take care of and be devoted to a monkey for 30-35 years even after they hate you. I know some of these people and I salute them. Elyse is NOT one of them! Trust me I know!

Why does Mr. Johnson act as if every private owner is like the one who neglected a monkey so badly? It makes it difficult to believe anything that he says when he abuses his expertise to abuse other people.

Give the lady her monkey back, she loves it and I’m sure the idiots that took it can’t take care of it like it’s owner. Yes you can tame monkeys and you can casterate him and he will be handable the rest of his life,I know this for sure because i have some that are 18 and 20 years old that I handle every day.I would move away from Maryland and never trust a sanctuary becuse they thinkbno one should have animals but them so they can get more donations to keep them going and rake in the money for thier own personal use. I have seen it happen. I would get an attorney and sue the sanctuary that started all the bullshit. I hope what they dished out comes back and slaps the idiots in the face and pocketbook. Patty Rivers

America had come so far from it’s compassion for the veterans, animals, and even human life…….could it be that TV has made us so ammuine to emotions or feelings? One day, our rights as Americans to enjoy ownership of a companion animal will be delegated to us by our own government…possibly based on our income……..America needs to wake up in time to watch our Constitutional Rights float down the river of BANS……..First a monkey soon your dog or cat!

Mr. Johnson,
Since you seem to be so well versed in the Armani case, how do you explain the fact that the county didn’t follow their own laws, one of which is to allow the owner 10 days to re-home the animal particularly when the state has dropped all charges! Your blanket statement “He will become what he is.. a wild animal by instincts” is ridiculous. I have a nine yr old monk and a 15 yr old monk, neither of which have “become” wild animals. They are a part of our family…a BIG part of our family. And no, they are not substitute children…we have a couple of those too and they love the monks just as much as we do. Some monkeys might become wild, IF they aren’t treated property and given loads of attention and stimulation. But isn’t that true of a dog or cat, not given the proper home? Anyway, it’s people like you, with the stupid statements you make, that make me wonder what’s really behind it all? Maybe you should see about some pshychological help to find out what it is that’s really bothering you!

That to me is the whole point. Elyse was denied 10 days to find Armani another home. Furthermore, this is America. No one should be forced to lie or to hide their personal property to protect it from government confiscation or interference. As long as an animal is not being abused it should not be illegal to own the species of our choice.

I hope Elyse does get Armani back on Tuesday and I hope it opens the door to repealing laws in every state that force people to hide that which is theirs.

Ms Sheila,

You are ignoring the many ‘hundreds of others out there’ who have been sucessfully raised in the home as loving and trusting pets. Neutering at a young age is very helpful if one does not wish for their animal to go through sexual changes and other owners offer them a companion and love and admire them through their enclosure, without the daily hands on. Either way, the animals are happy and content as they are captive bred and born THIS IS their ‘natural’ environment.

They are not longing for ‘the wild’ or a ‘troop’ of monkeys as this life is what they know and are comfortable with. Most of this ‘anti-monkey’ propaganda comes from people who have never raised one or who were unsucesseful in raising one properly and are jealous of those who do.

To suggest that this woman substitute a puppy for her monkey is ludicrous. Puppys grow up to be dogs and 30,000 of them were euthanized last year in my county alone. There is a much greater incidence of ‘domestic’ animals becoming unwanted than there are of exotics. There is also a much greater danger of a dog attacking and injuring someone.

Sanctuarys are a buisness. As a business they can choose to take an animal or they can turn it down; in which case there are private owners who will take it, and without all the news media and money-begging. First-time owners of exotics need to do their homework and connect with like minded people who will help them protect their animals and their rights. The animal activists in this country want to deprive them of both.

Wow! It sure looks as if the santuary hoarders are afraid that outsiders might be encroaching on their market share. Like a twisted and depraved modern day Noah, they wish to gather up the animals for themselves and use tax exempt funds to finance their personal collections! Dog forbid anyone else is allowed to enjoy a close relationship with another species.

Truly, if we do not stand up to our lawmakers and hold them accountable on election day, the vegan fascists will be dancing in the streets and the only animals left will be the bones in the museum. Organize voting blocs in your state today, to protect ownership rights in the next session of the legislature.

I have never owned anything more “exotic” than reptiles, but I believe my cock fighting forefathers fought for our right to make that choice. If you want advice on proper care of exotics don’t contact “Tom” or any “sanctuary” – contact REXANO!!!

Once the government begins to not obey their own laws, thre is no democracy, only anarchy. It seems many that have responded do not believe in due process of law but rather believe their own opinions should qualify the treatment afforded both the owner and Armani. The law, which the county officials VIOLATED, and even VIOLATED the Judge’s explicit orders, (talk about breaking the law AND the ignoring judicial process!), allows for the owner 10 days to resolve the violation. THAT is reasonable. WHY wouldn’t the county abide by their own laws? This is some kind of a vindictive manueveur on the part of the county and perhaps with complicity of the “sanctuary” person that would be most likely to receive the capuchin upon confiscation. CONFLICT OF INTEREST! And THAT is not just! nor legal. I owned a primate as a CHILD with all his teeth, canine, claws and what have you and never once was bit! Nor was anyone else and he got along just fine with a menagerie of animals I was lucky enough to have, nearly ALL being GIVEN to me by previous owners. The hatred that is being spewed toward the owner by some here is representative of the sentimens many animal rights activists spew toward most of society. We have been living WITH animals since the beginning of time. Who are they to say NOW we have no justification for doing so? Self-serving, self-righteous pompous money grabbing non-for-profits. I hope Armani goes back to his owner!