REXANO, www.REXANO.org Editorial By “Eileenâ€
On July 1, 2008 ABC Primetime aired a show titled “The Outsiders” speaking of peoples’ pet primates as “surrogate children.†This program has portrayed primate ownership in the worst possible light and FAILED to report the entire story. It is the most biased article I have yet to see and shows an incredible lack of journalism on the part of ABC. It is obvious that is was animal rights driven. 
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I was actually interviewed by Denise Balona, The Orlando Sentinel reporter, who wrote the original story on Lori Johnson and her pet Capuchin, Jessica-Marie.
We spoke for about a half hour and she also spoke for more than an hour with my mother-in-law. She requested I send her pictures as well, and I sent her many. NOTHING we told her was printed her article. NONE of the large enclosures, or pictures of us with our ADULT primates, mouths full of those beautiful canines, made it to print. When I later emailed her asking her why nothing we had said was printed her reply was “I had included some of what you said but removed it due to space.” How very convenient.
The media loves to portray all primate owners as irresponsible lunatics who keep them as “surrogate children.” This is FALSE. The majority of primates ARE NOT surrogates, they are MONKEYS and are cared for as such. We do love them as part of my family the same way that other American families love their dog or cat. I have met with many other owners who also care wonderfully for their primate companions as PETS. I have even been commended by my veterinarian for my ability to properly handle and care for them. This show is the equal of airing a program on owners who use their dogs in dog fighting and then state that all owners fight their dogs. Amputating fingers…That is cruel and no owner would condone that. That was one isolated case of a primate with amputated fingers. It probably occured from him fighting with another monkey, not an actual amputation.
About Angelle Sampey and her monkey, Andy… If she would have done the proper research BEFORE acquiring him she would have known that he needed companionship of his own kind, or CONSTANT company from her, which her job would not allow her to provide him because of constant travel requirements.
If she did not have time for a child because of her job, what made her believe she would have had time for such a high maintenance animal? Her story would have had the same ending even if she took in a dog as they too are social animals. Notice at the end that she states she is turning Andy’s old playroom into a room for a child she is adopting from China. If she clearly expressed that she did not have time for a child, and her work requires her to travel so often how can she think this poor child will turn out better? SHE is setting herself up for failure. I hope that I am wrong about this as the only one who would truly suffer is the child.
To those people judging monkey and other exotic animal owners, don’t forget that dogs too came from the wild at one point. In fact there are still wild dogs out there…wolves. Judging by the 4.7 million+ dog bites ANNUALLY in the US alone, dogs aren’t very domesticated either. In the end it is how the animals were cared for. I have seen many very well cared for primates, and many well cared for domestics.
Arguments can be made in favor or against any and all animal breeds. Yes, some choose to live their lives with an alternative pet. That does not make us any more crazy, evil, or selfish than the neighbor with a cat, or fish. Monkeys are animals just the same as dogs are, both having different needs than the other. What needs to be looked at is not the type of animal one owns, but the type of care that animal receives. There are bad owners for ALL animal species. I have seen the sweetest pit bulls that would not hurt a fly, yet the media makes them to be vicious animals. They are not. It is irresponsible owners who always seem to make the news, and discredit all the other good owners out there.
Should there be permits required to own a primate? Yes, and many states do require permits. Should they be banned? NO!
Fair regulations are a good thing. The State of FL requires 1,000 of experience among other requirements for example, which I find very fair. The problem with regulations is that some will put such strict criteria or wording that pretty much equals a ban. Bans only punish responsible owners. When you remove the right to do something, you are removing that right for EVERYONE, not just the bad. Those that are good will continue to follow the law, and not get a monkey or whatever else. But those who do it illegally will continue to, and it will be worse for the monkeys because now they won’t have access to health care, outdoor enclosures, etc. For those that believe that the wild is a much better place should go visit that wild. The greatest threat to primates and other exotics is not the pet trade but Habitat Encroachment. The “wild” animals have nowhere to go because human overpopulation is leading to the taking of their land. The people in their native habitats who stole that land now kill them because they continue to eat from their crops and are considered a nuisance. People in poverty stricken areas kill them for food…Add to that equation other predators, drought leading to less food and greater competition amongst each other, and diseases they can succumb to in the wild. These animals are being pushed out of their native land with nowhere to go. 
The wild doesn’t seem so much greater than captivity in a caring environment. Unless you find extinction a better option? Also to note, import of wild monkeys as pets has been illegal in the US since 1975 and most other developed countries have similar laws regarding all endangered species. Many people will say that they belong in zoos and sanctuaries. Remember animal rights groups don’t want them in cages at all.
