|
Please note
that a majority of monkey bites, attacks and escapes go unreported
http://www.the-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050304/APN/503040574&cachetime=5
AP State News
March 04. 2005 4:17AM
Chimps escape, attack visitors at animal sanctuary in Calif.
By KIM CURTIS
Associated Press Writer
A couple's visit to the chimpanzee they were forced to relinquish
to an animal sanctuary turned tragic when two other chimps
attacked the husband, critically wounded him before the animals
were shot to death in mid-assault.
The son-in-law of the sanctuary's owner killed the animals
that left St. James Davis, 62, in critical condition with
massive injuries to his face, body and limbs, said Steve Martarano,
a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game.
"He saw what was happening and had one kind of weapon
with him and then got another he felt would be more substantial
and shot them," Martarano said. "He pretty much
saved a life."
Davis' wife, LaDonna Davis, 64, suffered a bite wound to
the hand while attempting to help her husband, Martarano said.
The Davises were at the Animal Haven Ranch to celebrate the
birthday of Moe, a 39-year-old chimpanzee who was taken from
their suburban Los Angeles home in 1999 after biting off part
of a woman's finger.
The couple had brought Moe a cake and were standing outside
his cage when Buddy and Ollie, two of the four chimpanzees
in the adjoining cage, attacked St. James Davis, Martarano
said. Officials do not yet know how the chimps got out of
their enclosure, he said.
Moe was not involved in Thursday's attack, Martarano said.
Dr. Maureen Martin, of Kern Medical Center, told KGET-TV
of Bakersfield that the monkeys chewed most of Davis' face
off and that he would require extensive surgery in an attempt
to reattach his nose.
Davis was transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center,
where he was undergoing surgery late Thursday night, according
to Martarano.
Kern County Sheriff's Cmdr. Hal Chealander told The Bakersfield
Californian that besides the damage to his face, Davis had
his testicles and foot mauled off. Buddy, a 16-year-old male
chimp, initiated the attack and after he was shot, Ollie,
a 13-year-old male, grabbed the gravely injured man and dragged
him down the road, according to Chealander.
"Everybody was trying to get the chimp off," Chealander
said.
Two other chimps, females named Susie and Bones, also escaped
from the cage they shared with Ollie and Buddy, prompting
sheriff's deputies, animal control workers, and Fish and Game
officials to launch a search.
The wayward pair were eventually recovered peacefully by
Animal Haven owner Virginia Brauer after five hours. Martarano
said one chimp was two miles from the sanctuary.
The Davises had waged an unsuccessful legal fight to bring
Moe back to their West Covina home and visited him regularly
at the sanctuary where he had been living since October. They
brought the chimp from Africa decades ago after a poacher
killed his mother.
Animal Haven Ranch has held state permits to shelter animals
since 1985 and serves as a sanctuary for animals that have
been confiscated or discovered lost, Martarano said.
It is allowed to house up to nine primates at one time and
is home to one spider monkey and six chimpanzees, he said.
The permits are held by Ralph and Virginia Brauer, who could
not be reached immediately for comment.
Neighbors described them as devoted and responsible animal
lovers.
"Nobody ever complains about these people," neighbor
Debbie Hay told The Bakersfield Californian. "I think
they tried to do a good thing."
Jeanne Miller, a family friend, said the Brauers cared for
animals with their own money and the help of friends who brought
fruit to help feed them.
"She's devoted her whole life to taking care of these
chimpanzees," Miller said of Virginia Brauer.
Chimpanzees can turn surly if not handled properly, said
Martine Colette, animal director of the Wildlife WayStation,
a sanctuary near Los Angeles where Moe was housed for a time.
"Chimps are notoriously strong and they have some very,
very specific behaviors," Colette said. "If someone
tries to confine them, they will definitely put up a fight."
"An average person who doesn't know chimp body language
can't read them," she added.
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041209/NEWS08/412090392/1001/NEWS
More than 90 animals are seized near Akron
Police had gotten a tip that the animals were being neglected.
The owner of the unoccupied residence is expected to face
charges.
By JESSICA GRAHAM
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
December 9, 2004
More than 90 animals, including monkeys, burros and a potbellied
pig, were taken from an Akron residence Tuesday after police
received complaints that they were being neglected.
Plymouth County sheriff's deputies and several representatives
from the Siouxland Humane Society and the Animal Rescue League
of Iowa seized 40 dogs, eight dog carcasses, 16 cats, 14 chickens,
seven ducks, four goats, two burros, two macaque monkeys,
a rabbit and a potbellied pig. It took more than 15 deputies
and animal-care workers at least eight hours to clear the
property.
Plymouth County Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo said Bonita Dow
of Sioux City owns the unoccupied residence near Akron. Dow
could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Van Otterloo said Dow had been keeping animals in the yard
behind a chain-link fence, and in the house, in a garage and
in a shed. Some animals were kept in cages without access
to proper food and water. Many of the cages had not been cleaned
recently, and the animals were living in urine and feces.
"Not until recently did it seem like she was gathering
more animals . . . so many that they weren't being properly
cared for," the sheriff said.
Tom Colvin, executive director of the Animal Rescue League,
said he expects that Dow will be charged with animal neglect.
Colvin said the monkeys, which had sores on their bodies,
are rare.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned
that macaque monkeys can carry a virus that can be passed
to humans through bites and scratches. The virus can cause
potentially fatal meningoencephalitis in people, so the animals
typically are not suitable as pets.
The animals are being cared for by the Siouxland Humane Society
in Sioux City, except the two monkeys and one of the dogs.
The Animal Rescue League is seeing to their care.
Colvin said none of the animals can be adopted until after
a court hearing within 10 days of the seizure.
Josh Colvin, cruelty intervention coordinator for the Animal
Rescue League, said it's unclear how often Dow checked the
animals.
"No one can possibly care for that many animals by themselves,"
he said.
Tom Colvin said animal experts have theories about cases
where someone has so many animals that they cannot care for
them.
"There's been studies done about hoarder mentality,"
he said. "They cannot release them to anyone else's care,
even though there's so many needs they can't see to: nutritional
needs, veterinary care and sanitation."
http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/news/story/119202004_new02monkey09.asp
Rescuers give chase to monkey
11/9/04
By AMY McCULLOUGH Tribune Chronicle
GIRARD - When firefighters and police officers in Liberty
and Girard received some phone calls Saturday about an escaped
monkey, they said it seemed too comical to be true.
The 18-inch Capuchan monkey's journey through one township,
one city and numerous rooftops ended Sunday when it fell 75
feet from a power line in Girard. However, the animal survived
the fall and is now safely back in the Girard home of its
owner. But when rescue workers arrived Saturday at Belmont
Avenue in Liberty, they were greeted with a frightened exotic
pet and an owner desperately trying to lure it from the rooftop
of Bob Evans restaurant.
Vivian Dunkel of Girard, the monkey's owner, was picking
up something from the restaurant when her child accidentally
let the monkey out of the car, Liberty police Chief Anthony
Slifka said.
When firefighters arrived, Dunkel climbed their ladder with
bananas in hand and called to her pet monkey in an attempt
to lure it into a cage.
The monkey escaped capture, jumped to the ground and ran
off into the woods, but not before pealing a few bananas,
Slifka said.
"It was heading westbound in the parking lot with its
tail flying in the air. I felt like the Wizard of Oz. It was
obviously very shaken up; she was on the roof for a while,''
Slifka said.
Liberty police officers put out an all-points bulletin on
the monkey, but hadn't seen her since.
The animal was shocked by an electrical wire on Plymouth
Avenue in Girard before its capture, although it was not seriously
injured and is back home with Dunkel, according to Walt Sheler,
a member of the Animal Welfare League's emergency response
team.
Tim Adkins of Kinsman, the owner of Mountain Man Trappers,
said Dunkel called him to help snatch the simian from its
rooftop journey.
"The owners had got her confined to a roof,'' Adkins
said. "About the time I got up on that roof, the monkey
looked at me and decided she didn't want to be up there any
more.''
The animal jumped down from the roof, ran two blocks and
up a utility pole.
"Then, she got mixed up with some power lines,'' Adkins
said. "She took a pretty good jolt, fell, and I thought
that was going to be the end of her. But she seems to be doing
OK.''
The owners were able to scoop up their pet, he said, and
immediately took her to a veterinarian.
Dunkel recently bought the monkey at an auction, but it may
not have felt comfortable enough with its new owner to take
the bait when they tried to lure her, said Sheler, who received
a call from an elderly couple on Indiana Avenue in Girard
around 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
The couple let their dog out because it would not stop barking,
Shelar said. When they looked to see what was causing the
ruckus, they found a monkey on their roof.
Shelar said the monkey ate three peanut butter sandwiches
before jumping to another roof.
"We tried luring it down, but it was so quick and agile
that it just jumped from roof to roof and then jumped in a
tree,'' he said.
Amber Bauman, an employee with the Animal Welfare League
and part of the emergency response team, said she asked Girard
police if they were sure it was a monkey on the roof.
"That's not a call you get every day,'' she said.
Bauman said everyone was trying to brainstorm on how to catch
the monkey, which she said weighed between 4 and 6 pounds.
"They're very intelligent. You could see it was cold
and hungry. As long as we stayed in the kitchen, she didn't
move. She was hungry and wanted to get out of the cold, but
every time we moved, she got scared,'' Bauman said. "It
was unfortunate for the animal and for those trying to rescue
her.''
Debbie Serbati, shelter director for the Animal Welfare League,
said emergency workers left once they found out the monkey
had an owner.
"When an owner has been located, then we're pretty much
out of the picture,'' Serbati said. "We've had different
calls on monkeys before. They do tend to get loose sometime.''
Dunkel was not available for comment Monday.
In his 20 years as a trapper, Adkins said he usually takes
calls for raccoons, skunks, groundhogs and other northeastern
Ohio nuisance animals. He has had some exotic calls before,
he said, including a silver fox in Gustavus and some emus.
"But this is the first monkey,'' he said.
http://www.wkbn.com/Global/story.asp?S=2536607
Trumbull County, Ohio
Monkey Business
(11/8/04) It was all monkey business in Girard over the weekend,
when a pet monkey escaped.
On Saturday, police and fire were called to the Bob Evans
Restaurant on Belmont Avenue, after a female monkey was spotted
on the rooftop.
Apparently, she'd gotten away from her owners. Yesterday,
she was spotted on Plymouth Street in Girard. Soon she made
her way up some power lines over the Trumbull avenue bridge.
A local trapper was called out to help.
After getting zapped, the monkey fell 75 feet. Amazingly,
she survived!
Her owners tell First News: she's doing okay and will see
a veterinarian today, who specializes in exotic animals.
http://www.theomahachannel.com/entertainment/3756361/detail.html
Monkey Bites Utility Worker; Owner Arrested
Woman Refused To Hand Over Animal
POSTED: 4:37 pm CDT September 23, 2004
SHUEYVILLE, Iowa -- Police said a rural Shueyville woman
was arrested for refusing to hand over a monkey that bit a
utility worker. Sue Kriz was charged Wednesday with interference
with official acts after authorities went to her home to seize
the Capuchin monkey.
Johnson County authorities said a telephone worker who went
to the home Monday was bit by the monkey. Officials do not
know if the worker received medical treatment. A judge ordered
the monkey removed from the home for routine testing.
Officials gave the order because there was concern Kriz would
not surrender the animal voluntarily.
Capuchin are considered to be intelligent and are used as
pets, trained performers, and therapy animals. The monkeys
are historically known as the pets used by organ grinders
during performances. They are native to southern Central America.
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040923/NEWS01/409230326/1079
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Officials to seize monkey who bit man
By Iowa City Press-Citizen
Johnson County authorities sought and received court permission
this week to seize a monkey from a Shueyville home after the
primate bit a utility worker.
The monkey in question lives at 3080 120th Ave. NE, the home
of Sue Kriz. It bit the male worker Monday, and Assistant
Johnson County Attorney went to court Tuesday seeking a judge's
order "to seize any monkey or monkeys on the property
....confine them for a period of fourteen days, and perform
any tests as directed by the Iowa Department of Public Health."
According to Lahey's application, past dealings with Kriz
made it "very unlikely" she would voluntarily turn
over the animal. Lahey did not elaborate. Judge Denver Dillard
granted the request.
Further details were not available at press time.
http://www.thehometownchannel.com/news/3611067/detail.html
Toddler Bitten By Monkey In Brooklyn Supermarket
Monkey Trained To Help Disabled Owner
POSTED: 2:49 pm EDT August 3, 2004
UPDATED: 3:03 pm EDT August 3, 2004
NEW YORK -- A monkey trained to help a disabled man with
chores bit a 2-year-old boy in a Brooklyn supermarket.
The boy, Thomas Romano, was shopping with his grandparents
at a grocery store at about 4 p.m. Monday when the monkey
bit him on the arm. He was treated at a hospital and released.
The monkey's owner, 45-year-old Steven Seidler, said the
animal attacked after the boy pulled its fur. Seidler is confined
to a wheelchair and uses the monkey to help him open doors
and pick things up.
But Romano's grandmother, Helene Romano, said the bite was
unprovoked. It is illegal to keep monkeys as pets in New York
City, but permits are given for those trained to help the
disabled.
http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2004/07/08/news/01newsmonkey.txt
Published - Thursday, July 08, 2004
Monkey chase leads to quarantined animal and two people seeking
rabies shots
By Jeff Dankert of the Winona Daily News
ST. CHARLES, Minn. - Authorities ordered a monkey quarantined
Wednesday at the Winona County fairgrounds, and two people
bitten Tuesday agreed to undergo rabies shots.
The incident, stemming from an unidentified boy who let a
monkey loose Tuesday, could have led to a worse outcome, authorities
and the monkey's owner said.
"I thought those guys were champions in catching the
monkey in the first place, and now I think they're heroes
in keeping the monkey alive," said Brian Staples of Cresco,
Iowa, who operates Staples Safari Zoo and Animal Rescue and
has a petting zoo and show at the Winona County Fair.
About 3 p.m. Tuesday, a boy went to a trailer where Staples
keeps three Capuchins, a spider monkey, a vervet monkey and
a lemur, according to the Winona County Sheriff Department.
The boy pried a locked door open, went into the trailer and
then ran away, followed by all of Staples monkeys, he said.
Staples and his helpers rounded up all but one Capuchin, which
bit two people before being caught, Staples said.
Winona County Sheriff Dave Brand said police and deputies
are looking for the boy who allegedly released the monkeys.
Winona County authorities met with Staples and the two victims
for several hours Wednesday at the fairgrounds to decide how
to resolve possible rabies issues. The two victims agreed
to undergo a series of six rabies shots over 28 days, and
Staples agreed to keep the monkey under quarantine for the
same period.
"I'm sorry I'm going to put you though any pain,"
Staples told Anthony Mason-Forcier of Coon Rapids. The man
went to the St. Charles Clinic on Wednesday to get his first
shot. Staples set up billing to pay for the shots for both
victims.
Mason-Forcier and a young woman who wouldn't provide her
name said they were willing to take the shots rather than
force authorities to kill and test the monkey.
"We would have had to make arrangements to put the animal
down, which nobody wanted," said Ross Dunsmoor, Winona
County Environmental Services supervisor. "Everybody's
happy right now, including us."
Staples said he acquires monkeys rescued by government agencies
and animal welfare organizations. He provided documentation
to authorities Wednesday that showed the animals' health records
and chain of custody are up to date
and legal.
The quarantined monkey, a 7-year-old named Lucas, likely
would not have bitten anyone if people had not chased and
cornered it, Staples said.
Smiling after the investigation finished Wednesday, he said
he was pleased it would remain unharmed.
"These are my children," he said.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/3502037/detail.html
Monkey Found In Macomb County Yard
Animal Control Official Says Animal Was 'Potentially Dangerous'
July 7, 2004
A Bruce Township family reportedly discovered a stray animal
in their yard, but it wasn't a dog.
A monkey was transported to the Macomb County Animal Shelter
after it was discovered Monday night, according to a report
in The Macomb Daily. The monkey appears to be a macaque, which
is the most widely distributed type of primate, according
to chief animal control officer Sue Jeroue.
"They can be aggressive," Jeroue told the paper.
"It's a wild animal and a stray on top of that. It was
potentially dangerous."
The macaques are described as having gray, brown or black
fur, and are commonly housed in research facilities, zoos,
wildlife parks or kept as pets, according to the report.
The monkey that was found weighs about 20 pounds or less
and the gender was not known.
Jeroue said Wednesday that the monkey's owner has come forward,
but the animal is being held at their facilities.
Monkeys are reportedly legal as pets in some areas. The animal
shelter will determine if it is appropriate for the owner
to have the pet, Jeroue said.
Jim Janson, a wildlife division permit specialist for the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said there are no
restrictions in the state against owning a monkey; however,
someone looking to keep a monkey as a pet must first check
with their local government offices for ordinances against
exotic pets, according to the paper's report.
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1079454455325950.xml
ALMONT TOWNSHIP
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
By James L. Smith
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
Almont Twp. - Dozens of animals, including four monkeys,
were found living on a farm here, some in what animal control
officials described as deplorable conditions.
A total of 80 dogs were found living on the property, many
in barns, but only nine were seized pending issuance of a
search warrant. The rest of the animals remained on the property.
Authorities discovered the situation after responding to
a domestic dispute involving a husband and wife early Saturday.
Five dogs, four monkeys and a number of caged cockatoos and
parrots were found in the couple's residence on Hall Road.
Lapeer County Animal Control Chief Walt Rodabaugh said the
living area of the house was "not too bad" but that
the basement where the monkeys were living was in very bad
shape.
The monkeys appeared to be similar to those used in medical
research, Rodabaugh said. Plans are to relocate them to a
zoo.
No charges have been filed in connection with the suspected
animal neglect.
The couple have a kennel license issued by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. The Flint Journal could not reach USDA officials
for comment Monday.
Additional examinations by veterinarians and an investigator
from the federal agency that licenses the kennel are needed
before a decision is made on potential criminal charges, Rodabaugh
said.
Police arrested the wife, 44, after she refused to let officers
enter the home and threatened to turn three dogs loose on
officers after the officers tried to enter the house looking
for her allegedly suicidal husband, said Almont Police Chief
Eugene Bruns.
The woman, contacted at her house, declined to comment Monday.
Many of the dogs, of various breeds including Rottweilers
and golden retrievers, were kept in cages on cement slabs
with no bedding in various barns on the property, Rodabaugh
said.
"There was no heat in the buildings and no evidence
of food or water in the cages," he said.
The nine dogs seized include a Boston terrier with obvious
skin problems and bichon frises that were matted with dried
feces.
"We took the (nine) because of unsanitary conditions.
They were outside and covered with feces," Rodabaugh
said.
Once a search warrant is issued, Rodabaugh said he would
return to the house accompanied by veterinarians to check
on all the animals and determine whether more should be seized.
He said he has a group of dog groomers lined up to clean the
dogs after they are examined by a veterinarian.
Rodabaugh said his office had investigated complaints about
the residence prior to the couple receiving a federal kennel
license.
Almont police Officer Laura Moore, assisted by officers from
Imlay City and Almont, arrived at the residence about 3:50
a.m. Saturday after a resident at the house called about a
family fight, Bruns said.
When officers arrived, they learned that the property's co-owner,
49, had fired a .22-caliber rifle in the air in the yard and
returned inside the house, where he slashed his wrists and
then disappeared outside on the property.
Officers eventually located the man hiding under a blanket
in one of the barns on the property, Bruns said. The man was
taken to an area hospital for a mental evaluation.
A third person, a man confined to a wheelchair, was also
living in the house, but he was simply renting a room from
the couple.
http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0403/11/ma05.html
March 11, 2004
Longing for pet, woman climbs in cage
By Jeremy Hudson jehudson@clarionledger.com
Kathy Hannah slept in the same bed with Chico the monkey,
bathed him in a tub and kept him in diapers at her Clinton
home, officials said.
Vickie D. King / The Clarion-Ledger
Chico, a 6-year-old Capuchin monkey, has been impounded at
the Mississippi Animal Rescue League.
Though the Clinton Animal Rescue League persuaded her to
relinquish Chico on Tuesday after he bit somebody, Hannah
apparently couldn't bare to see him go.
Later that day, Hinds County sheriff's deputies were called
to the Rescue League, where "we found (Hannah) drunk
and inside a cage with a monkey," Deputy Anthony Cook
wrote in a report.
"Miss Hannah was very abusive to us and the rescue league
employees. We tried to get her out of the cage and every time
we got close to her the monkey would try to attack us."
Chico finally was subdued, and Hannah was charged with disorderly
conduct and public drunkenness, the report said. Hannah, released
on bond Wednesday, could not be reached.
During the past five months, Chico had bitten Hannah, her
neighbor, a Clinton police officer, and an employee at the
Rescue League, officials said.
Last month, Hannah, 39, was charged with simple assault on
a police officer, eluding a police officer and careless driving
after she drove off with Chico when authorities came to take
him, said Ric Wooton, Clinton's animal control officer. The
city doesn't allow exotic pets.
The 6-year-old Capuchin monkey will leave Mississippi today
for a sanctuary in Oklahoma.
"They are not little children with fur coats,"
said Debra Boswell, director of the Rescue League. "When
they reach sexual maturity, they start to become true monkeys
and act aggressively. They can do a lot of damage."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40463-2003Dec30.html
Pet Monkey Bites the Hand That Feeds Her
Zsa Zsa Quarantined After Injuring Owner's Friend in Dinnertime
Mishap
By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 1, 2004; Page SM01
The behavior was quite unlike Zsa Zsa.
Sure, she has been known to nip at a shirt button, and she
likes to wrestle around. But she has some manners. She'll
eat pizza from the table, drink out of a straw, and what's
more, members of her family say, she knows right from wrong.
So when Jeffrey Bennett approached Zsa Zsa, a 6-year-old
pigtailed macaque monkey, to give her the evening meal of
baby formula on Saturday, he had no reason to expect his left
thumb would be the main course.
But that's what happened, said Bennett, a 39-year-old man
who stays at the Calvert County home of Tracey Summers, the
owner of two monkeys. Bennett said Zsa Zsa most likely was
intrigued by his silver-colored watch when she decided to
chomp down on his hand.
"I feed her all the time. She's a real good monkey.
She's never done this before," said Bennett outside of
the St. Leonard home on Monday, his hand wrapped in a bloody
bandage and his thumb supported by a splint.
Police responded to the house on Kings Road for the rare
monkey bite call at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, taking Bennett
to Calvert Memorial Hospital for treatment. The bite, which
occurred at the base of Bennett's thumb, did not cause serious
injuries.
It is legal to keep monkeys as pets in Maryland as long as
the owner obtains the proper permits. Zsa Zsa came from Dallas,
said Summers, as part of arrangements to rescue her from an
abusive home. More recently, Summers bought Isabel, a 2-year-old
pigtailed macaque, on the Internet as a companion for Zsa
Zsa. Don Baugher, who lives with Summers, said the monkeys
cost about $3,500 each.
Pigtailed macaques are brown monkeys native to Sumatra and
Burma. Females generally weigh 12 to 20 pounds and can grow
up to two feet tall. Some have been trained in their native
lands to climb palm trees and harvest coconuts. Summers said
her monkeys live in large steel cages and play in a swimming
pool outside.
"They're very good girls. They play rough sometimes,
but they're very, very smart. Zsa Zsa knows 'time out,' and
'no teeth," said Summers, who works at a hair salon and
was away from her home when Bennett said the monkey attacked.
She believes that Zsa Zsa would not do such a thing, and said
a more likely explanation for the wound was that Bennett cut
himself with a
knife.
"Nobody's been able to provide proof that it happened,"
she said, adding that "I don't want some animal rights
organization camping out on my doorstep."
For now, Zsa Zsa is being kept in quarantine inside the house
for 30 days, and county Health Department officials will make
periodic checks on the health of the animal, said Ashley Conway,
a public health nurse in the disease surveillance and control
unit. Conway said there have been "a couple" of
monkey bites in Calvert during the past year. The main concern
from a health standpoint is that monkeys can transmit the
herpes B virus to humans, she said.
