I am shocked it’s already Friday! With Foxie’s birthday being this week and our (successful!) fundraising drive, this week’s Take Action Tuesday post was a little delayed—but not forgotten!
Last month, we were once again reminded about the tragedy behind keeping chimpanzees as pets. CJ and Buddy, two pet chimps from Las Vegas, escaped from their backyard cage. Though CJ survived the ordeal, Buddy was sadly shot to death. Chimpanzees are not safe as pets, and they can and will bite. They are capable of terrible damage, as seen from the infamous incident with Travis and Charla Nash a few years ago.
Thankfully, last week CJ’s owners decided the best thing for her would be to send her to a reputable sanctuary that would be dedicated to providing quality lifetime care. Chimps, Inc. has agreed to take CJ and give her a home where she can be with other chimpanzees and live in an environment that will fit her needs.
This is great news for CJ, but it is also a reminder of the remaining chimpanzees in the U.S. that are kept as pets and used for entertainment purposes. Chimpanzees are portrayed on TV and in movies as cute and cuddly attractions, which seriously misinforms the public about the true nature of these beings and perpetuates the pet trade.
This problem is not just unique to chimpanzees—monkeys are also very prominent in the media, and it is estimated that thousands of monkeys are kept as pets in this country. Unfortunately, NBC is planning on airing an entire series featuring a capuchin monkey, Crystal, in their upcoming premiere of Animal Practice. Although the show doesn’t start until the fall, NBC is airing a special sneak preview episode immediately following the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games on Sunday night. Please don’t watch it, and tell your friends not to also! Read this Action Alert to find out how you can speak up for Crystal. Post on the show’s Facebook page, send tweets to your followers telling them not to watch it, and send an email to the Chairman of NBC expressing your feelings about the exploitation of Crystal.
Sadly, this show will only perpetuate the unfortunate pet trade when people watch a monkey living with a human for a companion. The truth is that their complex social, psychological, and physical needs simply cannot be met in a human environment. Nonhuman primates are not meant for our world, and captivity is never an ideal place for any monkey or ape. Take Action today to help Crystal (and join our mailing list, too, to get alerts right in your inbox).
Debbie, thank you for this weeks Take Action post. I really appreciate reading these each week as I believe it’s beneficial to anyone that reads the blog to be educated on what’s happening outside of our own lives, and how we can do our part to help these precious animals.
Keep them coming!
I’ve never understand the idea of keeping a chimp as a pet. They are far too human, and far too strong. I feel bad enough having to put a collar and leash on my dog, and doing it to a chimp would be even worse.
I’ve seen and heard of tons of people keeping smaller monkeys as pets. The specialized care, and occasional severe tempers should be enough to dissuade most, but somehow it doesn’t. Also, the prospect of disease transmission is a concern.
I’ve owned a quaker parrot for the last 12 years now, and while she is manageable, she still has a wild nature. I do the best I can for her in terms of diet, toys, and other enrichment, and still wish there was more I could do(and afford). I love her to pieces, and couldn’t imagine life without her. Birds require specialized care, and most people won’t know that going in. Education about it is getting a little better now though. Do a little reading, and the story is much bigger than a cage and a bag of birdseed.
A parrot is, generally speaking, a walk in the park compared to a primate.
I saw the ad for that show, and to be honest, I doubt it will do very well. Didn’t peak much of my own interest.
I just watched a clip of the show, from E! Television, and it’s only a matter of time before they’ll have a baby chimp on there. Unfortunately, it’s shows like these that perpetuate having primates as pets.