This means no zoos or sanctuaries either. If they can’t be in a zoo, sanctuary, private home, or their native land where should they go? For me extinction is not an option.
Regarding Sanctuaries and Zoos: Most employees work for minimum wage, or free. I am sure for many it is a job just to get by. Who wants to work cleaning cages day in day out for a living? My point: Many zoo employees don’t really care much for the animals, they just want their money. 
I have spoken to employees at zoos who tell me that they only remain there for the animals, because most other employees don’t care and don’t do anything. Others tell me that they know that their enclosures are less than ideal, but when caretakers suggest in investing money in habitats, they are denied. I am not saying all zoo employees, but many. Private owners took up this responsibility willingly, and get rewarded by the close relationship they develop with their animals; something zoo employees lack as handling of animals is prohibited in most cases.
There are bad and good in all aspects of every day life. Instead of criticizing and attacking owners, zoos, etc, time and energy should be spent on educating those who don’t have the appropriate knowledge so that they too can provide their animals with excellent care. Below is a comment made on the ABC site:
I could not have said it better myself. Why does our society refuse to embrace anyone who is different? At one time the black community was ostracized by society because of their skin color. Members of the gay community have been ostracized because of their sexual practices. Other groups of Americans have been discriminated against because of other practices or cultural differences. Why can’t Americans “live and let live?” Personally, I don’t like snakes. In fact, I am frightened of them and they disgust me. But do I ridicule and condemn responsible owners of snakes for their passion and dedication to the species that interests them and they chose to share their lives with? NO! When pet owners fondly refer to their dog, cat, primate, or other pet as their “son” or “daughter,” as many pet owners of various species do, it is simply a term of endearment which describes the loving and nurturing relationship they have with their pet. I have heard many dog owners refer to their dogs as their “babies,” their “fur-babies,” their “kids” or their “son/daughter.” The practice of referring to beloved pets with otherwise human terminology is not isolated to primate pet owners, but is a common practice among thousands of animal-loving American pet owners. In no way are these individuals deluded or insane, just very fond of the animals in their care and they chose to refer to them with terms of endearment that refer to the intimacy of the parent/child relationship. Some people don’t refer to their pets with this type of terminology, but shouldn’t condemn those who do. Few Americans have the dedication and committment required to care for a primate pet due to the animal’s complex and specialized needs. But that doesn’t mean that the few people who choose to make that type of committment to an animal should be ostracized, punished or condemned for doing so. Let’s respect the dedication of these people to their unusual pets and leave them alone!
Copyright © REXANO 2008Â
14 users commented in " Would Real Monkeys do a Better Job Producing ABC Primetime Shows? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackYou see that is very sweet, You never know the love you have until you own a Monkey for your self, Raise one of your own and you will have great love and trust…Joy Galloway…
The truth is…Monkeys are NOT and should NOT be treated as pets! Most pet primates have been species isolated and exploited their whole life and that is sick! Jesse’s owners are both selfish & ignorant. I have helped rescue several monkeys and our sanctuaries get calls every day from people who have “pet monkeys” that they can no longer care for or are scared of their so called child and want it gone. Our sanctuaries are at capacity and monkeys (retired research monkeys & ex-pet monkeys) are being put to death because there is no place for them to go! Please do your homework people, educate yourself and stop being so selfish! Though I am sure in your heart you think that you know what is best for your pet monkey as most owners do, you can never offer that amazing exotic wild animal what they really need..EVER! Primates should never be forced to be pets, actors, lab rats or on display at zoos, etc…It should be illegal for too many reasons to list. It saddens me to know that money talks and no matter what some of us will always let our need and greed destory the last of the remaining wild! I do agree that Primetime could have done a better job on the perils of the pet primate world and hopefully they will decide to run another story. Take care.