"There are concerns when people start to keep wild pets.
Even though they were born in captivity, they are wild animals,"
Conway said. "A good rule of thumb is not to mess with
exotic animals. If you see a cute monkey, don't pet it, don't
feed it, don't pick it up."
http://www.theomahachannel.com/news/2586253/detail.html
Chimp In Big Rig Takes Trucker By Surprise
Animal's Owner Faces Cruelty, Neglect Charges
POSTED: 11:10 p.m. CST October 27, 2003
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Police in Kansas City were busy Monday,
locked in a five-hour standoff with a chimpanzee that had
been left alone in the cab of its owner's 18 wheeler, KMBC's
Tom Corvin reported.
Ray Wagner discovered the animal in the truck next to him
while he was filling out paperwork off Kansas Avenue near
Interstate 635.
"Looked like he had a monkey mask on," Wagner said.
"And I said, 'You take Halloween seriously, don't you?'"
Wagner said the strange companion answered with a "primate
sound," but Wagner continued with the conversation.
"I said, 'What's your story?' ... he opened his mouth
... and he smiled at me," Wagner said. "And he started
shaking the truck and I said, 'My God, you are real!'"
Wagner called the police, who in turn called for Animal Control.
Animal Control called in primate specialist Danny Kolwick,
who used a tranquilizer dart to stun the chimp and get it
into a cage. The entire ordeal lasted from 10 a.m. until about
3 p.m.
Trucker John Williams said his partner, Mark Archigo, has
had the chimpanzee for years, riding cross-country in the
cab of Archigo's big rig.
"Her name's 'Suko,' and she's 12 years old," Williams
said. "She's just like us. She's a human being, you know?"
Kolwick said Archigo has left the chimp alone several times
over the years, but the owner has always gotten the animal
back.
Suko was taken to Savannahland Refuge, where she could remain
permanently along with 40 other primates. Archigo, who didn't
have the proper license to have Suko, faces animal cruelty
and neglect charges.
http://www.wnbc.com/news/2565612/detail.html
Monkey Business Causes Chaos In Stamford
Chimp Escaped From Owners
POSTED: 8:36 a.m. EDT October 20, 2003
UPDATED: 7:01 p.m. EDT October 20, 2003
STAMFORD, Conn. -- Travis, a 170-pound chimpanzee, can do
lots of things humans do. He waters the flowers, enjoys a
glass of wine, brushes his teeth and even watches baseball
on television.
But one thing Travis apparently has not mastered is sensing
the best time for play time.
The diaper-wearing chimp bolted from a sport utility vehicle
driven by his owners Sunday night, commandeered an intersection
in the heart of this busy Fairfield County city and held police
at bay for a few hours.
Despite the efforts of officers, who arrived in more than
a dozen cruisers, the chimp continued playing in the middle
of the street, rolling on his back and occasionally charging
officers.
"He just wanted to play, but it wasn't the time or place,"
Sandy Herold, who owns Travis with her husband, Jerry, said
Monday.
The chimp, when not closing doors on squad cars to prevent
being trapped inside, made occasional runs toward the crowd
on all fours.
"He's very strong," Sgt. Richard Phelan said.
By 11:20 p.m. police had succeeded in getting the chimp into
its owners' car. Officers pressed their hands against the
doors of the SUV to hold the chimp inside.
Travis, who is nine years old, was sleeping it off Monday.
"He got up and had breakfast and went back to bed. He's
tired," Herold said.
Travis and his owners will not face charges, police said.
"There is no enforcement action planned," said
Assistant Chief Frank Lagan. "It's the first time it
got loose."
A new law requires new owners of such animals to have permits,
but does not apply retroactively, according to David Leff,
deputy commissioner of the state Department of Environmental
Protection.
Lynn DellaBianca, the city's animal control officer, said
she plans to contact the owners and advise them to take more
precautions.
"I don't think it's a good idea to be driving around
with a chimpanzee in your car that can easily escape,"
DellaBianca said. "An animal like this could easily kill
a human."
Lagan and Herold said Travis became agitated when someone
threw something at the car, perhaps a paper cup.
"When this guy threw this, that's what he thought, that
it was part of his play time," Herold said.
Travis is playful and not mean, Herold said. She described
the chimp as almost human and said Travis even mourned when
Herold's daughter was killed in a car accident a few years
ago.
"He would take her picture and hold it," she said.
"If I cry he'll lick my tears."
Travis runs his own bath water and prefers ice cream, wine
from a tall-stemmed glass and filet mignon over bananas.
"He likes them, but he's not crazy about them,"
Herold said, acknowledging Travis could stand to lose a few
pounds.
Travis also feeds hay to the horses near his house in a more
rural part of Stamford. He used to root for the New York Mets
when Stamford native Bobby Valentine was the manager, but
now he roots for the Yankees.
"He loves baseball. He likes anything with action,"
Herold said.
Travis will now travel in a more secure van, Herold said.
Gone are the glory days when he would ride in his owner's
restored Corvettes.
"He would wave to people coming down Summer Street,"
Herold said. "They were like his cars."
http://www.kirotv.com/weirdheadlines/2504864/detail.html
Toothless Monkey Escapes From Home
POSTED: 8:51 a.m. PDT September 23, 2003
UPDATED: 8:56 a.m. PDT September 23, 2003
GLENVILLE, N.Y. -- Mary Malewicz is miffed over her missing
monkey, Mickey.
The black-and-white Capuchin monkey escaped around 4 p.m.
Sunday from Malewicz's home, 20 miles northwest of Albany.
Since then, police spotted him in the woods, but the critter
just scampered off. Area residents have come across the precocious
primate, but it has avoided capture.
Malewicz is even using her other monkey, Kate, to help lure
Mickey back home. Mickey is worth about $7,000, she said.
Malewicz says the toothless monkey, whose last owner defanged
him after he nipped her, is tame and friendly. She suggests
that anyone who spots the monkey should walk up to him and
grab his tail.
"He'll wrap his tail around your arm and you can just
carry him," she said. "But hang on tight because
he'll take off again."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0308090237aug09,1,6595804.story?coll=chi-newslocal-hed
Pet's monkeyshines set neighborhood scurrying
By Angela Rozas
Tribune staff reporter
August 9, 2003
It was a one-monkey circus.
There were animal control officers, police officers and neighbors
scouring North Side streets Friday afternoon looking for a
little monkey who had escaped from her home at about 2 a.m.
And after 15 hours on the loose, Hopie, 7, a rhesus monkey
about 2 feet tall, was captured and returned to her owner
Friday evening.
"I'm just so relieved. She's my baby, and I'm just glad
to get her back," Keith Potetti said after being reunited
with his pet. He said she escaped from her cage and sneaked
out his third-floor apartment early Friday.
Catching Hopie was no monkey business.
The brown monkey was sighted on at least four streets but
scampered one step ahead of her pursuers. Finally, at about
5:30 p.m., two animal control officers captured her with a
net in an alley in the 4500 block of North Clark Street. She
was almost a mile away from home.
"She was pretty scared," said Andrew Galanos, an
animal control supervisor. "We got her back and fed her
some carrots and peanuts. She's a cutie."
Potetti, called "the monkey man" by neighbors in
the 4400 block of North Winchester Avenue, said he bought
the monkey for his former wife. He named the monkey Hope (or
Hopie) because his ex-wifewas battling cancer.
Potetti said Hopie had never escaped before. But while he
was sleeping early Friday, the monkey opened the latch on
her cage, opened a window and climbed out. A dog's barking
woke Potetti and he tried to coax his pet back inside. He
went back to sleep, leaving the window open. In the morning,
he called animal control.
Neighbors watched Friday morning as animal control officers
and police chased the monkey through an alley behind the apartment.
"There were squad cars and undercover guys and guys
walking around with pistols. It looked like they were after
Al Capone," said neighbor Steve Weinstein.
Potetti has a second rhesus monkey named Marley. That 3-year-old
monkey stayed home, he said.
http://www.nbc5.com/news/2392679/detail.html
Runaway Monkey Captured
'Hoppi' Discovered In North Side Stairwell
August 8, 2003
CHICAGO -- A small monkey that escaped from its owner was
finally captured Friday evening, authorities said.
The animal was discovered in a stairwell in the 4500 block
of North Clark Street at about 5:30 p.m. and caught using
a net, Animal Control Supervisor Andrew Galanos said.
The monkey's name is Hoppi. She is about 25 to 30 inches
tall and weighs about 30 pounds, Galanos said. The specific
breed of the monkey was not known.
Galanos said that on the first attempt, the monkey -- whose
owner had told him was friendly -- latched onto his hand with
her teeth. He was not injured.
"She just wanted to let me know she was not happy with
me," said Galanos.
The animal was captured shortly thereafter, Galanos said.
Galanos did not believe that the animal was illegal, as long
as it has the proper vaccinations. He was not certain if it
was required to be registered.
The owner picked up the missing pet and took her home around
7:15 p.m., Galanos said. The owner's name was not released.
The animal was spotted throughout the day at numerous locations
in neighborhoods on the North Side, police said.
The monkey was seen at 1818 W. Sunnyside Ave., 4400 N. Winchester
Ave., and the 1900 and 2100 blocks of North Warner Street,
police said. The monkey was also seen in locations east of
the North Branch of the Chicago River.
Officers from the Belmont District had managed to surround
the monkey around 3 p.m. as it clung to a tree on the 1500
block of West Sunnyside Avenue, Belmont District Lt. Roger
Bay said.
Officers from Animal Control arrived at the scene, but the
monkey again managed to scramble free, Bay said.
Lincoln Park Zoo spokeswoman Kelly McGrath said animal care
experts were "very much against" pet owners taking
monkeys or other primates as pets, arguing the animals need
space and social groups in which to interact.
http://www.news10.net/storyfull.asp?id=5020
KXTV
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Antelope Teen Finds Monkey at Gas Station
April Lockhart could barely believe her eyes. As she was
pulling into an Antelope gas station, she spied a cage by
the side of the road. In that cage was a full grown monkey.
Lockhart called the California Highway Patrol, but she had
trouble getting them to take her seriously. "They were
like, 'A monkey in a cage? You found a monkey in a cage, are
you serious?' And I was like, 'Yes, I found a monkey!'"
Lockhart also called Krysta Sponaugle, a friend who has experience
with exotic animals. "I've had everything from alligators
to emus and rattlesnakes," said Sponaugle.
While Sponaugle consulted the Internet on what to feed the
monkey, the CHP called the SPCA. "It's from the macaque
family. It's a senior, in excess we're thinking, of 20, possibly
as old as 35," said David Dickenson of the SPCA.
As to where the monkey came from, April believes it either
fell or was pushed off the back of a truck. The SPCA has theories,
too, but isn't sharing them just yet.
The monkey might end up at a local zoo. If it does, April
has a plan. "Take my whole family to see it, show him
off, be like: 'I found that monkey!'" said Lockhart.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
August 6, 2003, Wednesday
Tighter rules sought on exotic pets after trade, risks increase
BY: By Marilynn Marchione
MILWAUKEE _ It was supposed to be a lesson on how tame poisonous
snakes are.
Virginia Day was holding one of the 160 serpents at the "zoo"
she ran from her house trailer in Manitowoc County. Snakes
are fine if you know how to handle them, she told a visitor
and his son. In fact, she had hand-fed 18 baby chicks to this
7-foot Indian cobra the day before.
"I knew he wouldn't get angry and bite me," Day
recalled, "but I never thought he'd think I was food."
As the horrified pair watched, the snake attacked her, and
a lesson in safety on that day 10 years ago changed dramatically.
A Flight for Life helicopter whisked Day to a Milwaukee hospital
as zoos throughout the Midwest pooled their supplies of rare
cobra anti-venin. Thirty-two vials were rushed to the city
to save her life.
Day spent three weeks in the hospital, and because she was
on public aid, taxpayers paid for her care just as they had
after she was bitten by a South African puff adder a year
earlier.
Exotic pets have injured and sometimes killed their owners
or other people. But the recent monkeypox outbreak, which
sickened at least 72 people in six states, underscores a higher
price we all pay: a threat to public health from emerging
infectious diseases.
The exotic pet industry is an ideal system for breeding novel
germs, which puts the public at risk in ways that people who
buy, sell and handle such animals can't possibly know, health
experts say. They are calling for tighter regulation.
Industry experts acknowledge that exotics can spread disease,
but they argue that the chance of catching an illness from
them is small.
___
The dangers posed by exotic animals have been magnified by
the Internet and increased international trade, which have
made it easier for people to acquire more wild animals and
more diverse species from remote lands.
"We now have this potential to make it literally one
global infectious disease world," said Michael Osterholm,
director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and
Policy at the University of Minnesota.
The monkeypox outbreak illustrates how a germ can be unleashed
on an entire continent, putting people who never had contact
with an exotic animal at risk of getting a potentially disfiguring,
even deadly, disease.
One week, the virus was in a giant pouched rat in an African
rain forest; a few weeks later, in a 3-year-old Wisconsin
farm girl playing with a cute little prairie dog her mother
got at a 4-H swap meet.
The prairie dog unwittingly became a conduit for the virus
after it was sucked from the ground by what amounts to a giant
vacuum cleaner and then housed in close quarters with imported
African rodents.
"Basically you factored out an ocean and half a continent
by moving these animals around and ultimately juxtaposing
them in a warehouse or a garage somewhere," said Jeffrey
Davis, Wisconsin's epidemiologist.
Imagine what would happen, health experts say, if the germ
had infected cats or dogs instead of prairie dogs. Or if the
germ had been Ebola or severe acute respiratory syndrome _
far more deadly diseases _ instead of monkeypox.
"This one, fortunately, looks like we're going to get
through this without any fatalities. The next one, we may
not be so fortunate," said Jim Kazmierczak, Wisconsin's
public health veterinarian.
For years, animal rights advocates have called for restrictions
or bans on the trade of exotic and wild animals. Groups such
as the American Veterinary Medical Association have lobbied
for the same thing because of the public health risk.
But such calls have fallen on deaf ears. A temporary ban
on importing African rodents was put in place because of monkeypox,
but animals from other countries continue to stream into the
United States and breeders keep raising and selling exotics
on captive-bred farms in this country.
Will the monkeypox outbreak spur broader regulation?
"I think it's going to move now. As we say, opportunity
knocks, and I think it's knocked pretty loudly here,"
said James Hughes, longtime director of the National Center
for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
"People have looked very hard for the source in nature
of Ebola virus, and they haven't found it," Hughes added.
"I certainly don't want to find it as the result of the
importation of an infected animal."
Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public
Health Association, said he would bring the exotic pet issue
to the Council on Public Health Preparedness on which he serves.
It reports to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G.
Thompson.
"It is a major public health issue," Benjamin said.
"There's a growing recognition of the risk. There clearly
needs to be much more aggressive federal action on this."
Some in the industry favor increased oversight.
Marshall Meyers, executive vice president of the Pet Industry
Joint Advisory Council, said he was surprised to learn that
before the monkeypox outbreak no health protocols, such as
a quarantine, had applied to the importation of African rodents.
Imported birds and some mammals are quarantined when they
enter the U.S., Meyers said.
Permits should be required for ownership of big cats, bears,
venomous reptiles and other dangerous exotics, Meyers said.
That would help ensure that the animals are in knowledgeable
hands, he said.
Meyers acknowledged that exotic animals can spread disease,
but the possibility of them bringing in a new illness is relatively
small, he said.
Since the outbreak, the council, a 2,000-member trade group,
says it is monitoring more than 500 legislative initiatives
affecting the industry.
___
The risk of injury from exotics has been evident for many
years, and the victims often are children, notes the Animal
Protection Institute, which has cataloged hundreds of examples
in recent years of injuries caused by exotic or wild animals.
They include a 3-year-old Kentucky boy killed by a relative's
tiger and a 6-year-old Florida girl attacked by a friend's
cougar.
In southeastern Wisconsin, the story of a runaway monkey
shows how bystanders can be harmed when owners cannot control
their animals.
The monkey smashed through a porch wall, ran across George
Mutter's backyard in Kansasville and fled into his garage.
"I had the garage door open, and I didn't see it,"
Mutter, now 76, recalled after the Japanese macaque attacked
him on an August morning in 2000.
Mutter was closing the garage door when the monkey suddenly
jumped from the car and grabbed him by the waist.
"I tried to get it away, and then it slid down my leg
and either bit me or scraped me," Mutter said.
Mutter fought off the monkey, and it ran away but turned
and attacked again, according to a police report.
The monkey's next target was Renee DeGroot, who was attacked
while delivering mail in her car. "Something hit me on
the elbow, and all of a sudden I was bleeding," she said.
As a Racine County sheriff's deputy approached in a squad
car, the monkey attacked DeGroot again. DeGroot, now 44, received
three or four stitches.
The monkey's owner, Jacquelyn T. Thacker, pleaded no contest
to a charge of interfering with a police officer and was ordered
to pay a $335 fine, according to court records. The monkey
was euthanized. Thacker could not be reached for comment.
When deputies talked to Thacker, though, they learned that
she had taught her pet, Ronnie, to open soda cans and drink
from them. Ronnie liked to crush them when he was done. Thacker
told deputies she had found four empty beer cans left over
from a neighbor's party; all appeared to have been crushed
by Ronnie.
Whether the 8-year-old monkey was drunk or just excited was
never clear.
___
Injuries involving exotic pets have been reported in virtually
every state, but infections are even more common.
A 72-year-old Boston woman got pneumonia and died in 1998
from a fungal infection she acquired from a pet cockatoo,
likely from airborne exposure to its cage droppings. She had
had no direct contact with the bird.
Salmonella is the most common infection linked to exotic
animals; it's carried by iguanas, snakes, lizards, turtles
and other reptiles. More than 80,000 infections occur each
year in the United States, said Fred Angulo, an epidemiologist
who has studied the disease for a decade at the CDC.
Most victims are infants or young children who are least
able to fend off the germs and often are infected without
direct contact with the reptile, the CDC reports. Many develop
deadly bloodstream infections or other illnesses.
A 6-week-old Ohio boy got meningitis from a pet turtle whose
food and water bowls were washed in the kitchen sink, where
they may have come into contact with items used to feed the
child.
In Green Bay, Wis., a 5-month-old girl died in December 1998
of a strain of salmonella identical to one later cultured
from the stool of an iguana in her home. Health officials
think she became infected from crawling on carpeting that
contained the animal's droppings. Salmonella bacteria have
been known to remain viable for more than a year in the droppings.
"It's horrible. And the parents didn't know" the
risk, said Kazmierczak, the state public health veterinarian.
Only a fraction of the infections that occur in Wisconsin
are recognized for what they are and reported, said Davis,
the state epidemiologist. One-third of the 117 reptile-associated
salmonella infections reported in Wisconsin from 1998 to 2003
involved babies.
Breeders who handle reptiles acknowledge that the animals
carry salmonella and can pass it to humans. But Kevin Hanley,
a Milwaukee-area breeder of snakes and geckos, said good hygiene
can limit the risk.
Chris Roscher, co-owner of L.A. Reptile, a large importer
in Los Angeles, agreed.
"The people who make a big issue out of it (are) ridiculous,"
she said.
The problem was worse when a small turtle known as the red-eared
slider was a popular pet in the early 1970s. Reptile-associated
salmonella cases dropped 77 percent nationwide after turtles
smaller than 4 inches were banned in 1975.
Herpes and hepatitis worries led the CDC to ban importation
of primates as pets in the mid-1970s, and tick-borne heart
water disease prompted an emergency ban on selling certain
African tortoises in 2000, according to the Humane Society
of the United States.
___
Kazmierczak said there are options short of a ban.
For pet reptiles, states could require sellers to provide
information about the health hazards to anyone buying an animal.
In Kansas, buyers sign forms acknowledging they have received
such information, he said.
A CDC survey in March 1999 found that only three states had
such regulations. And three states ban reptiles in day care
centers and long-term care facilities.
Another option: require people to get a license or permit
to have an exotic or dangerous pet. Such a measure could help
ensure that they know how to take care of the animal and prevent
injuries.
However, some fear that too much regulation could backfire.
"You've got to be careful that you don't drive this underground,"
said Benjamin of the public health association.
For some animals, such as venomous snakes and large exotic
cats such as cougars and tigers, a ban might be the only way
to prevent injury or illness, some say.
"A venomous rattlesnake is a dangerous product,"
and it may need to be regulated the way other dangerous things
such as guns are, said Stephen Hargarten, chief of emergency
medicine at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital and the Medical
College of Wisconsin.
Craig Pelke, supervisor of the reptile house at the Milwaukee
County Zoo, said very few people know how to safely keep a
poisonous snake.
"Snakes are escape artists, and when you've got something
that can kill you, it's just way too dangerous," he said.
The zoo regularly gets calls to help rescue people bitten
by venomous snakes, said Deputy Director Bruce Beehler. Earlier
this year, it rushed anti-venin to Minnesota, only to be stuck
with the bill when the patient's insurance company refused
to pay.
"The county taxpayers paid because of somebody in Duluth
kissing their rattlesnake," he said.
At the CDC alone, 175 staffers have been working on monkeypox.
Hundreds more at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Department
of Health and Human Services and other agencies have been
testing samples, tracing animals, investigating and treating
human cases, and working on ways to contain the outbreak.
State and city employees also have worked on it.
"We don't have people sitting around here waiting for
stuff to happen," said the CDC's Hughes. "When things
like this happen, we put other important things on the back
burner."
Meanwhile, Virginia Day now lives with her mother in Algoma.
Day has five pet king snakes, which are not venomous, and
she said she's learned her lesson. "I've changed my opinions
a lot about how you handle animals," she said.
Day, now 55, used to charge $3 for people to see the "Middle
Earth Reptile Zoo" inside her 14-by-72-foot house trailer
when she lived in Manitowoc County. She once had 167 snakes,
plus lizards, in glass cages stacked to the ceiling, some
covered only with light screens.
Day now thinks that people younger than 18 should not be
able to buy poisonous snakes, but she defends the right for
anyone else to own them.
"I think they're beautiful and that people need to learn
more about them," she said.
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
July 30, 2003 Wednesday Final Home Edition
Monkey see? Then do call the authorities
BY: RALPH W. MARLER World Staff Writer
An Osage County motorist says she saw an adult and two baby
simians run for cover. PAWHUSKA -- Home, home on the range,
where the deer and monkeys play.
Monkeys? In Osage County?
That was the reaction Tuesday when the Osage County Sheriff's
Office received a telephone call that monkeys were loose along
a state highway.
Sheriff Russell Cottle said the caller reported seeing an
adult monkey and two small monkeys along Oklahoma 123 between
Barnsdall and Bartlesville.
Deputy Rick Harper searched an area five miles north of Barnsdall
but found nothing, Chief Investigator Wes Penland said.
The caller said she stopped on the side of the road when
she saw a large white-faced monkey.
After the woman stopped, the adult monkey grabbed two little
monkeys and ran into nearby woods, the caller told the dispatcher,
Penland said.
Harper checked with the Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Pre
serve about three miles away but was told that the sanctuary
did not have monkeys among its wild animals, Penland said.
The preserve advertises bison, elk and longhorn cattle among
the wildlife roaming its 3,600 acres.
Harper found no sign of monkeys after an hour of searching
along the road, Penland said.
A nearby resident, who once kept monkeys, told Harper that
none of his monkeys had ever escaped.
Even if they had, he said, they probably could not have survived
in the wild.
That's true, said Paul Louderback, an animal registrar for
the Tulsa Zoo.
"I would guess it wouldn't, because of the heat and
not being able to find the food," he said.
If there were babies, then the search for food and water
would be of even more importance, he said.
Primates have a diet of fruits and vegetables, which are
not likely to be in abundance in the hot Osage County wilds,
he said.
If the monkeys were domesticated, they would not be equipped
for the wild, either in searching for food or identifying
predators, Louderback said.
"We get calls like this all the time," he said,
usually of exotic animals escaping from their owners.
Penland said deputies will continue to monitor the area from
time to time for any signs of monkeys.
He said anyone seeing a monkey should not approach it or
attempt to capture it.
Louderback agreed, saying primates bite, especially if protecting
young animals.
He advised contacting a veterinarian who could use a tranquilizer
gun to subdue the animal so that it could be handled safely.
If a monkey is found, the Tulsa Zoo would help find it a
home, but not at the zoo, he said.
Veterinarians in Pawhuska and Bartlesville said they had
not treated monkeys or known of anyone who kept them.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/03AreaEAST06072303.htm
Strip club reports monkey mascot missing
By JAY STAPLETON
STAFF WRITER
Last update: 22 July 2003
HOLLY HILL -- Small, furry and friendly, a strip-club mascot
named Kiki was reported missing Tuesday, filling the pet monkey's
owner with dread.
"I'll do anything," TeeJay Flores said. "Just
bring me my baby home, please."
Flores, 35, who owns Chic's on Ridgewood Avenue, said she
was visiting New York last week and left Kiki -- a 5-year-old
Weeper Capuchin monkey -- in a cage at her home. A friend
had agreed to care for the 2-foot tall simian.
Flores, who said she is licensed to keep wildlife as pets,
flew home Sunday when she learned the 8-pound monkey had either
been stolen or escaped. "Somebody could have picked her
up," she said.
Since then, Flores and friends have scoured her neighborhood
near Florence Court searching for the animal. She reported
the monkey missing to Holly Hill police, who sent an Animal
Control officer to make a report.
She also hired private detective Marc Vescovi to investigate.
"We're going to do what we can," said Vescovi, 37.
"We have not been able to contact (the friend) as of
yet."
Flores said Kiki is well-known at the strip club, where she
has flirted with customers for years. She eats fruits, leaves
and even pizza, Flores said.
The monkey wears a diaper when she goes out in public, but
dislikes other human habits, Flores said. "She hates
clothes."
Vescovi said he was trying to get the word out to prevent
the monkey from being sold on E-bay or through black market
animal dealers. Although he failed to speculate on who might
have stolen Kiki, he said he was following leads in the case.
Flores fears money might be one motive if the monkey was
stolen. "She's worth thousands," she said. "Kiki
is worth top dollar, because of her friendliness."
She spent part of Tuesday night trying to determine how much
money she should offer for Kiki's safe return.
Chic's bartender Gia Wetmore said she hoped for the best.
"She's so lovable; she's like a baby girl."
Flores said Kiki is sensitive to temperature changes and
she fears the monkey won't have the necessary life experience
to survive outdoors, away from the stage where topless women
strut their stuff for dollar bills.
"She wasn't raised in the wild," she said. "She
has no survival skills."
http://www.qctimes.com/internal.php?story_id=1015165&t=Local+News&c=2,1015165
Last Updated: 9:09 pm, Friday, July 18th, 2003
Monkey attack at fair spawns lawsuit
By Todd Ruger
Both sides of the lawsuit call it unusual: Mississippi Valley
Fair vendor owns monkey. Monkey allegedly bites woman. Woman
sues vendor and the fair.
But the fair general manager said that is only part of the
reason why the animal attraction, which allowed fairgoers
to take a picture with the monkey or give the creature money
just for the amusement of watching it place the cash in an
apron, will not return when the 2003 fair begins July 29 in
Davenport.
Bob Fox, the fair's general manager, said he likes to rotate
vendors every few years and that Gerald Eppel of Texas and
his Monkey Business act had been at the fair in 2001 and 2002.
"I'd have him back," Fox said. "He's a good
performer. It's a good act. I don't know what happened to
the animal."
Scott County resident Leeann Jones has a different opinion,
claiming that the monkey owned by Eppel caused scratches and
abrasions on her neck while she visited the fair with her
son Aug. 4, lawyer William Bribriesco said.
One of three monkeys in the act jumped around, hit her in
the head, made noises and bit her as she posed for a photograph,
Bribriesco said. There are a couple of photos of it, he added.
"This particular monkey went a little berserk,"
he said. "We just feel, especially when you've got a
vendor like this, and potentially with small children being
around, both the vendor and the Mississippi Valley Fair have
a duty to make sure it is safe."
Jones went to the doctor the next day, was interviewed by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and had to undergo tests
for herpes, HIV, hepatitis and rabies, he said.
"She still has not been cleared completely," he
said. The monkey pierced the skin and caused abrasions, he
added, but the defendants say the monkey had no teeth.
Fox said the monkey carried no diseases, had been given all
of its required vaccinations and was wearing a leash.
"People love the little monkey. They just do. It's quite
a quaint specialty act that's popular wherever he goes,"
Fox said, adding that Eppel has been performing for more than
30 years. "Unfortunately, things like this can happen
and happened here."
Jones filed suit in April against Eppel and the Mississippi
Valley Fair Inc., seeking damages of more than $5,000. The
case still is in the early legal stages.
Eppel, the lawsuit states, was negligent "by failing
to adequately keep his monkey under control; by failing to
properly restrain a wild animal; by violating (a section of
the) Iowa Code in reference to unrestrained animals."
The suit claims the fair was negligent in allowing unrestrained
wild animals on the premises, by failing to adequately and
properly supervise vendors upon the premises and by failing
to correct a safety hazard that it knew, or should have known,
existed to its patrons.
The lawsuit seeks past and future medical expenses, damages
for pain and suffering, including mental anguish, permanent
injury and disability, lost wages and future loss of earning
capacity.
Todd Ruger can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or truger@qctimes.com.
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
July 8, 2003, Tuesday, BC cycle
SECTION: State and Regional
Furry primate caught in Buckhannon
A furry fugitive captured near West Virginia Wesleyan College
was to be reunited with its owner Tuesday.
The lemur - a primate with big eyes, soft fur and a long
tail - apparently escaped from its residence while its owner
was out of state. A petsitter reported the lemur missing and
the animal was soon spotted near the college.
Police and an animal control officer found the lemur asleep
in a tree Saturday.
The animal control officer easily caught the lemur with a
noose, said Janella Cochran, manager of the Lewis-Upshur Dog
Pound, where the animal was kept after its capture.
Lemurs are indigenous to the Madagascar region but can be
kept as pets in the U.S. West Virginia law requires a permit
to keep exotic animals, Cochran said Tuesday.
Police have been contacted by the unidentified owner, who
planned to pick up the lemur sometime Tuesday, Cochran said.
Buckhannon Police Lt. Darrell Bennett said the owner, who
is in the process of moving to the area from Georgia, has
been notified that he must get a permit for the animal.
Cochran said the lemur escaped from two separate cages at
the shelter before being moved to a plastic kennel.
Cochran said the lemur seems to have a sweet personality,
and likes grapes and bananas.
"It's been different," Cochran said of the animal's
stay at the shelter. "Dogs and cats are about all we
see, but this kind of broke the same old thing."
"We will miss it."
http://wcpo.com/news/2003/local/06/13/jake.html
Monkey Caught After Chase In Elmwood Place
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Stacy Puzo
6/13/03 3:04:46 PM
Neighbors in Elmwood Place found themselves in the middle
of some real monkey business this morning.
"I was walking to the mailbox and Irene says, that's
a big cat and I said, that's not a cat, that's a monkey,"
said Alice Derrenkamp, neighbor.
What Derrenkamp saw was Jake, a Japanese Snow monkey.
Somehow he managed to escape his home at the corner of Locust
and Highland Avenue and then took off running around the neighborhood.
The chase ended when Jake gave into his craving for an ice
cream cone.
9News was told Jake is also partial to gummy worms.
Tucson Citizen
May 20, 2003 Tuesday
Escaped monkey wreaks havock
BY: A.J. Flick, Staff, ajflick@tucsoncitizen.com
The capuchin was cute, but teacher Judy Miller was glad to
get it out of her house.
By A.J. FLICK
Teacher Judy Miller can handle monkey business in the classroom
- she just didn't expect to find it at home.
Miller, who teaches fourth grade at Picture Rocks Intermediate
School, was leaving her Northwest Side home for church May
4 when she saw an unusual animal in her yard.
"Of course, your mind just isn't processing the information
because it looked like a monkey, but there are no monkeys
in the desert," she said. "I thought it was some
kind of desert animal."
After Miller returned from church, the sleeping critter was
curled up by her back door.
"OK, this is not a wild animal," Miller said to
herself. "Wild animals in the desert don't sleep on your
back step."
Miller's calls for assistance eventually led to Erin Allan,
who rehabilitates wild animals turned into pets and makes
them think more like their primal selves before she sends
them to more natural settings.
Willie, an 8-year-old capuchin monkey, had been under her
care for about four years and was on his way to the Primarily
Primates Sanctuary in San Antonio when he panicked and escaped.
Allan posted signs in the neighborhood for the lost monkey
and was relieved to hear he was safe.
"He did very well," Allan said. "I think because
people leave out food and water for javelinas and so forth,
he could find sustenance before he moved on."
Allan estimates Willie traveled about two miles over four
days to get to Miller's house.
Before Willie's captors arrived, Willie played hard to get.
Finally, Miller settled inside to grade papers at her living
room table, where she could see Willie napping on her car.
"When he woke up, he started smiling at me," Miller
said. "I asked Erin, 'What does it mean when a monkey
is grinning at you?' And she said, 'He likes you! He's flirting
with you!'
"Pretty soon, he came closer and closer, and finally
he put his face up to the glass, and he was just smiling and
smiling at me, making all these soft chitter-chatter noises
- very obviously flirting. There was a big love affair going
on."
The plan was to capture Willie and take him back home. Five
minutes, tops. Wrong.
They decided to lure Willie into the house, using Miller
as bait, then capture him. But before long, Willie was wreaking
havoc in Miller's house while she was trapped in a bedroom
with her dog and cats.
Hours later, a tranquilizer gun was used on Willie, but the
stubborn primate would not succumb even after three darts.
By that time, Willie had gotten into permanent markers and
into an ink bottle, leaving paw prints on the carpet and walls.
Finally, Willie was captured with a long pole equipped with
a grabber.
"When I walked in my house, it looked like a war zone,"
said Miller. "I was in shock."
Allan not only helped clean up but also paid for everything,
including an oven door that Willie smashed.
The moral of the story, Allan said, is that primates are
not pets.
"I'm always battling the false impression that these
animals are so cute and so lovely and so wonderful, but they're
not," Allan said. "They're dangerous animals. Males
get big, and they don't always stay tame."
Willie, Allan reported, is safely in the Texas sanctuary
among his own kind, perhaps relating his adventures.
Miller took photos to prove her encounter with Willie.
"I tell people there was a monkey in my house, and everybody's
reaction is the same: 'A what?' " Miller said.
"I made a photo album, and it was a hit at school. They
passed it around from room to room."
http://www.suntimes.co.za/2003/05/11/news/gauteng/njhb03.asp
Sunday 11 May 2003
Monkey goes ape and bites man's ears
By Masego Lehihi
A Pretoria man had both his ears bitten by a marmoset monkey.
Arthur Knights, 77, from Waverley, north of Pretoria, said
the monkey, which is believed to have come from the neighbourhood,
jumped on him and ran around his kitchen after he opened his
front door.
"He raced up my leg, rushed to my right ear and took
a bite out of it, and then raced around my back and took a
bite out of my left ear," said Knights.
Although Knights sustained minor injuries, the marmoset monkey
suffered more pain as it later bit right through its own hind
leg. It now has six stitches and three legs instead of four,
after one of the legs had to be amputated.
The 20cm monkeys, which cost R2 500 locally from breeders
or pet shops, are known to be a nuisance and 6 000 of them
are believed to be in Joburg and Pretoria.
"They're not pets; they're wild animals," said
Wendy Macleod, who runs the World Primate Sanctuary, a home
for monkeys in Linbro Park.
She called for a ban on keeping them as free-running pets.
The 38-year-old, who has more than 200 monkeys on her property,
said the monkeys become deranged because they don't get the
opportunity to grow up in the wild.
The marmoset is now recovering at Macleod's sanctuary. She
has named it Pringle.
The Arizona Republic
May 3, 2003 Saturday Final chaser Edition
3 DAYS OF MONKEYSHINES ENOUGH, COOLIO RETURNS
BY: By Kate Nolan, Scottsdale Republic
No one knows why Coolio, a 7-year-old Capuchin monkey owned
by Danny and Krishna Almond, broke out of his cage, turned
the key on the front door and took off last week for a three-day
rampage along a wash in Fountain Hills.
The Almonds quickly tacked up signs all over town: "Lost
Monkey. This is our Child!! Please call if you have seen him."
They placed an ad in The Arizona Republic.
The phone soon chimed. Coolio was in the trees, he was in
the wash and in garages, filching countless bottles of designer
water. He sneaked into several cars, making off with a bag
of potato chips from one and a chapstick from another.
Danny, Krishna and their 2-year-old son Noah, Coolio's best
buddy, scoured the neighborhood by car and on foot, always
arriving a flash too late.
Coolio, a traditional organ-grinder type monkey, looks like
the spindly one that got drunk in Dr. Dolittle. Capuchins
are native to the forests of southern Central America, but
are adaptable. They usually survive on fruit and insects.
Coolio was less than a year old when Danny Almond, 38, bought
him in California, but state law made him an outlaw there.
They moved to Arizona in 1994 because it's legal to own a
monkey here, although Arizona doesn't allow pet monkeys in
public places. They bite and can spread hepatitis types A
and B.
Maybe Coolio had cabin fever.
"He was going to be my only child," Danny said.
That was before he and Krishna, 29, met four years ago and
before Noah came along. The family also includes two dogs
and a talking bird.
Danny said he knew that Coolio was safe, because sightings
kept being reported. But he worried.
"He knows how to use a ratchet wrench. He knows how
to use a screwdriver. He knows too much," Danny said.
Finally, Coolio tired of his game and showed up in a neighbor's
driveway earlier this week. When the Almonds rushed over to
retrieve him, Coolio sat in the driveway with his arms outstretched
to Krishna.
The Almonds brought him home and gave him a bath, and he
went right to bed with his favorite teddy bear on the family
sofa, Coolio's favorite bed.
http://www.wisinfo.com/heraldtimes/news/archive/local_9966468.shtml
Posted Apr. 25, 2003
Monkey business comes with 2 citations
By Andy Nelesen
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
GREEN BAY - Green Bay police want to be done with all the
monkey business.
Lt. Bill Galvin said Thursday that police plan to issue two
citations to Tracie Cornelius, the owner of a Capuchin monkey
that got loose after a trip to an east-side bar.
"We tried to make contact with (Cornelius), but her
answering machine message said she was spending quality time
with Jasper the monkey," Galvin said. "We will keep
trying to make contact with her. We want to talk to her about
this."
The municipal tickets - one for having an animal without
a permit and another for having an animal at large - each
carry a fine of $658.
In an interview with the Press-Gazette on Thursday, Cornelius,
30, said she was not aware of the citations, but had just
talked with the city's humane officer about starting the procedure
to make Jasper legal.
Until then, Cornelius knows Jasper has to live in exile -
outside the city limits - or face $500 a day in fines. Cornelius
said she talked with police and other officials before buying
the $4,000 critter from a Florida breeder two years ago. She
didn't think she needed a permit.
"I talked to the police and never gave another thought
about it," Cornelius said. "I went about it like
he was legal.
"If I had any inkling he was illegal, why would I call
the police to help me find him?"
Galvin said once police make phone contact with Cornelius,
they'll mail her the citations. She'll get her day in court
and have a chance to argue her side.
Police say the animal raises concerns because monkeys can
transmit human diseases and known rabies vaccinations are
not as reliable as shots for dogs.
But Galvin said he doesn't expect officers to spend a lot
of time dealing with the case.
"In the overall scheme of things, this is really a minor
issue," Galvin said. "We're not going to expend
a lot of resources on this."
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/news/archive/local_9899766.shtml
Posted Apr. 22, 2003
Monkey on the lam in Green Bay gets its owner in a jam
Official says she doesn't have permit for missing primate
By Paul Srubas, psrubas@greenbaypressgazette.com
So a lady walks into a bar, and she's got this monkey on
her shoulder
No, this isn't a joke setup. It's a story about a missing
monkey and the possibly ugly and sad custody battle that likely
will ensue if and when the monkey is found.
So let's try it again: Tracie Cornelius of Green Bay walked
into the Rock City Pub on East Main Street Saturday, and she
had Jasper, a 2-year-old black-capped Capuchin monkey, on
her shoulder.
Cornelius, 30, who describes herself as Jasper's "mom,"
had done this before, and Jasper normally would leave her
shoulder to explore but wouldn't stray too far. Only this
time, when a bar patron walked in the back door, Jasper seized
the moment and dashed through the opening.
"I think he just got scared, and when he got outside,
it was raining and everything, so he took off," Cornelius
said.
Cornelius and the bar owner, Susie Delfosse, and bar patrons
who have come to know Jasper all rushed out to look for the
monkey, which was much too fast for all of them.
"He's a little guy, and smart," Delfosse said.
"Anywhere that he could get in that's warm, any nook
or cranny he could get into, he would."
Now, more than two days later, the search is more than a
race against time; it's a race against Green Bay Animal Control
Officer Ellen Church, who says Cornelius does not have the
required permit to own a monkey. Under Green Bay ordinance,
Jasper is an exotic animal, and, as such, requires a special
permit, Church said.
"I haven't issued such a permit, nor would I,"
said Church, who expressed concerns that monkeys can bite.
"She can't have it. It will have to be taken into my
custody. Whether she gets to it first and I don't find out
about it, I don't know, but I'll follow up on it. And if I
get a call, I'll try to catch him first."
That comes as a surprise to Cornelius, who thought she needed
no license. She bought the animal two years ago over the Internet
for $4,000 and said she checked with Green Bay police before
the breeders shipped Jasper to her from Florida.
"The police said now that if they find him, they'll
hand him over to the humane officer," Cornelius said.
"I said, 'What's with this?' But I'm going to find him
first."
Searchers will have their hands full, predicted NEW Zoo director
Neil Anderson.
"Right now, the monkey has the advantage," he said.
"A Capuchin is very intelligent, and he's arboreal, so
he's likely to be up in the trees or something.
If
he's in a garage, you'll want to look up in the rafters."
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1050044581102B255&set_id=1
Kid loses fingers in Chinese monkey business
April 11 2003 at 09:03AM
Hong Kong - A monkey bit off two fingers of a two-year-old
boy who stuck his hand into its cage at the Shanghai Zoo in
China, a news report said on Friday.
The toddler crawled through a fence and stretched his hand
into the monkey's cage to offer it food when he was taken
to the zoo by his aunt and grandmother.
His aunt accused the zoo of negligence, saying the fence
was too easy for the toddler to crawl through, the Hong Kong
edition of the China Daily reported.
Surgeons reattached the boy's fingers but doctors say his
chance of regaining full use of them is only 30 percent, the
newspaper said. - Sapa-DPA
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20030314p2a00m0dm002000c.html
Escaped monkey runs amok in Yokohama
(Mainichi Shimbun, March 14, 2003)
YOKOHAMA -- A pet monkey escaped from its owner here and
ran around the city, biting four people before it was subdued,
police said.
Police received an emergency call at about 2:05 a.m. Thursday
saying a monkey was on the loose in a section of Yokohama's
Aoba-ku.
A 20-year-old man managed to catch the monkey and hand it
over to local police but the monkey bit him in the process,
leaving him with light injuries to his right hand. Police
said three other residents also reported being bitten after
the monkey escaped.
The simian, which belonged to a 38-year-old self-employed
man in the ward, was reportedly a Japanese monkey measuring
about 80 centimeters in height.
It had reportedly escaped by biting through a 10-meter-long
rope with a diameter of about 6 millimeters. The owner was
reportedly absent at the time the monkey escaped.
New Straits Times " Features
Health: Danger of keeping primates
Dr S. Vellayan
4 March 2003: Primates should not be kept as pets because
they are not only
unpredictable but can also transmit infections such as dysentry,
herpes
virus, hepatitis, scabies, helminths and even tuberculosis
to humans.
THERE are 12 species of primates in Malaysia. People are
fascinated by these animals and keep them as pets because
they resemble humans in terms of physical attributes, personalities
and social behaviour.
Primates most commonly kept as pets are the long tail macaques,
pig tail macaques, lar gibbons, siamang and orang utan.
Generally, they need a lot of attention and are expensive
to feed. Every year, primates are offered to Zoo Negara by
people, who, after having bought them as pets, eventually
found them unmanageable. In 1986, about 30 such primates were
given to Zoo Negara. Monkeys and the larger apes are easily
enraged, strong, temperamental, unpredictable and dangerous.
They will readily attack and bite. Completely tame and trustworthy
monkeys are rare.
Infections which have been transmitted from primates to humans
include dysentry, the herpes virus, hepatitis, scabies, helminths
and probably tuberculosis while amoebiasis, rabies and fungal
skin infections are rarely transmitted.
Doctors puzzled by the origin of such infections would do
well to ask, especially of children with severe encephalitis,
whether they have been in contact with a pet money or been
to a zoo.
The herpes virus (Herpes B) is transmitted through contact
with apparently healthy monkeys such as the macaques through
bites, scratches and contamination of the wounds with monkey
saliva or tissue.
Typically, the illness starts about seven to 14 days after
a bite or scratch, often with vesicles and pain at the site
of injury. There is also inflammation of the lymph nodes,
with cold sores on lips and tongues.
Monkeys are susceptible to rabies, which is usually spread
by the bite of an infected animal. So far, about 16 cases
of rabies in primates, which results in disturbances in the
central nervous system, have been reported.
Young Macaca is susceptible to the measles virus, acquired
from contact with humans suffering from it. The animal in
turn will spread the virus around. Other hosts include the
squirrel monkeys, macaques and gibbons. Symptoms in both animals
and Man are skin rash, conjunctivitis, fever and facial swelling.
Shigella affecting the primates such as gibbons and orang
utans readily infects Man. Fortunately the transmission of
the organism to humans is rare. The three common species of
shigella organism are Shigella flexneri, Shigella Sonnei and
Shigella Schmitzi. The symptoms to be seen in both animals
and Man are stomach and intestinal bleeding.
The fatality of the disease was noted in a case when a child
licked an ice cream touched by a monkey in a pet shop. In
another case, a child died from shigellosis after eating a
cake which had been partially eaten by a monkey. Workers in
laboratories and zoos are aware of the danger and they take
adequate precautions.
Salmonella is common in monkeys, gibbons and orang utans,
with animal to animal transmission through water and faecal
contamination.
Man, too, can easily acquire the infections from pet monkeys,
who are "carriers'. Similarly, human carriers may pass
the salmonella bacteria to monkeys directly or indirectly
as has occurred in most Asian zoos. The symptoms vary from
mild intestinal bleeding to rapid and fatal blood poisoning.
Monkeys are also highly susceptible to the human, bovine
and avian tubercle bacilli, which may result in sudden respiratory
arrest, with fine lesions on the skin, bones and internal
organs.
The Expert Committee on Zoonoses of the WHO/FAO refers to
monkeys as the most important source of human tuberculosis
infection after cattle. In Malaysia, primate tuberculosis
is very rare.
Meanwhile, the causative organism of meliodosis is pseudomonas
pseudomallei. This dissease has been reported in all Malaysian
primates except the slow loris and proboscis monkeys. This
is an important zoonotic disease for Malaysians as its outbreak
has been reported in local zoos and primate colonies.
This disease is pathogenic to man and the clinical signs
are acute bleeding in the stomach and intestines and blood
poisoning.
Endoparasitic diseases such as pinworms, tapeworms, whipworm
and roundworms are not serious problems as they can be treated
easily. The hosts (which include Man), are apes, langurs and
macaques, amongst others. The symptoms vary from dysentry,
chronic diarrhoea to anaemia.
The common protozoal zoonotic diseases are amoebiasis, balantidiasis,
giardiasis and malaria. The hosts are apes, macaque and monkeys
while the clinical signs are usually diarrhoea which may be
accompanied by mucus and blood. In the case of malaria, high
temperature and anaemia are detected.