I stand behind this very well written post…We all have a right to own a primate,if the animal is well cared for….Im sorry but sanctuaries to me are nothing but someone with some land,putting up caging and collecting animals from owners that no longer want them..this way they dont have to purchase the animals.then asking for donations..to support the animals..most sanctuary owners that i have met use to be breeder/brokers of exotics……the sanctuary that was viewed on this primetime was the same person that use to breed,dress up baby monkeys,and sell them and in her video states to purchase more than one baby for companionship,,she also has in her video of her taking young children into an enclosure with her adult primates and doing photo shoots etc with her exotics….I stand behind exotic ownership if the owners are educated enough on the species and the animal can be properly cared for with diet,enrichments and vet care..Sherry
There are many responsible exotic pet owners, that let the animal be an animal, yet have a true loving bond with the animal of choice. Primates make great loving pets, and can make your life more enjoyable, but the human in their life makes their life more worth while. They get affection, love and the sensitivity they require, that they would not get in the wild. Bans on animals of any kind are wrong. It punishes the responible owner, and their pets. What happened to our right to choose? Even rotties and dobermans are being banned in some states, and insurance companies wont cover the home if you own a dog on their list. Dogs are not to blame, the breed of dog is not to blame, it is the irrisposible owners who allow them to get agressive, teach them to fight, etc… that should be banned and punished. But the AR groups attack the breeds of dogs, attack owners of exotics, and the media listens only to the negative stories. When is this world going to start seeing the WHOLE story, see the resposible side of ANY pet ownership, and deal with the irrisponsibles people, instead of taking our right to choose away? Instead of banning animals that make our lives complete? Media and AR groups are one sided in their views, and untill they exsperience life with an exotic, they will never learn the truth. SAY NOT TO BANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have 2 capuchin monkey’s, both are loved very much and I chose to have them in my life instead of human children. I would’nt change it for the world. They both are happy and healthy and nobody should be able to tell me wether or not I can have them. A better option is to collect all the drug abusing,child molesting HUMANS and take them away….. Karen
Eileen, Thank you for speaking up for the many of us who know the truth but might not be able to express it so well!! Owning a monkey has been compared to having a child in the past decade. The reason for this is because of the complex emotional and mental make up of a non human primate. The time given in attention to a “pet” or companion monkey is as much as you would give to a baby coming into your home. Because of this……the bond between owner and monkey becomes very close……much like that of a child.
If a person gets a monkey, and raises it properly (because they have researched and learned about THEIR needs) as you would a child, you will have a life time bond. good. A monkey that lacks trust for their owner can become aggressive. They are afraid……..they become aggressive. They have not been given the right amount of love, discipline and bonding time. This is very much like a “human-child”. Biting is a form of communication. From play biting to attacking, their communication is different. My 5 monkeys have NEVER bitten me for any reason. We play bite and they know the difference of playing and being aggressive. My monkeys, which are all macaques, have their teeth. Bottom line……Everything rises and falls on leadership……..what kind of animal owner are you……so goes your animal.
In response to mnmonyx: How is having a monkey “destroying the rest of the remaining wild”? That’s a stupid statement…they haven’t been imported from the wild in over 20 yrs now. I have two spider monkeys…I don’t think of them as pets, as you mentioned, I think of
them as companions! They have much, much more than most sanctuaries could offer them and they are happy, well adjusted, and very much loved! You say we haven’t done our homework…well…..it doesn’t look to me like you are doing yours! Why are you sitting back and watching monkeys being euthanized because there are no homes for them? Is it because, like you also say, that money talks and if a person can’t supply YOUR sanctuary (s)?
with a ton of money, you won’t take the monkey in? There are ALWAYS homes for these magnificant creatures…just not with a sanctuary who does nothing other than supply a cage that somebody else paid for in the first place! My monkeys have swings, toys, enrichment items, foraging devices, lots of good, healthy food, outdoor enclosures, indoor playrooms, and most importantly they have
US and each other to love them!! And if you ever decide to get off of your high horse and come down to Earth, you are welcome to contact me or other monkey owners, and we’ll supply homes for the monkeys that don’t have them….OR we’ll find them a home…they will NOT
be euthanized.
The best thing that ever came into my life is my capuchin monkey Jingles. You see I have a severe to profound hearing impairment. Jingles helps me hear what I can’t on my own .She is a hearing helper monkey… She helps me live a more independent life.She provides me companionship where humans seem to not want to . I am left out of conversations ,I am ignored because people don’t care to repeat things or have to speak slower.The connection I have with Jingles goes beyond words…we don’t need them to communicate..she senses my needs. She is a very happy monkey .She can catch bugs to eat like in the wild.She can splash with the Koi by the pond.she can swing out in her tree swing. She doesn’t spend her days locked in a cage like you think monkeys are.She is happy with her human family. Hey, didn’t we evolve from monkeys…so why does she need to be with other monkeys to be with a family.In the eleven years I have had her, she has never spent one night without me. I need her to hear for me in the night when I am without my hearing aids.She needs me to be there so she is never alone. If you asked me one word to describe happiness ..I would say Jingles..