In Malaysia, sporadic cases of these diseases are reported
in humans. Zoonotic filariasis also occur in Malaysia.
Veterinarians should discourage the public from keeping monkeys
and apes as they drain the natural population and do not make
good pets. Today's gentle pet may give a nasty bite tomorrow.
http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/stories/030203dnmetmonkey.5fdd5.html
What's best for Leroy?
Owners want custody of monkey; city says he needs better home
03/02/2003
By COLLEEN McCAIN NELSON / The Dallas Morning News
Leroy hasn't been the same since he found himself in the
middle of a custody dispute.
The 6-year-old has little interest in his toys and spends
much of his time pouting in the corner.
Both sides say they just want Leroy to be happy and healthy.
But Dallas city officials and Leroy's owners don't agree
on what's best for the golden spider monkey.
For six years, Blake Deeter and Joe Williams raised the little
monkey with the big brown eyes. After buying Leroy from a
breeder, the roommates centered their lives on the monkey
who cried when they left the house and waited by the window
for them to return.
"You basically adapt your life to the monkey,"
Mr. Deeter said. "We don't travel because we can't leave
him. We don't have people over."
City officials said monkeys aren't meant to be pets and are
prohibited by city ordinance. Animal control seized Leroy
in December after he got loose in his owners' Oak Cliff neighborhood.
The city, which does not have the facilities or personnel
needed to care for a monkey, sent Leroy to live in an animal
center in Plano. Dallas officials said they plan to seek custody
of Leroy and eventually place him in an animal sanctuary,
even if that requires taking their case to court.
Leroy's owners said they want their monkey and are prepared
to move to a city that will allow them to keep their longtime
companion.
For now, Leroy lives in a large cage at the Living Materials
Center in Plano. A sign warns visitors that he suffers from
rickets, paralysis and "un-monkey behavior."
"He was never allowed to act like a monkey in captivity,"
said Jim Dunlap, curator of the center. "He was probably
coddled and cuddled like a child."
Monkeys simply are not suited to live in houses with humans,
even when their owners have the best intentions, he said.
"Owning a monkey is like having a 2-year-old child that
never gets older, can fly, and has diarrhea," Mr. Dunlap
said.
Monkeys are unpredictable and can attack without warning,
he said.
Mr. Deeter said he did research on Leroy's care and feeding
and monkey-proofed the house, changing the doorknobs after
the monkey learned to open cabinets and unlock doors.
Life with Leroy was a challenge some days, but an entertaining
one. The monkey enjoyed answering the telephone, but he didn't
have much to say to callers, Mr. Deeter said.
"We trained him to the best of our ability," he
said. "Leroy got attention all the time."
For more than two months, the city and Leroy's owners have
been in a verbal tug-of-war over the monkey. The one issue
that both sides can agree on is that Leroy is sad and is struggling
to adjust to his new surroundings.
Although he has a spacious cage with room to swing and climb,
Leroy spends much of his time in a corner with a towel draped
over his head.
"We've tried to interact with him, but he's untrusting,"
Mr. Dunlap said. "We've given him toys, but he doesn't
know what to do with them."
Mr. Deeter said Leroy just wants to go home.
"I can't imagine what he's thinking we've never
left him before," he said. "I wonder if he thinks
we abandoned him."
The house seems empty without Leroy, Mr. Deeter said. He
and Mr. Williams have taken down their photos of Leroy and
put away his toys and food bowls.
"It's sad even to look at pictures," Mr. Deeter
said. "We don't even know what to do at this point."
He and Mr. Williams said city officials have been less than
honest with them throughout this ordeal. Animal control employees
originally told them that Leroy would be released if they
could show that he was being transferred to a location that
allowed monkeys, Mr. Deeter said.
Mr. Williams said he made plans to move to Louisiana, where
his parents live. He obtained a letter from a wildlife game
warden there, stating that monkeys were permitted in the state.
Mr. Deeter said they have tried to comply with the city's
requests. But animal control employees have been unwilling
to take many of their phone calls and have provided little
information about Leroy's status.
"I just get shuffled around from one voice mail to another,"
he said. "The city tells you one thing and then does
something entirely different."
Steve Clark, field supervisor for animal control, said the
department is conducting an ongoing investigation. The city's
findings suggest that Leroy's health has been jeopardized
by his owners, he said.
"He's been horribly imprinted he doesn't know
he's a monkey," Mr. Clark said. "My goal is to get
this monkey into a humane, caring environment."
Mr. Dunlap said Leroy suffered from nutritional deficiencies
and internal parasites when he arrived in Plano. Leroy doesn't
know how to interact with other monkeys, he said.
"He couldn't hold his own in a troop," he said.
"He's ruined."
Leroy's owners said they think his health is deteriorating
because he is depressed.
"I'm afraid he is going to get sick just from being
alone," Mr. Williams said. "He is not used to that
at all." Mr. Deeter said they took great care to feed
Leroy properly and to monitor his health.
At the Living Materials Center, Leroy gobbles up bowls of
apples, grapes, carrots, broccoli and "monkey chow."
He pays little attention to his caretakers, but Mr. Dunlap
can coax him to the side of his cage with a few bits of cereal.
If the city wins custody of Leroy, Mr. Dunlap said he would
help officials find the monkey a home in a primate sanctuary.
Mr. Clark said he plans to ask the owners to sign over their
rights to Leroy. If they refuse, the city will seek custody
in court, he said.
"We dislike having to be the big, bad wolf, but our
ultimate goal is the health and safety of the animal,"
Mr. Clark said. "If I've got to make somebody mad, I'll
do that."
Mr. Deeter said they are prepared to fight for Leroy.
"We've changed our lives for this monkey," he said.
"We just want him back."
Kansas City Star
February 12, 2003, Wednesday METROPOLITAN EDITION
Settlement ends monkey bite case
By BILL GRAHAM; The Kansas City Star
A Platte County boy has received a $148,000 settlement because
he was bitten by a monkey and had to take rabies shots after
owners would not surrender it for testing.
The case also changed Missouri law regarding animal bites.
Ethan Sickman was 7 years old when he was bitten by a rhesus
monkey on July 18, 2000. The monkey was owned by Steve and
Shelly Bowen, the Sickman family's next-door neighbors in
unincorporated Platte County, west of Parkville.
Ethan's parents, Larry and Lori Sickman, sought medical treatment
for their son and were told that he would have to receive
rabies shots unless the monkey was tested and proven negative.
Rabies testing requires the animal's death. The Bowens refused
to surrender the monkey for tests, according to Sickmans and
Platte County officials.
"We've put the matter behind us," Shelly Bowen said
Tuesday, adding that the family would have no further comment,
on the advice of their attorney.
When Ethan was bitten, the county's health codes covered only
bites by dogs, cats and ferrets. State law also did not address
bites by animals such as monkeys.
Because of that, authorities could not seize the animal for
testing.
Larry Sickman said the shots were terribly painful for his
son.
"It's unfortunate there had to be a settlement to go
after," Sickman said. "If they had turned over the
animal for testing, there
probably would have been no lawsuit and no expenses."
The case prompted Sidney Johnson of Buchanan County and Meg
Harding of Platte County, a former state senator and state
representative, respectively, to get legislation approved
in 2001regarding exotic pets.
State officials now can authorize local law jurisdictions
to impound and test any animal that has bitten humans, said
Howard Pue, public health veterinarian for the Missouri Department
of Health and Senior Services. Some local governments also
require testing. But if they don't, the state will.
The Sickman family made several trips to Jefferson City to
testify about the issue before the legislation passed.
"It didn't do us any good," Larry Sickman said.
"But anybody facing this in the future, it will help
them."
Ethan, now 10, is doing well, Larry Sickman said. Ethan also
has been tested for a simian virus transmittable to humans.
There always will be some uncertainty about whether the virus
will emerge later, his father said.
In a lawsuit filed in Platte County Circuit Court, the Sickmans
said Ethan had suffered because of the bite and the treatments,
and that they had incurred medical expenses. They alleged
that they had been harassed by the Bowens after the dispute
arose.
Also, they allege that the monkey that bit Ethan died, and
that the Bowens obtained a second monkey and allowed it to
be unrestrained in the yard.
The Sickmans were seeking damages greater than $25,000 on
three counts and punitive damages of $2 million.
The settlement was approved Jan. 27 by Circuit Judge Lee Hull,
according to court documents.
http://www.plattecountylandmark.com/Article438.htm
Boy bitten by neighbor's monkey given $150,000
February 12, 2003
by Ivan Foley
Landmark editor
A Platte County boy who was bitten on the arm by a neighbor's
pet monkey has been awarded a settlement of $150,000, and
the boy's parents will receive an additional $25,000.
The settlement in the lawsuit of Ethan Sickman, a minor,
and his parents, Larry and Lori Sickman, vs. Steve Bowen and
Shelly Bowen, was approved last week in Platte County Circuit
Court by Judge Owens Lee Hull.
Both families reside on NW 76th St., Kansas City in Platte
County.
Sickmans maintained that the Bowens's pet Rhesus monkey had
bitten Ethan Sickman on July 18, 2000 while Ethan was riding
his bike on his own property. The family said the monkey had
accompanied the Bowens' child into the Sickman's yard on that
day. The monkey jumped from a tree in the yard onto a fence,
then onto the boy and bit him on the shoulder, said John Cady,
a Platte City attorney with the firm of Cady and Campbell,
who represented the Sickman family in the lawsuit.
Ethan was eight-years-old at the time of the bite. Court
papers alleged that after the bite took place, the Bowens
were informed Ethan would have to be given rabies shots unless
they surrendered the monkey for a test for rabies.
The only way to examine a monkey for rabies, Cady said, is
for the monkey to be euthanized and tests to be run on its
brain. Knowing this, the neighbors refused to turn over the
monkey for testing and Ethan was forced to undergo the rabies
shots.
Court papers say that the rabies vaccinations that Ethan
was required to obtain caused him pain and suffering, and
that he may require additional medical treatment in the future.
It was alleged Ethan suffered emotional and mental distress,
pain and suffering.
Ethan also was tested for the Herpes B virus, Cady said.
So far tests have shown he does not have the disease, which
can be fatal if not detected and treated early, he said.
The lawsuit claimed the Rhesus monkey had a vicious and/or
dangerous propensity to injure persons, and the defendants
knew or should have known-by using ordinary care-of the monkey's
propensity to injure persons.
Court papers indicate after the biting incident, bad feelings
allegedly developed from the Bowen family toward the Sickmans.
After the death of the monkey that bit Ethan, the Bowens obtained
a second Rhesus monkey and the Sickmans claimed it was not
any better restrained than the previous animal.
Sickmans said they were subjected to loud, disparaging and
obscene remarks being made by the Bowens in voices loud enough
to be heard at the Sickman residence. They also claimed the
Bowens drove ATV vehicles up and down the property line between
the two homes, creating loud noise and dust which was disturbing
to the Sickmans and their guests.
Court papers indicate the Sickmans also claimed that defendant
Steve Bowen intentionally appeared naked on his deck, which
faces the Sickman residence. They alleged Bowen intentionally
urinated off the deck in the direction of the Sickman residence
while Lori Sickman was outside in her yard adjacent to the
deck.
Cady said the actions of the defendants were "willful,
wanton and malicious and showed complete indifference to or
conscience disregard for the safety of others and such conduct
was outrageous."
Details of the settlement approved by the court call for
Ethan to get $10,000 per year for four years beginning when
he turns age 18. He'll get another $20,000 when he turns age
25 and then $90,000 when he turns age 30.
Ethan's parents get an additional $25,000 in nuisance fees.
In addition, attorney's fees the Sickmans incurred in the
amount of about $59,900 must be covered by the defendants.
The financial obligations will be the responsibility of Steve
and Shelly Bowen and/or their insurance company.
Rhesus monkeys for a time were a "fad kind of a pet,"
Cady said. He said many primate experts are of the opinion
the monkeys belong in a zoo with well trained and experienced
handlers.
Lifespan of a Rhesus monkey being kept in captivity is about
30 years, according to web sites dealing with the species.
In the wild, the monkeys live only about four years.
They feed on seeds, roots, buds, fruit, invertebrates, bark
and cereals. They can be 12-14 inches tall and weigh up to
14 pounds.
Rhesus monkeys were the first primates to be rocketed into
space.
After his son was bitten by he unrestrained monkey, Larry
Sickman campaigned for changes in Missouri law that would
put restrictions on the owners of such pets. With the help
of then-State Sen. Sidney Johnson, legislation was passed
that now requires the monkeys to be registered with animal
control. The law also makes owners fully responsible for any
testing and any medical bills that may arise.
Larry Sickman said he doesn't like the idea of suing someone,
but that his family was put in that position.
"We had no choice. My son was wronged and we had to
make it right. Since the law would not stand up for us, we
had to make a stand," he said.
The Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
January 15, 2003, Wednesday METRO EDITION
Eby, the escaped pet monkey, caught
RACELAND - A pet capuchin monkey that escaped from its cage
Friday and was running loose all weekend was captured safely
Monday and taken to a Florida primate center.
Eby, found in the vicinity of the Butch Hill boat launch,
was taken into custody by officials with the Jungle Friends
Primate Center of Gainesville, Fla., Lafourche Parish Sheriff
Craig Webre said.
Before he escaped, Eby was living in a cage at the home of
Angela Walker on Church Street.
Eby, only 2 feet tall and missing two front teeth, reportedly
was spotted by many Lafourche Parish residents during the
weekend. Eby did not injure anyone, and his captors did not
injure the monkey.
Capuchin monkeys, gray and known as "organ-grinder"
monkeys, normally live in South and Central America. In the
wild, capuchins live on a diet of spiders, snails, lizards,
small birds, roots and fruits.
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
September 25, 2002, Wednesday, BC cycle
Despite heart surgery, exotic animal owner searches for monkey;
BY: By J. WES YODER, The Anniston Star
Friday, Robin Kirk returned home from the hospital after
a two-heart attack, two-operation, two-week stay.
A day later, in the hour after midnight, Kirk was wandering
through the woods near Alexandria with a spotlight, searching
through a rainstorm for his 6-year-old black-cap monkey, Skipper.
When you own 110 exotic animals, and you know them by name
and they know your voice, losing your favorite pet, the one
you love more than all the rest, is a pain that you cannot
take to the emergency room. "Like getting shot between
the eyes," said Kirk, an owner and caretaker of unusual
animals, who continued to look for Skipper on Wednesday.
Kirk had been talking daily to the monkey from the hospital
on a speakerphone until doctors moved him to intensive care.
He believes the monkey fled its home because of separation
anxiety.
"I figure he went looking for me," said Kirk, a
hollow look in his eyes.
He has already buried one monkey, Buster Kirk, a 2-year-old
who accidentally hanged himself.
Buster's headstone reads, "The most loved and missed
monkey in the world."
Most of Kirk's animals - black buck antelope, Tibetan yaks,
zonnies (a crossbreed of a male zebra and a miniature female
horse), wallabies, reindeer, and Hawaiian shorthaired black
sheep, to name a few - live outside in carefully kept pens
with storm shelters. But Skipper, three dogs, a baby wallaby,
a baboon and two African Gray Congo parrots who can sing "Jesus
Loves Me" and four Hank Williams songs, form the inner
circle of Kirk's animal kingdom. They live in his home and
eat from his hand.
"Like family," he said. "I've never had any
children."
"Last week, doctors didn't think they'd bring me back,
said Kirk, a 59-year-old, retired advertising executive who
has had eight heart attacks. "But I knew they would,
because God put me here to take care of these critters."
While they worked on his heart, they gave him an order that
nearly broke it - no more talking on the phone. Kirk feared
Skipper, whom he had bottle-fed from birth, would not be able
to cope with the separation.
Three days later, on Thursday, Skipper hopped past an assistant
caretaker while she was feeding him, and scurried out of sight.
Kirk's homecoming the next day felt more like a funeral than
a celebration.
For days now he has been looking for Skipper, driving slowly
the broken roads around Alexandria in his Ford diesel dually.
Far-off dogs and cats catch his eye, but they are treasures
not lost, treasures not his.
Kirk fears time is getting short. West Alexandria is no place
for a monkey with special dietary needs.
"Maybe some berries, maybe some bugs, I don't know if
he could crack some nuts," Kirk reasons, saying monkey
biscuits, shipped from Missouri, are a staple of Skipper's
diet. "I'm afraid we only got about a day or so."
Saturday night, someone spotted Skipper in a tree. By the
time Kirk got there, the monkey had fled.
"He's a very sweet monkey, but no one needs to try to
catch him. They need to call me," he said.
When Kirk walks into a pen, stopping occasionally to rest
his weary body, the animals circle around him. He calls them
by name. He knows their birthdays. The two-hump camel, Oscar,
greets him with a kiss.
But taking care of a monkey is a much greater commitment,
Kirk said, adding it's a commitment some people don't understand.
"Owning a monkey is like having a 2-year-old on speed
that will live to be 80," he said. "You want to
go to Panama City for the weekend? You got to find a sitter.
It's not easy to find a sitter for a monkey."
Kirk regularly takes some of his animals to church nativity
scenes. At a nursing home in Jackson County, where he has
taken Skipper, Oscar and some miniature horses for the last
several years, some of the women have started going to the
beauty parlor the morning before the animals visit.
One woman in the nursing home had not spoken for four years,
Kirk said. "She had crawled into her shell. But when
she saw Skipper run in, she started talking and has talked
ever since."
Life without Skipper is a possibility that Kirk is not ready
to face. "Coming home has been rough. Real rough,"
he said.
He will keep driving the bumpy, twisting roads, day and night,
he said, as long as he can hope.
"Hope is all I got."
For now, he only stops briefly, to rest his weak and tired
heart.
Each day, though, he drives a little farther.
"By now, he could be past Ohatchee."
Chimp in zoo tries to drag away Chinese boy
BEIJING, Sept 10 2002
A chimpanzee at a zoo in eastern China tried to drag a four-year-old
boy into his enclosure, prompting a 10-minute wrestle with
passers-by who sought to free the child, state media reported
Monday.
The boy's ordeal began when he tried to hand the chimp a piece
of bread at Hangzhou Zoo in Zhejiang Province, the Xinhua
news agency said.
The ape sank its teeth into the child's right arm and tried
to drag him away, the agency said, quoting local media reports.
A neighbour, who had taken the child for the weekend trip
to the zoo, along with other people nearby, had to pull the
boy back, but it took a 10-minute "fight" to free
him.
The child suffered injuries to his arm which could affect
the function of his wrist and thumb, Xinhua said.
While the boy, named as Cheng Cheng, was in shock -- "The
chimp is terrible and I dare not to visit it again" he
reportedly said after an operation on his arm -- zoo officials
said the public should not feed the animals.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m090702b.htm
Saturday, September 7, 2002
Wash. Twp. residents face fines over monkey
By TIM ZATZARINY JR.
Courier-Post Staff
WASHINGTON TWP.
Martino Cartier never thought Moochie the monkey would come
back to haunt him.
Two years ago, Cartier, the owner of a local beauty salon,
bought the capuchin monkey from a licensed breeder in Pennsylvania
for $5,000.
When Cartier realized two months later he wouldn't be able
to get a permit in New Jersey to keep Moochie, he resold the
monkey to a fellow township resident.
This week, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife charged
Cartier with possessing the monkey without a permit and illegally
selling it.
Unlicensed capuchin monkeys are banned in New Jersey because
the state considers them a potentially dangerous species.
Their sale also is illegal in the state.
The resident who bought Moochie, Diane Caltabiano, also was
cited this week for illegally possessing the monkey.
Acting on an anonymous tip, state and federal authorities
seized Moochie from Caltabiano's Raymond Drive home on Aug.
25. That day, according to Cartier, authorities also asked
to search his home and accused him of being a dealer of the
exotic monkeys, which he denies.
"They're trying to treat me like a criminal," he
said in an interview this week at his business, Martino's
Salon XI. "I don't understand it. I owned the monkey
for two months."
Cartier, 27, contends he didn't know it was illegal for him
to sell the monkey in New Jersey.
He bought Moochie, then just a few weeks old, in February
2000 as a pet for his toddler son. The child played with the
monkey without incident, Cartier said.
Moochie also visited Cartier's shop on Egg Harbor Road, where
he entertained customers.
"I just want people to know I didn't bring a smuggled,
Old World monkey into my business," Cartier said.
Shortly after he bought Moochie, Cartier applied for an exhibitor's
permit, which would have allowed him to keep the monkey provided
he put it on public display.
His request was denied and he decided to sell Moochie, even
though the monkey had become like a member of the family,
he said.
Cartier said he tried to return Moochie to the breeders,
but they were willing to give him only half of his original
purchase price.
He then sold the monkey to Caltabiano.
Cartier and Caltabiano face fines ranging from $250 to $5,
000 on each charge.
Cartier is scheduled to appear in Washington Township Municipal
Court on Sept. 25.
Caltabiano did not return calls seeking comment.
Capuchin monkeys, which are native to South America, are
considered potentially dangerous because they have sharp canine
teeth that can cause injuries, said Al Ivany, a spokesman
for the state Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Primates are also known to carry diseases, such as the deadly
Ebola virus, that can be passed to humans.
"It's incumbent on people who are getting an exotic
pet to see if it's legal to have it in New Jersey," Ivany
said.
Cartier and Caltabiano aren't the first Gloucester County
residents to get mixed up in some recent monkey business.
In February, the state seized another capuchin monkey, Curious
George, from the Harrison home of Debra Ann Stipp.
After Stipp sued the state to get Curious George back, he
was returned in June on the condition that she apply for an
exhibitor's license and agree to put him on public display
several times a year.
Ivany said that as of Friday, Caltabiano had not applied
for a similar permit.
Moochie is being held at a licensed facility in New Jersey,
according to Ivany.
He said the seizure of illegal capuchin monkeys in New Jersey
is rare and it's merely a coincidence that two of the primates
were taken from Gloucester County this year.
Cartier said he'll likely plead not guilty to the charges
against him.
"I never would have thought I might be fined $10,000
for buying a monkey," he said. "It's crazy."
Reach Tim Zatzariny Jr. at (856) 845-4617 or tzatzariny@courierpostonline.com
http://phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2002-08-29/news2.html/1/index.html
29 August 2002
Chimp on His Shoulder
An exotic-animal broker says Arizona's 'monkey rules' are
forcing him out
By Susy Buchanan
A glance at the online inventory of Peoria-based Wild Animal
World reads like a passenger manifest for Noah's Ark.
Claiming to be the largest dealer in exotic animals in the
United States, Wild Animal World can deliver almost any species
imaginable to your doorstep, whether it be a Watusi ($2,500)
a 3-month-old female giraffe ($45,000), a hand-raised buffalo
($1,000), a pair of breeding jaguars ($7,000), a female red
kangaroo ($4,000), a 9-week-old Bengal tiger cub ($18,000)
or an albino skunk ($200).
Wild Animal World's biggest business is in monkeys, though,
from white-throated capuchins to snow macaques, marmosets
and spider monkeys, ranging in price from $1,100 to $9,000
each.
But the regulations imposed by the State of Arizona on Wild
Animal World two years ago have founder Randall Davies and
his fiancee, Memory Price, packing up their business this
week and relocating to Nevada, where restrictions on the primate
trade, they say, aren't such a monkey on their backs.
"Two years ago, this lady at the State Vet's office
ruined it for everyone," Davies complains.
The lady is Dr. Mira Leslie, an authority on exotics and
primates and the public health veterinarian for the State
of Arizona. In 1999, Leslie, alarmed at an increase in bites
and other incidents involving pet monkeys, compiled enough
statistics to convince the state Game and Fish Department
to tighten the regulations on the monkey trade in Arizona.
The revised rule requires that monkeys be half-grown before
they're bought or sold, and that they be fully tested for
species-hopping diseases, particularly herpes B -- a virus
that is fatal to humans and carried by 80 to 90 percent of
macaques in the wild.
Disease, Davies says, has never been a problem, but having
to sell half-grown monkeys is. To make matters worse, he adds,
Game and Fish's so-called "Monkey Bite" rule prohibits
monkeys from leaving their owners' property and venturing
out into public.
"Before, we would take them river rafting, to drive-in
movies, to the lake and go fishing, water-skiing, to the bank,
every public place that wasn't a food establishment,"
Davies recalls. "Like Hooters, yeah, Hooters. We used
to sit out on the patio there and have a lot of fun. . . We
never had any problems."
But other people did. In a study conducted in 1997 by the
Centers for Disease Control with the help of Dr. Leslie, seven
cases of monkey bites or scratches were examined, and three
of them revealed the presence of herpes B. Moreover, four
of those seven incidents occurred in Arizona, including one
involving an infected, 7-week-old, diaper-wearing cynomolgus
who shared chewing gum with its owners and bit an adult at
a bar. Another Arizona case involved a macaque, one of eight
at an unlicensed day-care center, who bit a child severely.
Still another referred to a 2-year-old cynomolgus who climbed
over a fence to bite a neighbor child's toe and buttocks.
Jim Devos, chief of research at Game and Fish, explains the
reasons behind the December 1999 amendment: "When we
were originally discussing adopting the Monkey Bite' rule,
we were getting 40 reports of bites a year. Since it went
into effect, we are seeing about one a month."
Davies still maintains that monkeys make fine pets. But there
are no simians swinging from the trees or tigers prowling
his yard in the quiet neighborhood just off Peoria Avenue.
Davies doesn't keep the animals he advertises for sale on
hand anymore. He is instead a go-between, a broker between
individuals and institutions looking to buy or sell exotic
breeds.
Although Davies transferred the business to his fiancee in
January, he still talks like he's got both hands on the wheel.
"I've been in the business for 20 years," he says.
"First I had monkeys as pets, then I bought a monkey
business that was for sale. It started in the basement with
lab cages and grew to a ranch with real nice cages."
His career as a monkey trader, however, has not been without
controversy.
Davies once owned Monkeys Unlimited, a Cincinnati-based primate
clearinghouse that ran ads in USA Today in the late '80s,
advertising monkeys for sale. A 1999 book on exotic-animal
trafficking, Animal Underworld, describes Davies' business
as "a notorious primate mail order operation run out
of a filthy Cincinnati warehouse." Author Alan Green
also claims that Davies "dumped huge quantities of baby
monkeys into the pet trade," before shutting down in
Ohio in 1991 and moving to Phoenix.
"We were only in that shop for three months," Davies
responds, "then we moved to a beautiful ranch. And what
does he mean by dumping monkeys'? People purchased them."
Regardless, Davies claims that it was overregulation, and
not bad press, that ruined his Peoria enterprise. Davies estimates
he sells between two and seven monkeys a month, which he says
is considerably lower than his pre-"Monkey Bite"
volume.
"Arizona used to be a great place to sell monkeys, and
it still would be, except I can only sell half-grown monkeys,
so we don't even bother with marketing or selling here anymore."
His client base, he says, includes politicians, private citizens
and celebrities. "I just sold a monkey to Hugh Hefner
last week, a capuchin," he claims. Interest in exotic
pets has been high in recent years, and if it weren't for
Arizona's draconian policies, he says, he'd still have tigers
and baboons as pets. But Davies doesn't have any exotics at
all anymore, not even Alfy, the overalls-clad baboon clinging
to Randy on the back of an ATV in pictures on his Web site.
"I got rid of Alfy last year," he says. "We're
trying to get everything ready to move."
Davies and Price have looked at several areas in Nevada and
will drive out next week, hoping for 100 acres or so next
to a river. There, they'll start up again, unfettered by regulations.
"There are thousands of people like me across the country
who want to have exotic animals," Davies says. "The
animals need us. Their countries are being destroyed. Fires
destroy the rain forest; in some countries, poachers are still
poaching off of reserve areas. And farmlands, the farmers
kill the monkeys because they eat their vegetables, and they
kill the cats because they eat their livestock.
In our country, we keep them and breed them and care for
them. If it weren't for this country, we wouldn't have some
of these animals today."
http://www.news-star.com/stories/082202/New_58.shtml
Shawnee Oklahoma, News Star
Thursday, August 22, 2002
Woman has to give up exotic pets
TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- Patricia Shaver needs to find a home
for about 10 exotic monkeys and lemurs.
A county zoning board recently ruled that Shaver can't keep
more than six exotic animals in her home east of Sand Springs
after a neighbor complained that the animals have escaped
from their cages and are dangerous.
Although Shaver will give up her monkeys and lemurs, she's
calling the decision a victory.
Shaver feared that the board would not permit her to keep
her animals at all.
"We are very grateful," she said.
Shaver has 22 animals. About half are considered exotic and
can not be kept on her property. She will be allowed to keep
all of her non-exotic animals.
Shaver, who is blind, has been rescuing exotic animals, including
some that had been injured or are disabled.
With her partner, Bill Allison, Shaver has seven breeds of
small monkeys, three lemurs, four South American raccoons,
three dogs, a duck, a miniature horse, baby doll sheep, an
African parrot and a blind wallaby.
The house is equipped with outdoor monkey cages and tunnels
that allow the animals to go in the house.
The couple and their monkeys are a familiar sight at local
elementary schools.
Two of their monkeys appeared in a Tulsa Performing Arts Center
production of "Inherit the Wind."
But complaints from a neighbor are ending the animal haven
at Shaver's home.
"I don't think it's right," said neighbor Katherine
Lamb.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=4999745&BRD=1569&PAG=461&dept_id=180945&rfi=6
Mauling monkey to be deported to Oklahoma
By: Rachelann Ferris, Courier staff
August 09, 2002
A 7-year-old Macaque monkey that attacked three Montgomery
County residents in June will be shipped back to the Oklahoma
breeder where he was born, a judge ruled Thursday morning.
According to Montgomery County Animal Control Field Supervisor
John Geiser, the monkey attacked three people, including owner
Judy Williams of Magnolia, during an incident June 23.
The Macaque monkey, named Presley, attacked a 9-year-old
neighborhood boy in front of the Williams' home in the 17200
block of Jui Lane in Magnolia. At some point, Presley also
bit Williams and a Magnolia firefighter who had been called
to the scene to help contain the primate.
"The reports we have so far are that it was unprovoked,"
said Geiser, who said the monkey was not registered with Montgomery
County Animal Control, which is required by law. The boy and
Williams were bitten by the monkey, while the firefighter
was scratched severely enough to break the skin. All three
were taken to a local hospital, where they were treated for
the injuries.
After the monkey's 30-day quarantine period was completed,
Williams appeared before 221st state District Judge Suzanne
Stovall Thursday to discuss the fate of the creature.
Williams agreed to relinquish ownership of the monkey back
to the Oklahoma breeder from which she had purchased Presley.
Presley will be placed in the company's education program.
Macaque monkeys, also called Java monkeys, are native to
southeast Asia and weigh an average of 30-40 pounds, with
males generally weighing more than females.
Since Oct. 10, 1975, the importation of nonhuman primates
has been prohibited by Public Health Service quarantine regulations,
except for scientific, educational or exhibition purposes
by importers registered with the Centers for Disease Control
and are not admissible as pets in the United States because
such animals are common carriers of disease, including hepatitis,
herpes, and AIDS.
Presley turned out to be disease-free monkey during the quarantine
period, officials said.
Saint Paul Pioneer Press
August 8, 2002 Thursday
Zoo volunteer to receive rabies shots
A volunteer at the BEARCAT Hollow animal park must receive
a series of rabies shots after being bitten by a monkey.
Jade Landgrebe, 21, told authorities that she was bitten
on the finger Sunday when she entered the monkey's cage.
Landgrebe, who has volunteered at the animal park for three
years, said she had given the monkey named JoJo a hug and
was putting it back in the cage when it grabbed her hair,
according to Mower County Sheriff Barry Simonson.
When she tried to free herself, the monkey bit her on the
little finger of her left hand. The one-inch wound required
five stitches, and Landgrebe was held for observation at Saint
Marys Hospital in Rochester. She was reported in fair condition
Tuesday.
According to a sheriff's report, Landgrebe said she was willing
to take the rabies shots instead of killing the monkey so
it could be tested.
Earlier this summer, security improvements were completed
at BEARCAT Hollow, where a tiger attacked a girl last summer
and a young bear escaped in December. The 25-acre zoo's name
is an acronym that stands for Beautiful Endangered And Rare
Conservation And Therapy. It has about 300 animals.
Monkey bites investigated
By Chery Sabol, The Daily Inter Lake
Tue 6 Aug 2002
A pet monkey that has bitten several people in the valley
has raised health concerns.
"We know of three for sure, maybe four" victims,
said nurse Dan Dickman of the city-county health department.
The monkey is a 5-pound macaque whose owner has brought it
into public places, Dickman said.
The owner hasn't been charged with any violations and isn't
named. But his pet quickly earned a reputation.
"The thing is very territorial. It ended up biting people,"
Dickman said.
One incident was at a restaurant at the Whitefish mall. Another,
possibly involving two people, was at The Apple Barrel Fruit
Stand Inc. on U.S. 2 near the airport. Another case was reported
at a residence.
The bites were deep enough to break the skin on victims,
raising concerns about disease transmission, Dickman said.
"We're worried about it," he said.
Concerns include tetanus, herpes B, tuberculosis, rabies
and hepatitis B, Dickman said.
The monkey has been sent to Great Falls to be quarantined,
he said. Test samples have gone to Loma Linda, Calif., for
analysis, he said.
Macaques legally cannot be shipped into the country "because
they are a carrier of diseases that can be passed on to humans,"
Dickman said. The animals are used in laboratory tests.
This monkey is the descendant of several generations of breeding
in this country, Dickman said.
Two of the people who were bitten went in for immediate medical
treatment, he said. All are awaiting test results on the monkey.
The greatest concern is transmission of herpes B.
"They call it the monkey virus," Dickman said.
Though rare, the virus kills 70 percent of people who contract
it, he said. "Herpes B is scary," he said.
Animal warden Richard Stockdale was unavailable Monday for
comment. County Attorney Tom Esch said there are ordinances
against having a vicious dog, but none against owning a savage
simian.
"I haven't ruled out endangerment" charges, Esch
said Monday.
Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail
at
csabol@dailyinterlake.com
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
August 6, 2002, Tuesday, BC cycle
A pet monkey that has bitten several people in the Flathead
Valley has raised both health and legal concerns.
"We know of three for sure, maybe four" victims,
said Dan Dickman, a City-County Health Department nurse.
The monkey is a 5-pound macaque whose owner has brought it
into public places, Dickman said. The owner hasn't been charged
with any violations and isn't named. But his pet quickly earned
a reputation.
"The thing is very territorial," Dickman said.
One incident was at a restaurant at the Whitefish mall. Another,
possibly involving two people, was at a fruit stand on U.S.
2 near the airport.
The bites were deep enough to break the skin on victims,
raising concerns about disease transmission, Dickman said.
"We're worried about it," he said.
Concerns include tetanus, herpes B, tuberculosis, rabies
and hepatitis B, Dickman said.
The monkey has been sent to Great Falls to be quarantined,
he said. Test samples have gone to Loma Linda, Calif., for
analysis, he said.
Flathead County Attorney Tom Esch said there are ordinances
against having a vicious dog, but none against owning a vicious
monkey.
"I haven't ruled out endangerment" charges, Esch
said Monday.
The Gleaner
July 18, 2002
CAPUCHIN MONKEY AT LARGE
A MONKEY in its late 20s escaped from the Hope Zoo in St.
Andrew yesterday morning and is now on the run.
Officials at the Hope Zoo urged residents in and around the
communities of Hope Pastures and Liguanea to be on the lookout
for Sammy, the 1-1/2 feet capuchin or South American monkey
which has a cowl-like cap of hair on the head. Residents are
being strongly advised not to approach or attempt to capture
or restrain the animal which has large canines and is capable
of inflicting bites.
According to Hope Zoo representative Charlene Alexander,
investigations are now under way to determine the circumstances
under which Sammy escaped from his holding area at about 10:00
a.m yesterday.
He is fairly intelligent but he is very capable of inflicting
bites. He is somewhat tame but he is only friendly with people
he is familiar with, Miss Alexander said yesterday.
Sammy, who is dark brown and hairy, is a fruit-eating monkey
whose diet is normally supplemented with hard-boiled eggs
for protein. Miss Alexander said she expects the capuchins
to remain in the Hope Pastures area as there are a lot of
trees around.
Sammy was donated to the Hope Zoo in 1985 by the Immaculate
Conception High School where it was previously being kept
as a pet.
Agence France Presse
July 7, 2002 Sunday
Manic monkey scares sunbathers at Rome pool
An angry ape called Pedro terrorised swimmers at a municipal
swimming pool in Rome on Sunday after demolishing his cage
in order to attack neighbourhood dogs, authorities said.
The pet animal, a Japanese macaque, is 80 centimetres (32
inches) high and was calmed with a shot of anesthetic after
being hunted for two hours.
His owner raised the alarm after finding the remains of the
cage. A couple of days earlier Pedro had bitten him, causing
a wound which needed seven stitches.
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
July 4, 2002, Thursday, BC cycle
Looking for a pet? Leave the monkeys alone, caretakers of
primates plead
By KIMBERLY MATAS, Arizona Daily Star
As part of her daily grooming ritual, Erin Allan goes into
her back yard where Tanuki, a white-faced Capuchin monkey,
massages her owner's hands and cleans under Allan's manicured
nails using her own tiny black fingers.
In return, Allan strokes the 13-year-old primate's long, furry
arms as Tanuki reaches through the chain-link fencing of her
large cage.
Allan has six monkeys, each with a distinct personality. The
Tucson resident has a one-on-one relationship with each of
them, but she does not condone keeping primates as pets. Those
in Allan's care are former pets, given up when owners lost
interest or realized caring for the animals was more work
than anticipated.
"I'm not against private ownership per se, but I am against
trying to make monkeys something they are not," she said,
stressing that no matter what their upbringing, at their core
primates are wild animals.
A member of the Simian Society of America and past vice president
and board member, Allan knows what she's talking about. She
and other private caretakers from across the country put together
a thick handbook outlining primate care. To better understand
her fur-faced wards, Allan took college classes in primatology
and volunteered at the ChimpanZoo: Research, Education and
Enrichment Program, sponsored by the Jane Goodall Institute.
Many people are under the mistaken impression that they can
tame a monkey if they get it early enough, Allan said. Subsequently
breeders pull babies as young as 2 weeks old from their mothers'
arms. That early disengagement from their mothers, combined
with social isolation from other primates, causes maturational
arrest and maladaptive behaviors, Allan said.
One of the monkeys in Allan's care, Amelia, a hybrid blackcap
Capuchin, is so hyperactive she must live alone until Allan
can find another primate with whom the 13-year-old monkey
can get along.
Because she was raised by humans, not her own mother, Amelia
spends much of her time rocking back and forth, her slender
arms wrapped around a large wadded-up blanket, imitating the
way she would have clung to her mother, Allan said.
"They adapt by developing behaviors to substitute for
what's lacking in their environment," she said. Some
monkeys, who never had the early stimulation of other primates,
can even become thumb-suckers, self-biters and self-mutilators.
In the primate world, mothers care for their young around
the clock for months, providing grooming and constant motion
and allowing them to cling to them and suckle whenever they
want. Plus, primate mothers provide life lessons to their
young. Primates learn by watching the behavior of other monkeys.
Even humans with the best intentions cannot be substitutes
for the kind of attention another monkey can provide, Allan
said.
Allan tries "to provide as much of a natural setting
as possible, but it's difficult."
Within their cages her monkeys have houses to hide in, shelves
to climb, hanging walkways to run across, blankets and a few
children's toy, even though she said adult primates are not
very interested in toys.
Though Amelia lives alone for the moment, three other Capuchins
live together nearby in one large cage attached to a smaller
enclosure by a series of overhead, interconnected caged-in
walkways. Two others share another spacious cage.
Allan never enters the cages. Though humans raised them, the
monkeys would attack if Allan invaded their territory.
Instead, she said, "I love them up through the bars."
Allan said owners often sterilize their primate pets in the
mistaken belief this will tame them, and pull out their teeth
to prevent biting. She is opposed to humans using primates
"as surrogate children."
"I don't like to see the dignity removed by putting them
in clothes and diapers," she said.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/62702_local_monkey.html
Young boy suffers attack from pet monkey
Nine-year-old Adam Soileau describes how a neighbor's pet
monkey attacked his arms.
By Jessica Willey
ABC 13 Eyewitness News
(6/27/02) - A nine-year-old Montgomery county boy is recovering
after being attacked by a monkey. It happened while he was
playing near his home. Now that monkey is under quarantine.
Presley, a macaque monkey, attacked nine-year-old Adam Soileau.
Its owner and even a firefighter responded to the scene Sunday.
Meanwhile, the boy, who sustained the worst injuries, is back
home after the attack. One is so bad, he can't even walk.
Adam had to be carried by his father when he returned home
from the hospital.
"I have a whole bunch of stitches (along my thumb),"
said Adam. "And he cut a whole bunch of skin (from my
leg.)"
On Sunday, Adam was playing in his Montgomery county neighborhood
in front of the house where the monkey lives. All of a sudden,
he says it came from the backyard and attacked him.
"He started jumping. After he got this (arm), he seen
all the blood," Adam recalled. "Then he jumped to
this (arm) and started yanking, and going back and forth to
a leg and both my arms, like, taking turns on all of them."
So agitated, the monkey dragged Adam into the ditch. Finally
his grandmother came to the rescue, beating the primate off
him with her purse.
"She heard me yelling help," Adam said.
The monkey named Presley is a macaque, a species known to
be unpredictable and aggressive. We can't get close to the
one in question because it now sits quarantined for 30 days
at Montgomery County Animal Control. Twice a day, a supervisor
there cleans its cage and feeds it while it's tested for diseases.
"We don't expect there to be a problem," said Kelli
Copeland, the director of Montgomery Co. Animal Control. "The
animal is born and raised in captivity and has not been around
any other monkeys. "
Copeland says the owner didn't have a permit to keep the
monkey in the county nor did she have it contained legally.
She'll be cited. But she says if the monkey is healthy and
its owner abides by county ordinances, it could go back home.
Adam Solieau has multiple reasons why he thinks that's a bad
idea.
"I think they ought to put it down," Adam told
Eyewitness News. "Because any day if someone goes around
where he lives, he's going to attack them."
The owner, Judy Williams, will be cited for not having the
monkey registered and for letting it run at large. We tried
to contact her but were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, a vet with the Houston zoo has already drawn blood
from the monkey. They fear it may have any number of diseases
including herpes. Those results haven't come back yet. Adam
Soileau is taking antibiotics just in case.
The Houston Chronicle
June 27, 2002, Thursday 3 STAR EDITION
Monkey being tested for virus after attacks on 3 people
BY: HARVEY RICE
MAGNOLIA - Montgomery County officials Wednesday were awaiting
test results that would determine whether a monkey that bit
and scratched three people has a lethal strain of herpes.
The 15- to 20-pound male macaque attacked 9-year-old Adam
Soileau in front of his grandmother's home in Magnolia, causing
severe injuries to the boy's legs, arms and hands, said Tony
Clingaman, an emergency medical technician with Magnolia Volunteer
Fire Department. "He definitely could have killed that
child," said Clingaman, who found the boy in shock and
bleeding profusely when he arrived at about 11 a.m. Sunday.
The macaque retreated to the back porch, where it eventually
was retrieved by its owner, Judy Williams, 49, who returned
it to her back yard about three houses from where the attack
took place.
The 7-year-old macaque also bit Williams and scratched Clingaman
as they put it in its cage.
Adam and Clingaman, informed that macaques carry a strain
of herpes virus that is fatal to humans, were put on a regimen
of antibiotics and antiviral medicines by their doctors.
The macaque will remain under rabies quarantine for 30 days.
http://stacks.msnbc.com/local/kprc/A1238323.asp
Pet Monkey Quarantined After Biting 3 People
MAGNOLIA, Texas, 5:38 p.m. CDT June 25, 2002 - An unregistered
exotic monkey bit and scratched three people, including a
boy, and was placed under quarantine, according to animal
control officials Tuesday.
Presley the monkey joined 13 other quarantined animals at
the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, officials said.
Presley, described as smaller than the average male macaques,
escaped from its cage on McIntosh Street in southwest Montgomery
County and went on a biting rampage, officials said.
"It bit a little boy, then it bit its owner and scratched
a fireman," said Kelli Copeland with the Montgomery County
Animal Shelter.
Animal experts at the Houston Zoo, who were called in for
the case, take monkey bites seriously since monkeys can carry
dangerous diseases.
The macaques can spread the herpes B virus.
"It's a type of herpes that is carried by many different
macaques and it can be deadly to humans so when a human is
bitten by a macaques, it's important to that monkey to see
if that animal had the disease and was shedding it at the
time," said Joe Flanagan, a senior veterinarian at the
Houston Zoo.
Test results were not back Tuesday afternoon.
Presley will be quarantined for a month, according to authorities,
and cannot be returned to his old cage.
"The pen is in very bad shape. She is going to have
to install another pen. I don't know if this one would meet
code at all. It has to be 9-guage wire and she's got a much
thinner wire than is required," Copland said.
Flanagan said the Houston Zoo does not have macaques because
they are known carriers of infectious diseases.
He said that it's also why macaques and rhesus monkeys make
good laboratory research pets and not domestic pets.
Presley's owner will be cited for not registering the monkey
in Montgomery County, police said.
Bangkok Post
June 14, 2002
ZOO WORKERS CAPTURE MISCHIEVOUS MACAQUE, EVENTUALLY
BY: Pattanapong Hirunnard
An aggressive monkey which wreaked havoc on a small community
for two days was finally captured yesterday, Dusit zoo officials
said.
The seven-year-old male macaque's anti-social behaviour became
a topic of discussion on Ruam Duay Chuay Kan community radio
on Wednesday. The residents in tambon Klong Bang Pla Kod in
Phra Samut Chedi district called the station and asked for
help.
The monkey barged into their houses and stole food and any
other items that grabbed his attention, and attacked anyone
trying to catch him, they said.
Dusit zoo sent a 15-strong team led by Somchart Luanklinhom
to catch the animal. Their first attempt, on Wednesday, failed
when the monkey refused to drink milk laced with sedatives.
The animal showed up again yesterday afternoon, and after
causing an electrical short circuit and getting a shock was
subdued with a tranquilliser dart.
Mr Somchart said the monkey had apparently been well-trained.
It used straws when drinking and knew how to unwrap food packages.
The macaque was taken to Dusit zoo for care and attention.
The short circuit caused a power blackout at a 50-room welfare
apartment lasting several hours.
The Express
June 10, 2002
ANIMALS SPEND THEIR LIVES LOCKED AWAY IN GARAGES; MISERY
OF PET MONKEYS
THOUSANDS of monkeys, bought as lovable pets, are being condemned
to lives of misery in garden sheds and garages across Britain,
animal welfare groups claimed yesterday.
Experts say at least 1,500 primates are kept in cramped conditions
unable to exercise and being fed fizzy drinks and chocolate
- a world away from their natural surroundings of lush, tropical
rainforests.
Hundreds more are on offer for sale around the UK because
of the growing trend for keeping exotic animals as pets -
despite the fact that isolating monkeys causes them mental
illness. Owners currently need a license to keep a monkey
as a pet, but the Monkey Sanctuary Trust is urging the Government
to make it illegal.
Rachel Hevesi, a director of the sanctuary, warned that even
pet monkeys kept in good conditions suffer because they miss
out on the complex social relationships they require.
"Lots of people buy monkeys because they see an animal
with a cute face and big eyes and want to take care of it,
" she said.
"But monkeys are dangerous wild animals which should
not be kept as pets. People fail to understand the time and
attention that a monkey requires to live a happy life.