I wish people would mind there own buisness the world would be a better place. Just because I own monkeys, and someone don’t like it does not make it a bad thing. I don’t like most sancturies , but you don’t see me trying to close u down. Maybe some of the monkeys you have are better off with you, I don’t know and won’t jude you. I have Macs and would not send them to a sancturie for anything. My monkeys are well loved and have planty of enrichment toy’s. They are my Babies but not my Childern. Go spend your time and money on somthing important, and leave us alone. Im with the other comment go after child molester or rapist. We just won’t to raise our Monkeys in peace. THAT SHOULD BE OUR LEGAL RIGHT ,GOD BLESS US ALL ( it makes me wounder why our kid’s are dying over sea’s for us or why all they other one’s have died. I thought it was for our freedom)Mary
If bans on exotics are allowed to exist, soon other things that is our constitutional right to own will also be banned. do you want to live in a communist world? Our military young men are over there fighting for our freedom while we are back here allowing these Animal rights fanatics to take our freedom away! The treatment of exotics can be regulated by requiring permits/licenses etc. There is no need for bans on anything. There are many of us out here who are educated in the care of primates, so tell me why are they put to death because there is no room at the sanctuaries? Well, its because sanctuaries think we are incapable. All they are going to do is throw them in a cage and they live out their years until they die. With a human family they have more quality of life not less. We can build large cages and add items of enrichment etc. and we even get ideas from how the sanctuaries do there cages and the zoos. My monkeys are used to human affection and also that of each other. This is bull. back in my grandmas day there were plenty of people who had monkeys. what is the big deal? I think the Animal rights people need a real cause to fight for like how about fighting the “bush meat ” trade in Africa where they are poaching these beautiful different exotic monkeys, soon to be extinct , to sell on the market for rich people to eat at high class restaurants ?Or they could fight for all these monkeys stuck behind closed doors at a lab with screws going through their heads day in and day out. I say NO BANS ON ANYTHING, just REGULATE it. There is not going to be any “WILD” left people, can’t you see that. The private owners of exotics and zoos etc will be the only way our future generations will ever experience seeing or touching an exotic animal.
Americans have a constitutional right to own property, and like it or not, the government considers animals as well as land property. It is unconstitutional to deny people the right to own the animal of their choice.
These animals are not stolen from the wild, but bred and born right here in the USA. As captive-born animals, captivity IS their ‘natural’ environment. The activists have failed miserably at protecting these animals in the wild, which should be their true focus….not banning people from providing captive-born primates with loving homes.
Although my primary interest and focus is big cats, I have an opportunity to work around a lot of different exotic animals and the people that own them. Primates are very special animals, unlike any others. As a bit of a mirror of ourselves, they form very close relationships with their humans, much more like a child than a pet. Like all loving creature-creature bonds that exist, both the animal and the human bebefit from it. Although primates are very curious, and love to explore, at the end of the day, they are glad to be with ‘mom’ or ‘dad’. It disturbs me deeply that there are those who feel strongly enough about this ‘situation not being right’ as to force their viewpoint on all of us. We have a God-given fundamental right to have animals as friends and companions– my lion, Eileen’s monkey, perhsps your cat, dog or whatever. Others may decide it is their God-given fundamental right to abstain from such relationships. That’s fine, too. Go ahead and exercise that right. Just don’t infringe on other people’s God-given right to own animals!
I just can’t justify keeping a primate as a pet, they are so special to me as I have worked with them for over 10 years. These animals are not pets, they are so intelligent they need so much mental stimulation they need to interact with others of their own species. Babies primates in the pet trade are pulled from their mothers at birth, i’m talking as early as 2 days old in some cases. There are laws in the U.S. which state you cannot sell a puppy or a kitten under 8 weeks but unfortunately no such laws are in place for primates. They truly form bonds with one another that rival our own. Mothers and babies will form lifelong bonds, I have a daughter and I can’t imagine the pain I would be in if someone ever took her away from me.
I’m not judging anyone i’m just saying why I would never get one both my experiences and my heart tells me it is wrong.
A study done awhile ago showed that because the use of chimpanzees were so prevalent in the entertainment industry most people did not realise they were even endangered. How sad is that, we have taken one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom and have dressed him up in commando pants and given him a gun as if he is off to war. This is a war alright, but it is a war to save the chimpanzee from extinction not so you can keep him in your backyard. By using that poster to further your own selfish interest you have exploited the chimpanzee yet again.
Private ownership does not contribute to conservation. Conservation is about letting these animals live as they have been before our interference, wild and free. Who am I and who are you to say they are happier in captivity. I’m not saying that some people do not go above and beyond for their primates however did it ever occur to you that even your best just isn’t good enough.
I know REXANO is opposed to pretty much any animal bill that comes up. We have freedoms and peace in this country because there are laws in place. If there were no laws then everyone could do what they wanted to. But even you can see how that can’t work.
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