"All monkeys are social animals that need the company
of their own kind to develop natural behaviour.
"Often pet monkeys live in isolation and no amount of
human love can make up for the separation from their own kind.
"Faced with this barren existence, monkeys develop stereotypical
behaviour and because they are so desperate for stimulation
they over-groom themselves till their arms and legs are bare
of fur.
"They can also take out their frustration on the people
looking after them. This normally happens when they hit puberty
at about five years old and they become more aggressive.
"That's when many owners have to lock them up in garden
sheds or garages because they are too dangerous to keep in
the house."
The Monkey Sanctuary, near Looe in Cornwall, is currently
caring for 13 woolly monkeys and two capuchins.
Peppy, the newest resident, was brought in by a family who
could not cope after being given him as a pet.
They were forced to house him in their garden shed and he
was being fed a diet of roast dinners and chocolate spread
sandwiches.
Another capuchin called Frosty was rescued from kennels, surrounded
by barking dogs. He was found with a female monkey and baby,
but his two companions were so ill they died a few days after
they were rescued.
Ian Redmond, who is adviser to the United Nations Great Ape
Survival Project, said: "All primates are intelligent
social animals.
"Keeping them in captivity seldom gives them the quality
of life they deserve.
"Even when captive bred, young primates are taken from
their mothers for the pet trade, which causes stress to the
youngster and mother, perpetuating the cycle of cruelty."
Aug. 13, 2002, 6:50AM
Violent monkey to be extradited; disease-free and heading
to Okla.
By CINDY HORSWELL
Houston Chronicle
MAGNOLIA -- Presley, a pet monkey who seriously injured a
boy and also attacked two adults, is free of diseases and
will be sent to a zoolike environment in Oklahoma, Montgomery
County's animal control director said Monday.
Cindy Williams, owner of the 40-pound macaque since shortly
after his birth in 1996, has agreed to relinquish custody
and pay for his monthlong quarantine, during which he was
checked for hepatitis, rabies and herpes, said animal control
chief Kelly Copeland.
Williams, 49, of Magnolia, could not be reached for comment.
Copeland said Presley will be returned to his breeders, Armer
Exotics in Oklahoma City.
The macaque escaped on June 23 and attacked 9-year-old Adam
Soileau and two others. The boy needed numerous stitches but
is recovering, Copeland said.
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
April 7, 2002 Sunday All Editions
MONKEY BARRED FROM GOING HOME
WOODBURY - Still not convinced that Curious George won't
get into mischief, a judge is refusing to let the little monkey
go home, at least for now.
Debra Ann Stipp and her husband, Conrad, are trying to get
their 11-year-old pet monkey back after state authorities
confiscated the unlicensed animal. New Jersey law considers
capuchin monkeys to be a "potentially dangerous species"
requiring a special owner's or exhibitor's permit.
Judge Martin A. Herman did not rule on the family's contention
that Curious George is harmless. But he did allow the Stipps
to have a veterinarian visit the monkey and make sure it is
healthy.
The Stipps applied for a permit last month, even though they
have owned the monkey since it was a newborn.
They say Curious George, purchased from a Pennsylvania breeder
for $3,500, is not dangerous. He was neutered to lessen his
aggressiveness, and his four large incisor teeth were removed.
Herman scheduled another hearing for April 26. He also allowed
the Stipps to have their veterinarian examine Curious George
at the Popcorn Park Zoo, an animal rescue facility in Lacey
Township, Ocean County.
The monkey has been held in a cage there since a state conservation
officer, acting on an informant's complaint, seized the animal
from the couple's house Feb. 16.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_557231.html?menu=
Escaped monkey attacks two in Japan
Two people have been bitten by a monkey that escaped from
its owner's cage in Japan.
A woman who was bitten on the thigh has been told her injuries
could take three weeks to heal.
The Japanese monkey was eventually caught by police in Seto.
Police are questioning its 58-year-old owner on suspicion
of violating an ordinance on keeping animals because he did
not have permission to keep the monkey.
It bit Harue Tamayama on the thigh then attacked Katsuzo
Yamashita, who's 66. He suffered slight injuries.
The Mainichi Daily News reports investigators found a large
opening in the cage through which the monkey escaped.
Story filed: 12:42 Sunday 31st March 2002
Cox News Service
March 27, 2002 Wednesday
Wayward monkey returned to Florida home
BY: DANI DAVIES
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - Around the same time a friendly capuchin
monkey named Jake was making himself comfortable munching
snacks in a backyard treehouse, his family was searching frantically
for their special pet.
Three days of monkey vacation ended Wednesday morning when
Janice Ferraiolo climbed the treehouse and brought Jake home.
"He screamed when he saw me," the monkey's foster
mother said. "Then he just came running."
Jake is diabetic and requires a daily insulin shot. He has
lived with Ferraiolo for seven years to get him used to family
life but will someday become a helper to a quadriplegic person.
A day after slipping out of a screen door of his home Sunday,
the 14-year-old, 8-pound monkey showed up at Domenico Scotto's
home.
"He was waving and knocking at the window to get my
attention," said Scotto, who gave Jake water, bananas
and peanut butter.
Jake climbed to the treehouse, where Scotto usually sits
to drink capuccino and espresso.
"I went up there slowly. That's when he shook my hand,"
he said.
Jake quickly made himself comfortable in the treetop oasis
as Scotto and his neighbor, Peggy Giglio, kept their eyes
peeled for lost pet notices. She fed Jake peanut butter from
a spoon and bought him fruit and stuffed animals.
They contacted Ferraiolo after reading a story about Jake.
Giglio says she is thinking of becoming a foster parent, and
Scotto has an unique tale to tell.
"A monkey knocking at your door," he said. "Imagine
that."
The Indianapolis Star
March 20, 2002 Wednesday City Edition
Capture in garage puts end to this pet's monkey shines
BY: BY DIANE FREDERICK DIANE.FREDERICK@INDYSTAR.COM
THORNTOWN, Ind. -- Rascal, the wayward spider monkey that
gave police a run for their cookies last week, is back home.
Rascal escaped from owners Mike and Susan Warmoth, who live
on Ind. 47 east of Thorntown. A passer-by saw Rascal on Ind.
52 Thursday and called police.
Boone County Sheriff Dennis Brannon and two State Police
troopers tried, unsuccessfully, to lure Rascal into custody
with a Girl Scout cookie.
Rascal snatched the box from Brannon before fleeing into
a wooded area.
At some point, Rascal took shelter in a garage on Ind. 52.
On Saturday, the owner of the garage contacted Mike Warmoth,
who finally caught the wayward monkey.
"It took about 45 minutes in the garage to get him settled
down," Susan Warmoth said. "He was so exhausted
he went to sleep in my granddaughter's car seat on the way
home."
"He likes garages, evidently," said neighbor Alma
Smith, who has encountered Rascal on the run previously.
Rascal wound up in Smith's garage last year after leading
her husband, Jerry, and a helper from Smith's Trash Service
on a wild chase.
Alma Smith said that episode began while she and her sister
were en route to a garage sale. Alma saw Rascal sitting on
a post, out of reach of a pursuing dog.
"I said, 'There's a monkey on that post,' " Alma
Smith said. "My sister said, 'What did you have for breakfast?'
I said, 'Stop the car,' but she said, 'That monkey's not getting
in my car.' "
When Smith approached the monkey, it headed to the treetops.
"I got ahold of my husband," she said. "His
helper got up in the tree. Of course, the minute he did, the
monkey swung to another tree."
Rascal eventually ducked into the Smiths' garage, where Mike
Warmoth caught him.
Susan Warmoth said Rascal undid the latch on his cage and
removed cardboard used to cover a broken window pane to make
his escape last Wednesday from their garage.
"I'm just glad he's home and we don't have to worry
about it," she said. "Around here, there's a lot
of coyotes. We were worried something might get him or he'd
get hit out on the road."
Rare monkey found at Fort Bend county farmhouse
Walter - a very rare monkey - had hooked up with a pack of
dogs in Ft. Bend County.
By Deborah Wrigley
ABC 13 Eyewitness News
(3/4/02) - The SPCA is called in to take custody of a lot
of exotic animals, but none more so than the one it has right
now. It's a primate that's so rare most zoos can't get one.
And that's the mystery of the monkey.
At the moment, he's called Walter -- a white-crowned Mangaby,
one of the rarest creatures in the world. Only about 200 live
in the African jungle. But for now, he's at Houston's SPCA
after being caught in the wilds of Fort Bend county at an
abandoned farmhouse.
On Christmas Eve, there was a report of a monkey sitting
on a front porch beside some stray dogs. SPCA investigators
thought it was a joke.
It wasn't. Walter had apparently escaped from his owner's
home and taken up with the dogs.
Jim Boller/SPCA Investigator: "They were foraging together
and whatever the dogs ate he would too, and his natural diet
is vegetarian."
Word that he's here has zoos calling. Everyone's curious
about the mystery of how he wound up in Texas. There's a theory...
Jim Boller/SPCA Investigator: "Most likely is, they
bought him from one of these animals, dispersed to a dealer
inappropriately and found his way to Fort Bend county."
Like lions and tigers that have wound up in the SPCA, Walter
is an exotic animal That means he's protected by law, but
not from black market dealers who promote them as pets.
Patty Mercer/Houston SPCA: "You're finding them in homes
and apartments across this country and their numbers are disappearing
dramatically in the wild."
Walter though will be luckier than most. There are plans
to send him to a program in Europe.
Patty Mercer/Houston SPCA: "They're doing a reintroduction
program. So Walter may get to see a jungle yet. He may get
to see a jungle or at least be surrounded by individuals of
his own kind."
A better life than he's had so far. Walter the monkey may
also wind up in a National Geographic production. The Geographic
is planning a program on exotic animals mistakenly kept as
pets, and the Houston SPCA will be featured.
1/14/2002 6:03:03 PM
Reporter: Cyndee Speers
http://www.wbir.com/News/news.asp?ID=5658
MONKEY PUT TO SLEEP - Mickey the runaway monkey has been
put to sleep.
Last week the 40-pound Japanese snow monkey escaped from
a chain-link enclosure in Todd Rhodes' back yard, it's only
escape in six months of being there.
Greg Hodges returned home and thought it strange to see a
money on the loose as he drove up to his home.
Hodges said when he got out of his car, the money jumped
onto his back and began biting his back and hand. He said
he was able to throw off the animal, but it tried to attack
him again.
Rhodes got the monkey pinned down by the time the animal
control officer arrived.
The Knox County Health Department and several experts decided
Monday to put Mickey to sleep and have him tested for diseases.
Hodges should know late this week if he's at rick from Mickey's
bites.
Knoxville News-Sentinel (Knoxville, TN)
January 10, 2002, Thursday
Monkey escapes pen, attacks; 'Vicious' Mickey may be euthanized
after biting man
BY: Bryan Mitchell, News-Sentinel staff writer
It was a night of monkey business Wednesday for Wade Dunham
of the Knox County Sheriff's Department. But no one is laughing.
A bizarre incident began when a Japanese snow monkey escaped
from its chain-linked fence pen on Nicholas Drive shortly
after 6 p.m. and began to scour the neighborhood. The 25-pound
monkey's owner, Todd Rhodes, claims Wednesday evening's breakout
was the first time "Mickey" had escaped during the
critter's six-month stay in the back yard of the Northeast
Knox County home.
That's of little consequence to Tina Maria Drive resident
Greg Hodges, who was a victim of Mickey's aggression.
"I saw (the monkey) near the street as I drove up, and
I thought, 'That's kind of weird,' " Hodges said.
However, the incident became even stranger when Mickey came
up on Hodges after the man got out of his car. Mickey proceeded
to jump on the resident's back.
"It started to bite my back and my hand," Hodges
said.
Hodges was able to throw the monkey off his back, but he
contends that didn't deter Mickey's aggressiveness.
"It kept coming back for more," Hodges said. "It
was a vicious monkey."
Rhodes pinned down the monkey before the arrival of Dunham,
an animal-control specialist for the Sheriff's Department.
Dunham took Mickey into custody and issued an animal-at-large
citation to Rhodes.
Rhodes contended that the monkey is listed as a Class III
pet and therefore does not require any special permit. He
is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 4 to face the charge.
Hodges said he plans to press charges.
As for Mickey, Dunham said both the Knoxville Zoo and the
University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine would
be given an opportunity to adopt the creature. If not adopted,
the monkey will be euthanized.
Bryan Mitchell may be reached at 865-342-6306 or at mitchellb@knews.com.
New Hampshire Sunday News
December 30, 2001
Lost in the woods
A Capuchin monkey lost in the woods drove some Danville residents
bananas as repeated attempts to catch the elusive primate
failed.
The monkey was first spotted living in the woods in August
when it jumped in front of Danville Fire Chief David Kimball
as he drove along Kingston Road.
Numerous monkey sightings were reported throughout town after
that. Soon the story of Danville's lost monkey gained national
attention as Animal Control Officer Denise Laratonda organized
a search party in hopes of catching the animal before winter.
A trap was placed in the woods, filled with some of the monkey's
favorite treats: monkey biscuits, molasses-covered marshmallows,
jelly beans and Reese's peanut butter cups.
The owner of the monkey never came forward, making the rescue
effort more difficult because searchers didn't know the animal's
name.
Despite their efforts, searchers failed to rescue the animal.
They called off their search in early December, believing
the monkey must have died in the woods.
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
December 4, 2001
Owner of monkey also bitten
KUANTAN, Mon. - The owner of the male monkey which bit a
four-year-old boy in Taman Serindit in Kampung Jawa, yesterday,
was bitten on both hands by the animal when he tried to capture
it. The monkey bit Inthiran Naralingam, 28, when he tried
to capture it upon hearing the screams of Mohd Suzarilshah
Zakaria.
"I do not know how the animal escaped from the cage
and why it went to bite my neighbour's son," Intiran
said.
"When I heard a boy screaming I rushed out of my house
and saw Mohd Suzarilshah's right arm bleeding ... I then turned
to the animal and went to catch it.
"However, when I found it at about 2.10pm, 10-minutes
after the incident, it suddenly bit me on both hands,"
he said here today.
Mohd Suzarilshah was playing in front of his Taman Serindit
home at about 2pm yesterday when the monkey suddenly attacked
him and bit off a chunk of flesh from the boy's arm.
Inthiran said he plans to release the monkey near a Hindu
Temple in Segamat where other primates are found.
"The monkey has become a threat and I do not wish to
keep it," he said.
Mohd Suzarilshah's father, Zakaria Mohd Dahlan, 40, when
contacted said that his son's arm is still swollen and he
is being treated at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital.
"My son received seven stitches on his arm and is in
stable condition," he said.
The New Straits Times could not reach the State Wildlife
and National Parks Department director Zainuddin Ab Shukor
for comment.
Court takes away woman's pet primates
By Dwayne Pickels
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, November 15, 2001
A deal met in Fayette County court Wednesday means no more
monkey business for a Brownsville woman who appealed a conviction
on numerous animal cruelty charges.
Janice Ritsko of 509 Baltimore St. agreed yesterday to relinquish
her ownership rights to four monkeys and a baboon taken from
her care in April and pleaded no contest to three of the 33
animal cruelty citations filed against her by Brownsville
Police Officer Autumn Fike.
"I would have been happy to have gone through the whole
trial today," Fike said, attributing the plea bargain
to the district attorney's office. "But my main priority
here was to make sure that she (Ritsko) doesn't have these
animals anymore."
Ritsko, 47, had been found guilty on all counts and fined
$4,600 following a six-hour hearing in April before Brownsville
District Justice Herb Mitchell.
But she appealed that ruling and went before Common Pleas
Judge John F. Wagner Jr. yesterday with a plea bargain struck
by her defense counsel, Paula Lappe, and Assistant District
Attorney Phyllis Jin.
Wagner ordered Ritsko to pay $300 plus fees and court costs
for each of the three summary citations, which claimed she
failed to provide water for a snow macaque monkey and a vervet
monkey as well as access to clean and adequate sanitation
for a Dalmation dog.
Another vervet monkey, a squirrel monkey and a baboon also
were taken from Ritsko's care during the April raid.
Jin agreed to withdraw the remaining citations under the
condition that Ritsko agree never to seek ownership of the
animals, which have been in the care of Living Treasures Animal
Park at its locations in Donegal Township and New Castle.
Living Treasures owner Kathleen Guiher and Uniontown veterinarian
Dr. William Sheperd told Wagner they were willing to waive
restitution costs in excess of $22,000 in exchange for Ritsko's
agreement to relinquish any ownership claims on the animals.
"We feel that justice is served just getting the animals
out of there," Sheperd said.
Ritsko, who sobbed during the court proceeding, "was
very upset" over losing the primates, Lappe said. "But
she had limited financial resources and could not afford to
continue to fight this."
Lappe added her client "is not a mean person. She's
just a soft-hearted lady who had a lot of animals."
Fike, a former manager of the Fayette County Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, noted the case concluded
yesterday was not Ritsko's first brush with the law involving
animals.
In 1998, Fike and Redstone Township police charged Ritsko
with 80 animal cruelty citations following an Aug. 22 raid
on her Best Friends pet store in the village of Republic.
Among the collection of wild and domesticated animals taken
in that raid was a 3-year-old, 300-pound, male African lion
named "Duke," which prosecutors said had been living
in cramped, filthy conditions.
Sheperd reported in December of 1998 that, under his care,
the lion gained 150 pounds and was transferred to a wildlife
refuge in North Carolina for what he called "a simulated
version of life in the wild."
But Ritsko also struck a deal in that case and pleaded guilty
to only five of the initial 80 citations for $825 in fines
plus fees and court costs. She was allowed to reclaim possession
of the two vervet monkeys and the baboon.
Fike said she revisited Ritsko earlier this year after receiving
complaints from a former employee about the treatment of the
animals in her care.
Along with the monkeys, police took several other dogs and
"feral" cats, two birds and a tarantula, Fike said.
"It was just disgusting in there."
Sheperd supported Fike's allegations and showed reporters
a video and still photographs depicting what he said was feces
caked on one of the primates' hands and feet, refuse and feces
scattered about their cages and blood and pus on the ears
of the malnourished dog.
"It could barely walk when we got it out of there,"
the veterinarian said, adding all of the animals "are
doing fine now."
"She (Ritsko) did love the animals, but she just didn't
have the ability to take care of them," Sheperd said,
explaining that the primates had to be tranquilized and netted
to remove them from their cages and could have seriously harmed
Ritsko if she had entered.
"She couldn't go in to clean them or they could have
torn her apart," he said. "But none of those animals
deserved to be kept like that."
Dwayne Pickels can be reached at dpickels@tribweb.com or
(724) 539-3320.
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
October 31, 2001
Monkey attacks boy in his house verandah
By Adrian David
PETALING JAYA, Tues. - A three-year-old boy suffered wounds
all over his body after he was bitten by a monkey at his home
in Gasing Indah, off Jalan Gasing, today.
Muhammad Mirzan Nadzim, who had to be given 100 stitches
for the injuries, was playing on the first-floor verandah
of his three-storey house in Jalan 5/58 when he was attacked
by the animal at 7am. It could not be established if it was
an unprovoked incident or if the boy had attempted to feed
the monkey.
Muhammad Mirzan's shouts for help alerted family members who
went to his aid, by which time the monkey had darted into
the Bukit Gasing primary jungle nearby.
The family rushed Muhammad Mirzan to a nearby clinic before
taking him to the Ampang Puteri Hospital where he was admitted
to the emergency ward. Fortunately, his vital organs were
not injured.
Doctors at the paediatric ward said Muhammad Mirzan could
return home tomorrow.
The boy's father, Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia
executive secretary Nadzim Johan, said that his son was alone
at the time of the attack as the other family members prepared
for breakfast.
"Two days ago, another monkey attempted to attack another
of my sons, Muhammad Afif, 10, in front of our house. The
monkeys also attempted to attack my mother Sharifah Zamnah,
60, some time back.
"On other occasions, the monkeys have damaged flower
pots and other household items," said Nadzim.
He added that he and his wife, Norbaini Mohamad Zaini, had
advised their five children, aged between three and 15, and
their Indonesian maid Zulaika, to be wary of the monkeys.
"We have also heard of the monkeys attacking joggers
in the area but our complaints to the authorities have fallen
on deaf ears," said Nadzim.
He said that he had telephoned the Petaling Jaya Municipal
Council following the attempted attack on Muhammad Afif, and
several of the council's officers had visited the area.
"But that's all. No one has taken measures to trap the
monkeys of which there is a large population here. I hope
something is done fast before someone else suffers a serious
or fatal injury," Nadzim said, adding that Muhammad Mirzan's
medical bill was big.
PJMC public relations officer Haniza Abdul Hamid promised
to investigate the matter. She advised residents there not
to feed or provoke the monkeys.
"We are aware of the large monkey population in the
area and will direct the Environment Control Department to
take action. If needs be, we will seek the assistance of the
National Parks and Wildlife Department in trapping the monkeys,"
she said. The council, she added, had trapped monkeys in the
area previously.
Attacks by monkeys on people in urban areas are not uncommon.
On Oct 22, a 40-day-old infant sustained facial and head
injuries after being snatched from his mother's arms by a
pet monkey at their house in Kampung Chenok, Kadok in Kota
Baru.
Muhammad Hanif Jasmi was admitted to the Kota Baru Hospital
for three days before being discharged. The baby's mother,
Rosmaini Lilawati Shaari, 24, was breastfeeding Muhammad Hanif
inside the house when the incident happened at 5.30pm.
Fortunately, Rosmaini's sisters-in-law Rosita Yusof, 22,
and Rodiah Yusof, 25, came to her aid on hearing the commotion
and rescued the baby from the monkey.
adrian@nstp.com.my
New Straits Times (Malaysia)
October 27, 2001
Department to look into case of monkey and infant
KOTA BARU, Fri. - The Wildlife and National Parks Department
will investigate the case where a monkey tried to run off
with a baby at Kampung Chenok, Kadok, here on Monday. Department
deputy director Mohd Nor Ariri Mohd Noor said action would
be taken.
He said it was quite normal for monkeys to have a liking
for children.
Mohd Nor was commenting on the incident where an infant boy
was snatched from his mother by the family's pet monkey on
Monday.
Mohamad Hanif Jasni was admitted to the Kota Baru Hospital
after he suffered injuries to his face and head in the 5.30pm
incident.
Mohd Nor Ariri said it was important for owners to be cautious
and ensure that the animals were chained so that they would
not escape and harm others.
He said owners also had to apply for a license, which cost
RM10 a year, from the department.
Meanwhile, State Veterinary Services director Dr Idris Abdul
Kadir said monkeys could infect humans by through bites.
Agence France Presse
October 25, 2001 Thursday
Monkey snatches baby as mother breastfeeds
KOTA BAHARU, Malaysia - A young Malaysian mother was stunned
when the family's pet monkey snatched her baby as she was
breastfeeding him and dashed out of the house, a report said
Thursday.
Cries for help from 24-year-old Rosmani Lilawati Shaari brought
three sisters-in-law into the chase and the monkey was finally
cornered -- but it would not give up the month-old baby, Bernama
news agency reported. "It refused to let my son go, curling
up itself instead while hugging my son closer to its chest,"
said Rosmani.
A 10-minute tug-of-war ensued, with the baby reportedly calm
and uncrying in the arms of the monkey, a male, which had
escaped from a leash tying it to a tree.
When finally retrieved, the scratched baby was taken to hospital
where he was treated for three days before being discharged
Wednesday.
Primate sights have some wondering about monkey business
September 11, 2001
DANVILLE, N.H.
There may be some monkey business going on in town.
Roughly a dozen people, including Fire Chief David Kimball,
say they recently saw a large monkey on the loose in this
small town of 3,800 people in southern New Hampshire.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," he said.
Neither could his wife. "She told me I had flipped when
I told her."
Kimball said he was driving through town recently when the
monkey jumped into the middle of the street, hopped a bit,
then lunged away.
On Sunday volunteers and animal control officers used bananas
and oranges to try to attract the monkey.
Experts hope to capture the monkey before it gets any cooler.
They said otherwise the creature is unlikely to live past
November.
Kimball thinks he identified the monkey as a Humbolt's woolly
monkey, which is native to the Amazon, after watching television
programs on the Adventure Channel.
"It would be quite tall, maybe about four feet, if it
were standing straight up, but they walk on all fours, a bit
hunched over," he said. He described the creature as
very woolly and dark brown all over with a red hue.
Kimball said he thinks somebody in the area was keeping the
monkey as a pet, but won't admit it escaped because it is
illegal to keep monkeys in New Hampshire.
He said his research indicated Humbolt monkeys supposedly
make good pets. He said it is legal to purchase monkeys in
Massachusetts.
"He probably got out and no one is owning up to it,"
Kimball said.
Kimball said he knows of at least eight other people who have
spotted the monkey around town.
"They're all getting the same reaction when they tell
someone they've seen it," he said. "People tell
them they're crazy."
The chief said the town's animal control officer has contacted
a wildlife expert, who has expressed interest in trying to
trap the monkey.
"Fish and Game had no interest in it because it's not
a native animal," Kimball said.
Animal Control Officer Denise Laratondo said she is trying
to find the monkey's home.
"We aren't going to press any charges," she said.
"We just want to do what's best for this animal and keep
it alive."
She also said it is best that people not try to capture the
monkey.
"Please let the experts handle it," she said.
Published Friday, September 7, 2001, in the Herald-Leader
Monkey that bit Laurel County girl was not rabid, tests show
SOUTH-CENTRAL KENTUCKY BUREAU
LONDON -- A monkey that bit a 6-year-old Laurel County girl
did not have rabies, tests show.
The state Department for Public Health conducted preliminary
and confirmation tests on brain tissue from the monkey and
the results were negative for rabies, said Ruth Gaines, director
of the Laurel County Health Department.
Joe T. Roberts of London, attorney for Jenny and Gary Houston,
the monkey's owners, said health officials could have tested
the monkey without euthanizing it and removing the head.
However, physicians with the Department for Public Health
said there is no other reliable way to check for rabies in
animals considered wild. Dogs and cats can be quarantined
and observed for signs of the disease, but testing other animals
requires samples of brain tissue, said Dr. Steve Englender.
The 8-month-old monkey was on display at a county fair Aug.
18 when it bit the child on the arm. The Houstons maintained
the girl had only been scratched.
The case raised attention because a circuit judge held the
Houstons in contempt of court last week and jailed them after
they initially failed to turn over the monkey for testing.
The Houstons got out of jail Saturday.
Roberts said yesterday the monkey was a Mandarin monkey and
was considered an endangered species.
A Winchester (New Hampshire) woman helps rehabilitate animals
so
they can go back to the wild
(9-1-01)
By SAMANTHA TRETHEWAY for Sentinel Source
When Irene E. Ruth was 7 years old, she thought a monkey
would make a good pet. In her dreams, she would dance with
the furry creature, and it would sit, perched on her shoulder
and await her next command.
The memory makes the 58-year-old from Winchester chuckle.
She knows better now.
"I was so wrong -- monkeys shouldn't be pets,"
Ruth said. "But that was the only wild animal I ever
gave a thought to."
It wasn't until she became "too successful" making
soft sculpture -- life-sized human figures out of socks, mittens
and other fabric -- that she contemplated a change in careers.
She enjoyed making shameless hussies and serving butlers for
people. But when the orders started piling up and Ruth found
herself working long days without much laughter, she knew
it was time to stop.
About 15 years ago, Ruth turned to animals for the missing
laughter.
Now she takes care of injured and abandoned wild animals.
She is licensed by the state and federal governments as a
volunteer wildlife rehabilitator. She nurses rescued animals
to health and releases them back into the wild.
Ruth said the only way to explain her decision is through
a fable. She calls it the starfish story:
One day an old man was walking on a beach. A devastating
storm had passed through the night before, and the beach was
littered with thousands of starfish dying in the hot sun.
He knew they were dying, but what could he do? There were
thousands of them.
The old man saw a young boy throwing the five-legged creatures
into the sea. The old man asked the young man why he was wasting
his time, for there were thousands and thousands of starfish
on the beach. How, he asked, can you hope to make a difference?
The young man bent down, picked up another starfish and threw
it into the sea. He looked at the old man and said, "It
makes a difference to that one."
"That's how it is," Ruth said. "I'm not going
to change the world, but I'm going to make a difference to
some of these animals."
This year, Ruth said, she's released nearly 100 animals.
Ruth wouldn't say how many animals she's treated that have
died. But her blue eyes blurred with a sadness that said "too
many."
"It's not always a happy ending," said Robert R.
DeSena, a doctor at the Marlborough Veterinarian Clinic. "It's
easy to burn out when you're dealing with work that has a
lot of heartache. ... She gives (the animals) their best chance
of having a happy ending."
Ruth is one of several dozen rehabilitators in New Hampshire.
Occasionally, she works with volunteers out of her Winchester
home. But for now, she works alone, except for semi-regular
visits to DeSena, or "Dr. Bob" as she affectionately
calls him.
DeSena and Ruth have worked together to save a bat with a
broken wing, a goose with an infected foot, an abused beaver
and others.
"Every individual animal who comes across Irene is a
lucky individual," DeSena said. "If she could make
a difference by nursing one animal back to health and getting
it back to the wild, then it's all worthwhile to her."
When Ruth gets a call for an animal in need, the first thing
she does is establish that there is indeed a genuine need
for rescue.
"Sometimes people kidnap wild animals because they think
they're cute," Ruth said. If that's the case, the best
thing to do is get the young animal back to its mother. But
if the animal needs rescue, she asks about safety. Her first
question: Has the rescuer had rabies shots? "You never
know with a wild animal," Ruth said.
The next step is to wrap the animal in blankets and keep
it in a quiet place until the rescuer can get the animal to
Ruth.
At her Winchester home, she nurses the animals to health
and then teaches them to fly, crawl, dig and hunt.
In screened cages, she sets up obstacles, such as hollow
branches for opossums to crawl through or hanging twigs for
bats to maneuver through. There's even a ladder for raccoons
to practice their upper arm strength.
Ruth said she wouldn't be able to give the animals the support
they need without the help of her husband Gustav Ruth, 60.
On July 13, the Ruths celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary.
They first met in high school as friends. But their relationship
changed in college. She was majoring in commercial art and
he in mechanical engineering, both at the University of Rhode
Island in Kingston.
They first noticed the relationship shift during a double
date -- she was dating his fraternity brother and he was dating
her sorority sister. Several years later, they married.
For the first three years, Gustav Ruth flew as an army pilot.
After the army, he took a piloting job with TWA, and the Ruths
settled in Portsmouth, R.I. There, they began a family that
would eventually include three children: Tony, Stacia and
Melissa.
Two years ago, the Ruths retired to Winchester. And she began
Winchester Wildlife.
"It's perfect," she said. It only takes 12 minutes
to drive to Keene, yet the Ruth's, surrounded by 103 acres
of land, are isolated from the nearby city.
The property had been owned by "Farmer Brown."
After the Ruths hauled off rusty car parts, iron rods, railroad
ties, cans, bottles and other junk, Gustav Ruth designed and
helped build the house the couple calls home.
There's a pond for ducks, geese, beaver and other water creatures;
meadows for opossums to run in; boulders for raccoons to climb;
and trees where bats can sleep.
"It just feels good. This house feels good," Ruth
said. From the porch, she can watch clouds move across the
horizon and listen to birds rubbing their legs together in
song. It's usually peaceful except for a few hours on Saturday
night, Ruth said with a chuckle. Monadnock Speedway is just
down the hill.
"We just wait a few hours, and it's all over,"
she said.
She walked into the rehabilitation room, an inside room for
newly arrived animals.
"He was with someone two weeks," she said pointing
at a two inch-long chipmunk crawling along a wire screened
cage. The 8-week-old baby chipmunk should hide from humans,
Ruth said. Instead he wants to play.
"He has no idea he's a chipmunk. Unless I find him another
chipmunk to relate with, he'll never have a normal life in
the wild," Ruth said sadly.
Humans should not make pets of wild animals, Ruth said.
"It's illegal," she said, as if the term would
deter any potential wrongdoers. It robs the creatures of their
wildness. When and if the humans release the wild things into
nearby forest, often the animals have lost the instinct to
hunt for food.
"Keeping animals is against the law," Ruth said.
"A lot of the animals I get -- orphans in particular
-- are taken in by people who don't have the right information."
"It's a risk to the people, but it's also a risk to
the animal. They need more than bread and water," Ruth
said.
At the moment, Winchester Wildlife only accepts mammals.
For more information call 239-7552.
The Lexington Herald Leader
September 1, 2001 Saturday FINAL EDITION
INCIDENT INVOLVING A MONKEY LANDS LONDON COUPLE IN JAIL;
JUDGE HELD THEM IN CONTEMPT FOR FAILING TO PRODUCE THE PET
IN THE CASE OF AN ALLEGED BITE
Ty Tagami, Herald-Leader Staff Writer
A London couple went to jail after failing to turn over a
pet monkey accused of attacking a 6-year-old girl during a
county festival.
After a hearing Thursday afternoon, a judge ordered Jenny
and Gary Houston, both 39, to release the monkey so it could
be tested for rabies. But when the deadline of 6 p.m. Thursday
arrived, the Houstons told a sheriff's deputy that the monkey
had been stolen. Laurel Circuit Judge Roderick Messer found
them in contempt of court and ordered them jailed.
"All I can do is believe my clients," said the
Houstons' attorney, Joe T. Roberts of London. "They said
it was stolen, and I believe them."
To test for rabies, veterinarians need an animal's brain,
so the Houstons' pet would have to be decapitated, Roberts
said.
The 8-month-old monkey still feeds from a bottle and sucks
its thumb, Roberts said. The monkey is not violent; it sleeps
with the Houstons' 12-year-old daughter, he said.
Thursday's hearing came after the Laurel County Board of
Health sued on behalf of the bite victim, who was not identified.
She was said to have been bitten on the arm on Aug. 18 at
the Laurel County homecoming fair, where the monkey was on
display.
The Houstons, owners of Kinnlee Stables, a petting zoo, maintain
that the girl was merely scratched, Roberts said.
An official from the county health board testified Thursday
that the girl was bitten, Roberts said. A local doctor and
a veterinarian for the Kentucky Department of Public Health
filed affidavits insisting that such bites could transmit
fatal diseases, including rabies.
Roberts said Jenny Houston testified that she had contacted
several zoos and was told that monkeys such as hers -- a Mandarin
monkey -- do not carry rabies. The couple sent off the monkey's
blood for a test, but the results aren't back yet, Roberts
said.
Roberts said the hearing was not equitable "because
we didn't have time to show that the monkey was not dangerous."
He said his clients will sit in jail until Messer decides
to release them, since a contempt charge carries no bond.
Reach Ty Tagami at (859) 231-3414 or ttagami@herald-leader.com.
Newsday (New York)
August 18, 2001 Saturday NASSAU AND SUFFOLK EDITION
For Coco, No More Monkeying Around
BY: By Mitchell Freedman; STAFF WRITER
Coco, the year-old capuchin monkey who walked away from a
petting zoo in Manorville a week ago, apparently decided late
Thursday that she had more than enough time alone in the woods.
She made her way to a mini-mart at a Hess gas station a few
hundred yards from the zoo, waited for a customer to open
the door and walked right in. Looking around, the foot-tall
monkey then found her way to a back room.
Attendant Kristen Miller approached her and struck up a friendship.
"I just started to talk to her. She held my hand. Then
she sat on my shoulder," said Miller, of Center Moriches,
who has a dog and four pet rabbits.
"I just watched her eyes. She never hissed or anything
... she's so cute."
While Miller was making friends with Coco, another employee
went down the road and knocked on the office door, where Animal
Farm owner Martin Albach was working late.
"We had gotten a lot of calls from people. I knew it
[finding Coco] was getting close," he said.
"Some were from Westhampton and Setauket, but we had
some good ones from around here."
Miller was feeding Coco a banana when Albach called his son,
John, and the two came to get the monkey. She refused to go
into a cage they brought with them, and a net didn't work.
Instead, Miller took a long leash and snapped it on Coco's
collar. Then the monkey climbed onto John's shoulder.
The Hess workers knew what to do because Martin Albach had
gone to the station several times in the past week, asking
about the monkey. "He was really upset," Miller
said.
When Coco got back, Albach fed her, gave her some herbal
tea, which acts as a sedative, a vitamin B-12 shot and then
a flea dip. He and his son took turns staying up until about
5 a.m. to make sure she was all right. The monkey didn't appear
to have lost weight during her odyssey, Albach said.
Now, the zoo owners are building a second door on the outside
of her new cage, one that will act as a lock so she can't
just run out again. One swinging door wasn't enough to hold
her last Saturday night.
Coco and some other animals had been to a nursing home in
Brooklyn to entertain the residents, and she was brought back
to the big cage that had recently been built for her.
The cage was strange, and Coco was tired. "She went
in, and went right out the door. She climbed a tree,"
Albach said. "In the morning, she was in another tree."
The tree was about 30 feet tall. It was a lot bigger than
the 7-foot fence around the zoo property.
Albach doesn't know when Coco climbed over the fence and
walked across the road. "She was playing hide and seek
with us," he said. "Was I upset? I haven't slept
in three nights."
Albach said Coco seemed to have enjoyed her little stroll
through the wilds of Manorville, even if she didn't get the
three regular meals a day that she is used to. The lumber
for the double-door entrance to her new cage was still on
the ground yesterday, waiting to be securely anchored. "That's
what we should have done in the first place," Albach
said.
August 09, 2001
http://www.herald-mail.com/news/2001/08/09/local/W_Va__women_say_pet_mon.html
W.Va. women say pet monkey bit kids
By ANDREW SCHOTZ
A pet monkey that allegedly bit three south Berkeley County
children is under quarantine while it's tested for diseases.
Helena Hendricks said her 15-year-old daughter, Brandy Brooks,
has had two blood samples drawn so she could be tested for
herpes, tuberculosis, HIV and other conditions.
Brandy said she was bitten outside her home at Eastwood Trailer
Home Park, off W.Va. 51, on July 27. As she greeted some new
neighbors, she noticed that the monkey she said belonged to
a neighbor had gotten loose, so she tried to use a Cheeto
as a lure to catch it.
The monkey took the Cheeto, then jumped up and bit her once
inside her left elbow and once on her outer right wrist, Brandy
said. The small wounds were visible on her arms Thursday,
one day after the county's Animal Control Department confiscated
the monkey.
Michelle Heminway said her 10-year-old daughter Destiny was
also bitten July 27, about a week after she moved into the
trailer park from Shepherdstown, W.Va.
Heminway planned to take Destiny to the hospital for testing
Thursday night. Destiny had a mark on her arm from the bite,
which may not have broken the skin.
The Berkeley County Sheriff's Department identified the third
victim as 3-year-old Tina Maddox, whose family also lives
at Eastwood. Tina was bitten several days before the other
two girls, Hendricks said.
Hendricks said the monkey, which is kept on a dog leash,
has gotten loose several times in the approximately four months
it has been at Eastwood. She said the incident has left her
"stressed out."
There is apparently nothing in West Virginia's laws that
prevents keeping a monkey as a pet. The state's Department
of Health and Human Resources, Department of Agriculture and
Division of Natural Resources do not have guidelines covering
monkeys or other exotic animals, so they are not regulated,
officials from those agencies said.
An owner only needs a permit "if the animal has historically
lived (in the state)," said Art Shomo, a public information
specialist for the Division of Natural Resources. That would
include anything from a raccoon to a wolf or a buffalo, he
said.
The identity of the monkey's owner could not be confirmed
Thursday, although Hendricks and Heminway pointed to a trailer.
No one answered the door at that trailer Thursday evening.
Hendricks said the monkey is called Nay-Nay.
The case is new territory for Berkeley County authorities,
who said they have never investigated a monkey bite before.
If the animal were a dog, the procedure would be obvious,
said County Commissioner Robert Burkhart. "This is a
whole new ball game."
The monkey appears to be a macaque, possibly a Rhesus, which
is native to southern Asia. It has a small head and a long
tail.
Berkeley County Animal Control Officer Ray Strine said he
hopes the monkey is not confined long at his office. The monkey
urinates on others when it's agitated, and must be separated
from the dogs, Strine said.
Lt. K.C. Bohrer of the sheriff's department, who is investigating
the bites, said he has heard of other people in the county
owning monkeys.
Strine said the last investigation into exotic animals, in
1997, involved a woman who owned a cougar, a llama, two emus,
a wolf and a fallow deer.
07/19/2001
http://phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/2001-07-19/news2.html
Macaque Attack
Emotional case resolves youngster's future
By Maria Luisa Tucker
Two-year-old Mason Alan couldn't have known about the fierce
custody battle raging between his original adoptive parents
and another caretaker struggling to keep the youngster at
her side.
Nor would he have cared.
The brown-eyed, brown-haired imp just wanted what all babies
want: loving arms to hold him, food in his belly, a place
to sleep following another busy day spent with his playmates.
The court case involving Mason, which was decided by a Maricopa
County jury in May, unfolded like thousands of custody wars
fought before it.
Emotions ran high over the little guy, with talk of his best
interests, rightful guardianship and even threats of violence
rocking the lives of Shirley Godee, Kimberly Connell and Richard
Smith, according to court papers.
Jurors ultimately decided to let Mason stay at Godee's home,
among his own kind, grooming his playmates, swinging from
ropes.
Mason is a macaque monkey.
"It was like losing a child," says Connell.
Connell and Smith declined repeated requests for further
comment, following a loss they say broke their hearts.
What began as either a pet-sitting gig or an adoption --
depending on which side you choose to believe -- became the
first civil court case of its kind in Arizona, with two people
suing to recover a monkey, according to the attorney representing
Godee.
In the summer of 1999, Mason the monkey was living with Connell
and Smith in Nevada. The couple decided to move to Connecticut,
where exotic pets like Mason are not allowed. They found a
new home for the monkey with Godee, a Maricopa County resident
who already had two other macaques. Mason moved from his Las
Vegas home to Maricopa County in August of that year and Connell
and Smith headed east.
At the time of the transfer, Mason was just 2 1/2 years old.
In another year or two he would reach maturity, weighing about
15 to 25 pounds and standing almost two feet tall, not including
his tail.
Just weeks after the move, however, Connell and Smith decided
they wanted their monkey back, though it is unclear whether
they planned to take him to Connecticut or have Godee keep
him until they moved back. When they asked Godee to hand over
Mason, she refused.
That's when things got ugly.
The battle for the monkey mushroomed from a dispute between
animal lovers, to formal complaints, to a civil lawsuit.
In December 1999, Connell submitted a complaint to the Maricopa
County Superior Court asking for a judgment to recover personal
property she claimed was being unlawfully detained. In the
complaint, Connell stated that Godee had agreed to return
Mason on demand at any time during the two months following
his arrival at her home.
Godee denied that agreement existed, and responded with a
counterclaim seeking damages for emotional distress. The counterclaim
states that Smith, during a phone call, "threatened Godee
with coming to Arizona and putting a gun to her head,"
according to court documents.
Both complaint and counterclaim went unresolved after a mediation
session was offered, so Connell filed a formal lawsuit.
Because the parties agreed to have their case heard in a
special speedy format, no transcript of the trial exists.
According to other court documents, Connell emphasized legal
ownership of the monkey, while Godee built her case around
what she believed were Mason's best interests. A blank certificate
of ownership and the original agreement between Connell, Smith
and Godee were cornerstones of the dispute.
Godee argued that Mason had already become part of a troop
with her other macaques and said his health could suffer if
he was removed. Further, she argued, Mason had gained weight
and grown a fuller coat in her care. She claimed in court
papers that Mason was too small for his age when he came to
live with her.
Connell and Smith maintained that a member of the family
had been ripped away from them and said Godee had not kept
her word.
"It was a difficult case," says Maricopa County
Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Hotham, who presided over the
trial. "They talked in terms of being parents."
The jury was instructed to answer one legal question -- was
Mason being "wrongfully detained" by Godee? The
four jurors found he wasn't and unanimously voted in favor
of her continued custody of the monkey. Godee won nothing
for her counterclaim of emotional distress.
"We really felt for the client [Connell], but the paperwork
was not legal," says one of the jurors, who has asked
to remain anonymous. "We thought there was something
funny about the whole situation . . . but like we said, our
hands were tied," she says, adding that there appeared
to be a miscommunication about the paperwork with the woman
who delivered Mason to Godee's home.
Though Godee also refused to comment, photos of her two other
macaques are available online through the "munky mugs"
link.
Godee. It is clear that she treats her monkeys like a doting
mother.
The care and expense of caring for monkeys can create a bond
that surpasses the love of an average pet, says Lu Hall, treasurer
of the Simian Society of America.
"The love you feel for a monkey is similar to the love
you have for your children," she says.
And if a pet is like a family member, then a monkey is the
problem child.
Hall, a fellow macaque monkey owner, has traded animal advice
with Godee for years, and says they both know all about monkey
trouble.
Though monkeys are cute and easily handled as babies, when
they reach sexual maturity they often become erratic creatures
that can wreak havoc, kind of like teenagers, except they
can stay that way for 30-odd years.
Monkeys, especially larger ones like macaques, can injure
caretakers with bites and scratches, and can easily get into
cabinets and destroy furnishings.
Buying a macaque costs between $3,500 to $6,000, says Hall,
and contact with the animal, in addition to feeding and cleaning
the cages, requires a minimum of four hours a day.
The time and money devoted to a pet don't matter in court.
"I know they can be a substitute for a child,"
says Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Bethany Hicks, who
presides over family court. But in Arizona a pet is considered
property.
Hicks and her colleagues occasionally see pet custody become
an issue in divorce cases. It has become such an issue for
some people that one Web site, petcustody.com, sells legal
forms to protect a pet owner's rights. The forms include addenda
that cover the ownership of pets in pre-nuptial agreements
and divorce decrees, to documents outlining pet-visitation
rights.
There was a time when people treated their pets like pets,
says local pet counselor Kay Cox.
"In today's world we've made our animals our children,"
she says.
The Mirror
June 16, 2001, Saturday
SEXY SALMA IN APE BITE FRIGHT
BY: Heather Ramsay
STUNNING Salma Hayek was attacked by a monkey on the set
of her latest movie. The 34-year-old actress suffered nerve
and ligament damage after the angry ape sank its teeth into
the leading lady.
Wild Wild West star Salma was filming new film Frida in Mexico
when she was attacked.
She said: "It went for my face but got my hands, arms
and fingers as I defended myself. I'm marked for life. The
bites were extremely painful."
The capuchin monkey had been hired to be the on-screen pet
of her character, real-life artist Frida Kahlo.
Omaha World-Herald
June 15, 2001, Friday METRO EDITION
Monkey in Zoo's Jungle Bites Hand That Feeds It
NIZ PROSKOCIL
A squirrel monkey roaming freely inside the Lied Jungle at
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo bit a woman's finger last week after
she offered it a cookie.
Zoo director Dr. Lee Simmons said the woman, Latoya Felder,
was attempting to feed the monkey a cookie when it nipped
her finger June 9. "It was not a serious bite,"
Simmons said. "A monkey that size isn't capable of it."
The monkey in question weighs 1 pound, he said. This is the
second monkey in a month to bite a Doorly Zoo visitor.
Simmons said it's unfortunate that Felder was bitten, but
that she should have known better. Signs throughout the zoo
prohibit feeding the animals.
Simmons considers the monkey's behavior "standard operating
procedure."
"If you give them something, they'll want to take it."
Felder was treated at the zoo's Health Hut, where a nurse
cleaned and bandaged the cut above her fingernail.
"We're sorry this happened," Simmons said. "We
don't want anybody hurt in no shape or form, but if everybody
reads the signs and obeys the rule, then this wouldn't happen."
Felder could not be reached for comment.
Thursday, 05/31/01
Parents sue after girl bitten by chimp
By JANET LETHGO, Staff Writer
FRANKLIN - Monkey flees, monkey sued. The owner of a chimpanzee
film performer that bit a girl last year at a video store
promotion here is among those facing a lawsuit filed by the
girl's family.
The suit names Sidney Jay Yost (also known as Ranger Rick
Kelly), who owns chimp Angel Holliday, production company
Critter Gitters and Blockbuster Inc., the video store where
the chimpanzee and his owner were appearing as a promotion
for a film.
Yost, who lives in California, was issued a citation for
violating Tennessee's exotic animal law, but he failed to
show up in court and has never paid the fine. Also, the lawsuit
alleges that Yost left the state with Angel before the animal
could be quarantined, as is customary in bite cases.
Gordon and Lynn Hampton are seeking $50,000 in damages, according
to their lawyer, Charles G. Blackard III, for their daughter
Haley's pain and suffering and problems she may have after
the April 9, 2000, incident at the Williamson Square Blockbuster
Video.
Yost and Angel were in the video store promoting their latest
Critter Gitters movie, The High Sierra Adventure, one of a
series of children's films. The girl's parents had just snapped
a photo of her with Angel when the chimp bit her.
''There is a question whether the teeth may have gone through
her whole hand. She had some stitches and swelling, but no
reconstructive surgery. It was a pretty fierce bite,'' Blackard
said.
According to the lawsuit, Yost, Critter Gitters and Blockbuster
should have known of the dangers of subjecting Angel to a
crowded area with so many children, and Yost and Critter Gitters
should have obtained an exotic wildlife permit from Tennessee.
Yost did autograph a picture of Angel and himself. Inscribed
was a message to Haley: ''We are so sorry and hope you get
well soon. .''
Blackard said none of the parties listed in the lawsuit offered
to pay for medical expenses.
Angel should have been quarantined for observation just like
any other animal that bites a human, Blackard said.
The absence of the chimp and her handler left the Hamptons
worried about potential disease.
Thursday, 05/31/01
Family of chimp bite victim seeks $50,000
By JANET LETHGO, Staff Writer
FRANKLIN - It was bad enough that chimpanzee Angel Holliday
bit a little girl, but the monkey's business got even more
complicated when its owner left the state and the family wondering
whether the toothy primate had any contagious diseases.
So the girl's family will sue Angel's owner, Sidney Jay Yost
(also known as Ranger Rick Kelly), production company Critter
Gitters and Blockbuster Inc., the video store where the chimpanzee
chomped almost clear through the girl's hand a year ago in
April.
Gordon and Lynn Hampton are seeking $50,000 in damages, according
to their lawyer, Charles G. Blackard III, for their daughter
Haley's pain and suffering and possible future problems she
may have after the chimp attack at the Williamson Square Blockbuster
Video.
The girl, 9, was there at the same time Yost and Angel were
in the video tore promoting their latest Critter Gitter movie,
The High Sierra Adventure, one of a series of children's films.
The High Sierra Adventure is about the Critter Gitters traveling
deep into the Sierra Mountains to uncover the mystery of an
unusual bear encounter. Blockbuster was promoting the film
with Yost and Angel's appearance.
Angel and Yost live in California. The girl's parents had
just snapped a photo of their daughter and Angel, when the
chimp bit her.
''There is a question whether the teeth may have gone through
her whole hand. She had some stitches and swelling, but no
reconstructive surgery. It was a pretty fierce bite,'' said
lawyer Blackard.
But, according to the lawsuit, Yost, Critter Gitters and
Blockbuster should have known of the inherent dangers of subjecting
Angel to a crowded area with so many children present, and
Yost and Critter Gitters also should have obtained an exotic
wildlife permit from the state of Tennessee. Yost was issued
a citation for violating the state's exotic animal law, but
he failed to return to show up in court for a hearing on the
violation and has never paid the fine.
Yost did autograph a picture of Angel and himself with a
message to Haley: ''We are so sorry and hope you get well
soon.''
Blackard said that none of the parties listed in the suit
ever offered to pay for the immediate medical expenses incurred
when the chimp bit.
The chimpanzee attack has left Haley with scars on her hand,
but it also changed the way she feels about animals of all
kinds.
''It had a lasting effect on her. She is not as enamored
with animals as she once was. The family feels that they needed
to pursue it; the way it was handled was pretty discouraging,''
Blackard said.
The Ledger (Lakeland, FL)
May 17, 2001, Thursday
POLK HEALTH OFFICIALS PLAN TO EXAMINE THE TINY MARMOSET FOR
HERPES AND RABIES; BITING MONKEY'S OWNER COMES FORWARD
ERIC PERA The Ledger
LAKELAND -- An infant South American marmoset that bit two
people at a Lakeland art festival last weekend likely will
be placed in quarantine today and examined for a dangerous
virus and rabies.
Sandra Crossman of Auburndale, owner of the pint-sized primate,
came forward Wednesday after learning her monkey was the subject
of a Health Department search.
Health officials Wednesday issued Crossman an order for quarantine,
stemming from Saturday's attack of two people at Mayfaire
by-the-Lake, an annual art festival at Lake Morton.
Dr. Daniel Haight, Polk County's health director, said that
because the tiny monkey is a pet, chances are slim that it
carries rabies. Additionally, he said, "It appears that
the monkey is of a species that tends to not carry the herpes
B (virus). That helps reduce the risk."
Because Crossman did not register her exotic pet, as required
by law, a state wildlife officer will inspect her home sometime
today to determine whether she is complying with other regulations.
Crossman, a nurse, faces a fine for failing to register her
monkey with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
She also could be fined and charged with failing to keep
her pet under control, said commission spokesman Gary Morse.
"People who have these type of pets need to be aware
of the laws."
Reached at her home Wednesday night, Crossman said she didn't
know that she needed a state license to keep the marmoset
she purchased as a 2-week-old in October.
She said she contacted health officials immediately Wednesday
morning after reading The Ledger and learning that officials
wanted to find her. "I will do whatever they tell me
to do," she said. "Now my concern is my little monkey."
While attending Mayfaire on Saturday, Crossman carried her
pet monkey in a canvas bag and posed for pictures. Spectators
were drawn to the tiny, bug-eating simian, which was attached
to a leash.
But the seemingly docile marmoset leapt from Crossman's bag
and bit or scratched two bystanders, both of whom sought medical
treatment for herpes B, which can be fatal if left untreated.
Betsy Floyd, 50, of Bartow, said she never even noticed Crossman
until her pet clamped its teeth into Floyd's palm.
"It came at me really quick," she said. "It
scared me."
Floyd, who owns a title insurance company, said she dismissed
the incident until she read of a similar incident in Wednesday's
Ledger and discovered that monkey bites can be dangerous,
even fatal.
Minutes after biting Floyd, the monkey bit and scratched
Michael Butler, 42, of Lakeland, who was treated for a minor
bite and scratches on his left forearm.
Butler, a self-employed home inspector, and Floyd said they
didn't get Crossman's name after the incidents, which spurred
the search by health officials.
Butler was interviewed Wednesday by Tampa radio and television
stations in hopes that the monkey's owner would be found in
time for him to avoid rabies shots.
Crossman's pet will be held by Polk Animal Services for a
minimum of 10 days, although it was unclear Wednesday evening
who would be responsible for confiscating the animal, Morse
said.
"There's always questions when it comes to jurisdiction
of this kind of stuff," he said.
Richard Cutforth, a mechanical engineer from Winter Haven
who was taking photographs Saturday at Mayfaire, couldn't
resist squeezing a few shots of the perky marmoset.
"It even jumped on my shoulder," Cutforth said,
"but it didn't seem aggressive at all."
Butler and Floyd said they were relieved to know the animal's
owner was complying with health officials, but they felt Crossman
should have taken more care with her pet at a public event.
"Once it bit somebody, she should have left immediately,"
Butler said.
Eric Pera can be reached at eric.pera@theledger.com or 863-802-7528.
National Conference of State Legislatures
May 1, 2001
SECTION: No. 5, Vol. 27; Pg. 9 ; ISSN: 0147-6041
MONKEY BUSINESS NOT WHAT YOU THINK; proposed amendment to
prohibit monkeys as pets
Zoo officials and animal rescue activists are trying to make
it harder to buy and sell pet monkeys. For between $ 1,800
to $ 25,000, you can buy a cute, diapered infant monkey through
the Internet or newspaper ads. But owners are finding out
that wild means just that; as they grow they bite people and
destroy property. That's when the calls come to the zoo and
rescue centers begging them to take the little hooligans away.
In Kentucky, the activists sought an amendment to the state's
Dangerous Animal Act that would classify all non-human primates
as dangerous animals. It found opponents in pet shop owners
and animal breeders who argued they would be put out of business
by the amendment. The business owners won.
The Jerusalem Post
March 14, 2001, Wednesday
How to cope with monkey business and come up smiling
By: D'Vora Ben Shaul
Everyone I have ever known who had a pet monkey had problems
with it. Here's what a reader in the coastal plain writes:
"I have a two-year-old squirrel monkey (captive born).
She is very sweet and loving, but sometimes bites me. Since
she is so small the bites usually don't even break the skin,
but they do leave a bruise. "She has a large cage, 3.5
meters high, 2.5 m. long and 2 m. deep. She gets good food,
but seems unwell - she mopes, doesn't play with her toys as
she used to and doesn't eat as well.
"I took her to a veterinarian and he examined her -
he even did a chest X-ray - but he said she is healthy. What
can I do?"
As to the first problem - well, monkeys bite! Little monkeys
have little bites and big monkeys have big bites, but they
all bite. It is usually from frustration, but what you describe
isn't a real bite.
Monkeys have very sharp little teeth and can give a respectable
bite when they wish. What you most likely have here is a case
of affection mixed with frustration.
Since your pet doesn't have tuberculosis (the great killer
of captive monkeys), I would explore two avenues. First, diet.
This should include not only fruit and vegetables but nuts
and cereal products such as whole-grain bread and whole-grain
cooked cereal or oatmeal. Don't forget eggs. In the wild squirrel
monkeys do a lot of nest robbing and will even eat unhatched
embryos, so a small sliver of cooked chicken breast now and
then will not go amiss. But avoid sweets, potatoes and salt.
If your pet's diet is satisfactory, however, she may simply
be lonely. One thing you didn't mention was how much time
she spends alone.
Squirrel monkeys are very gregarious and live in fairly large
troupes, so keeping one in solitary confinement is not a good
idea.
If you could get her another squirrel monkey as a companion
that would be ideal, but she might well also make friends
with a young kitten or even a long-haired cavy (whistler).
I have seen many lonely monkeys perk up once they had a companion.
In the meantime, leaving the radio on when she is alone,
or even the TV, if she can see it, would probably help.
Remember that monkeys see extremely well and love color and
motion. Toys that make a noise and move may also help. You
will have to experiment and see what works best.
Chicago Tribune
March 7, 2001 Wednesday, LAKE EDITION
IT'S PET MONKEY BUSINESS AS USUAL AS STATE CURBS FAIL; HEALTH,
SAFETY ISSUES DON'T SWAY LAWMAKERS
BY: By William Mullen, Tribune Staff Writer. Tribune staff
writer Joe Biesk contributed to this report.
When it comes to pets, few are more expensive than cute,
doe-eyed, diapered infant monkeys that exotic animal dealers
peddle over the Internet and through newspaper want ads from
$1,800 to $25,000.
"They are sweet and they are fun, when they're babies,"
said April Truitt, owner of a Kentucky rescue center that
takes in abandoned monkeys, "but it's another story when
they get to be adults and they start biting everybody in the
house. "That's when people start calling us, sobbing
into the phone, hoping and begging us to take the little buggers
off their hands."
Reacting to an unending string of bitten and injured owners
bloodied by adopted monkeys, zoo officials and animal welfare
activists went to Springfield Tuesday to campaign for more
stringent controls on the pet monkey trade in the state. They
met with overwhelming resistance, however, as the House Agriculture
Committee for the second year in a row killed the measure.
The activists had sought an amendment to the state's Dangerous
Animal Act that would classify all non-human primates as dangerous
animals.
"Pet monkeys have become both a public health concern
and a safety concern," Dr. David Bromwell, the state
Department of Agriculture veterinarian, said before the hearing.
"They are carriers of several threatening human diseases,
including hepatitis. As they mature, they are not gentle,
easily controlled animals. They can and they do bite people,
often children."
Opponents of the proposed legislation at the hearing, including
pet shop owners and animal breeders, argued they would be
put out of business by the amendment.
Most of the testimony for the amendment emphasized that primates,
from spider monkeys to chimpanzees, are wild animals with
dangerous and unpredictable behaviors.
"They should never be thought of as pets," said
Peter Bukowski, a chastened Chicago construction contractor
who bought a 3-week-old male capuchin monkey, Oliver, from
a dealer in Indiana five years ago.
Bukowski, who emigrated with his wife, Marzena, and daughter,
Monika, from Poland 11 years ago, said he paid $3,000 for
Oliver, to fulfill his wife's dream, harbored since reading
Pippi Longstocking stories as a girl, of owning a monkey.
Oliver was adorable, said Bukowski, but so miserable when
left alone at night that Bukowski and his wife soon had him
in diapers and in their bed.
The Bukowskis soon had to strip the room of any movable objects.
"He would grab perfume bottles and empty them into his
hands and rub all over himself," said Bukowski. "We
installed special locks on the dresser drawers, because he
would open them up and fling the contents all over the room."
It got worse.
"He would grab a sharp knife and run around with it,
and the older he got, the less he listened when I commanded
him to drop things," said Bukowski.
"Once he jumped on my daughter's neck with a knife and
was waving it about her face."
Still, Oliver was a charmer.
"We have dogs and cats, and we love them," said
Bukowski, "but a monkey is something special. They look
in your eyes with such intelligence, and they reach out and
stroke your face with the palms of their beautiful little
hands. We were so nuts about Oliver, we put up with the bad
stuff."
They did, at least, until he reached sexual maturity last
summer. Then, on the deck of their vacation home in Wisconsin,
he attacked Bukowski.
"He had grabbed a gallon of deck sealant, and when I
told him to put it down, he leaped on me, biting my belly,
making me bleed.
"Once he bit me the first time and saw me withdraw,
then the violence skyrocketed. He contested everything I said
or did, and any movement or look could spark an attack."
Desperate, they called Brookfield Zoo's primate experts to
see if they could take Oliver.
The zoo gets dozens of such calls every year from owners
of pet monkeys, said Melinda Pruitt-Jones, Brookfield's primate
curator. A mother called her last Friday, she said, begging
her to take the family's 6-year-old monkey, which had started
biting her young children.
"Human-raised monkeys come to us unsocialized and maladjusted,
and we can't place them with our monkeys, so we just don't
take people's pets," she said.
With help from Truitt, Oliver finally was placed in a sanctuary
in San Antonio.
Nobody knows how many primates are kept in the U.S. as pets
in private homes, because virtually no laws regulate primate
breeding and sales or set standards of keeping them. Pet monkeys
are thought to number in the thousands nationally and at least
in the hundreds in Illinois.
Chicago's Animal Control Department gets roughly 10 calls
per year from people asking to have a pet monkey removed from
their home. Cook County gets a similar number of calls, while
zoos get dozens of calls annually from people asking officials
to take away loved but dangerous pets.
Pruitt-Jones, who went to Springfield with Brookfield Zoo
Director George Rabb to join other animal experts in favoring
the amendment, said the problem is that the trade in monkeys
is very lucrative.
"This is a growing commercial trade," she said,
"where breeders pull newborns at 1 week old and put them
on the market in newspapers and now nationwide on the Internet.
They charge $3,000 to $4,000 for a spider monkey baby, $2,500
to $4,500 for a capuchin, $2,000 for a golden lion tamarin.
"A gibbon or a chimpanzee could go for as much as $50,000
or more. There are a lot of unfortunate things happening to
people and to animals because of the money involved."
The Illinois Dangerous Animal Act forbids people from keeping
big cats like lions and tigers as pets, as well as bears,
hyenas, wolves, coyotes and dangerous reptiles.
At hearings on the proposed legislation, monkey owner Robert
Hoffmann, president of Animal Kingdom Inc. in Chicago, testified
against the bill.
"In terms of a danger to the public, any responsible
owner is like driving a car responsibly," Hoffmann said.
"I have a monkey, like I said, he goes literally to hundreds
of schools and sees thousands of kids. And they're all able
to pet him and touch him while I'm there. I'm there to supervise.
Would I leave him alone with the kids? Absolutely not. Because
under those circumstances, as soon as the kids start to grab
or try to do something they shouldn't, he might nip. But as
long as I'm there supervising, I watch the kids--I don't let
the kids yank his tail or do anything like that."
Chicago Tribune
March 7, 2001 Wednesday
LAKE EDITION
IT'S PET MONKEY BUSINESS AS USUAL AS STATE CURBS FAIL;
HEALTH, SAFETY ISSUES DON'T SWAY LAWMAKERS
BY: By William Mullen, Tribune Staff Writer. Tribune staff
writer Joe Biesk contributed to this report
When it comes to pets, few are more expensive than cute,
doe-eyed, diapered infant monkeys that exotic animal dealers
peddle over the Internet and through newspaper want ads from
$1,800 to $25,000.
"They are sweet and they are fun, when they're babies,"
said April Truitt, owner of a Kentucky rescue center that
takes in abandoned monkeys, "but it's another story when
they get to be adults and they start biting everybody in the
house.
"That's when people start calling us, sobbing into the
phone, hoping and begging us to take the little buggers off
their hands."
Reacting to an unending string of bitten and injured owners
bloodied by adopted monkeys, zoo officials and animal welfare
activists went to Springfield Tuesday to campaign for more
stringent controls on the pet monkey trade in the state. They
met with overwhelming resistance, however, as the House Agriculture
Committee for the second year in a row killed the measure.
The activists had sought an amendment to the state's Dangerous
Animal Act that would classify all non-human primates as dangerous
animals.
"Pet monkeys have become both a public health concern
and a safety concern," Dr. David Bromwell, the state
Department of Agriculture veterinarian, said before the hearing.
"They are carriers of several threatening human diseases,
including hepatitis. As they mature, they are not gentle,
easily controlled animals. They can and they do bite people,
often children."
Opponents of the proposed legislation at the hearing, including
pet shop owners and animal breeders, argued they would be
put out of business by the amendment.
Most of the testimony for the amendment emphasized that primates,
from spider monkeys to chimpanzees, are wild animals with
dangerous and unpredictable behaviors.
"They should never be thought of as pets," said
Peter Bukowski, a chastened Chicago construction contractor
who bought a 3-week-old male capuchin monkey, Oliver, from
a dealer in Indiana five years ago.
Bukowski, who emigrated with his wife, Marzena, and daughter,
Monika, from Poland 11 years ago, said he paid $3,000 for
Oliver, to fulfill his wife's dream, harbored since reading
Pippi Longstocking stories as a girl, of owning a monkey.
Oliver was adorable, said Bukowski, but so miserable when
left alone at night that Bukowski and his wife soon had him
in diapers and in their bed.
The Bukowskis soon had to strip the room of any movable objects.
"He would grab perfume bottles and empty them into his
hands and rub all over himself," said Bukowski. "We
installed special locks on the dresser drawers, because he
would open them up and fling the contents all over the room."
It got worse.
"He would grab a sharp knife and run around with it,
and the older he got, the less he listened when I commanded
him to drop things," said Bukowski. "Once he jumped
on my daughter's neck with a knife and was waving it about
her face."
Still, Oliver was a charmer.
"We have dogs and cats, and we love them," said
Bukowski, "but a monkey is something special. They look
in your eyes with such intelligence, and they reach out and
stroke your face with the palms of their beautiful little
hands. We were so nuts about Oliver, we put up with the bad
stuff."
They did, at least, until he reached sexual maturity last
summer. Then, on the deck of their vacation home in Wisconsin,
he attacked Bukowski.
"He had grabbed a gallon of deck sealant, and when I
told him to put it down, he leaped on me, biting my belly,
making me bleed.
"Once he bit me the first time and saw me withdraw,
then the violence skyrocketed. He contested everything I said
or did, and any movement or look could spark an attack."
Desperate, they called Brookfield Zoo's primate experts to
see if they could take Oliver.
The zoo gets dozens of such calls every year from owners
of pet monkeys, said Melinda Pruitt-Jones, Brookfield's primate
curator. A mother called her last Friday, she said, begging
her to take the family's 6-year-old monkey, which had started
biting her young children.
"Human-raised monkeys come to us unsocialized and maladjusted,
and we can't place them with our monkeys, so we just don't
take people's pets," she said.
With help from Truitt, Oliver finally was placed in a sanctuary
in San Antonio.
Nobody knows how many primates are kept in the U.S. as pets
in private homes, because virtually no laws regulate primate
breeding and sales or set standards of keeping them. Pet monkeys
are thought to number in the thousands nationally and at least
in the hundreds in Illinois.
Chicago's Animal Control Department gets roughly 10 calls
per year from people asking to have a pet monkey removed from
their home. Cook County gets a similar number of calls, while
zoos get dozens of calls annually from people asking officials
to take away loved but dangerous pets.
Pruitt-Jones, who went to Springfield with Brookfield Zoo
Director George Rabb to join other animal experts in favoring
the amendment, said the problem is that the trade in monkeys
is very lucrative.
"This is a growing commercial trade," she said,
"where breeders pull newborns at 1 week old and put them
on the market in newspapers and now nationwide on the Internet.
They charge $3,000 to $4,000 for a spider monkey baby, $2,500
to $4,500 for a capuchin, $2,000 for a golden lion tamarin.
"A gibbon or a chimpanzee could go for as much as $50,000
or more. There are a lot of unfortunate things happening to
people and to animals because of the money involved."
The Illinois Dangerous Animal Act forbids people from keeping
big cats like lions and tigers as pets, as well as bears,
hyenas, wolves, coyotes and dangerous reptiles.
At hearings on the proposed legislation, monkey owner Robert
Hoffmann, president of Animal Kingdom Inc. in Chicago, testified
against the bill.
"In terms of a danger to the public, any responsible
owner is like driving a car responsibly," Hoffmann said.
"I have a monkey, like I said, he goes literally to hundreds
of schools and sees thousands of kids. And they're all able
to pet him and touch him while I'm there. I'm there to supervise.
Would I leave him alone with the kids? Absolutely not. Because
under those circumstances, as soon as the kids start to grab
or try to do something they shouldn't, he might nip. But as
long as I'm there supervising, I watch the kids--I don't let
the kids yank his tail or do anything like that."
The Standard (St. Catharines)
February 21, 2001 Wednesday Final Edition
Crystal Beach Girl 'traumatized' by bite from spider monkey
A young Crystal Beach girl who had the tip of a finger bitten
off by a monkey at a Stevensville petting zoo Sunday afternoon
spent Sunday night having nightmares about being attacked
by the creatures, says her mother.
"She said there were three monkeys after her,"
said Joanne Rutter. "She was absolutely traumatized."
Audrey Rutter, 6, was visiting Papa Steve's Petting Zoo at
the Stevensville Garden Gallery with her parents when one
of the zoo's two spider monkeys bit about one centimetre off
the tip of the girl's right index finger. Doctors at Greater
Niagara General Hospital were unable to reattach the recovered
portion of her finger, but a specialist was to perform surgery
Monday in an effort to minimize long-term effects of the bite.
Kansas City Star
February 19, 2001, Monday METROPOLITAN EDITION
Boy's ordeal after monkey bite leads to legislation on exotic
pets
BILL GRAHAM
After a neighbor's rhesus macaque monkey jumped on Ethan
Sickman's shoulder last July and bit his arm, the young boy
was left terrified and bleeding.
For Larry and Lori Sickman of Platte County, what at first
seemed like a traumatic but simple bite wound has led to fear
of life-threatening diseases and a series of rabies shots
for their son, now 8.
That's because no Missouri law gives authorities the power
to impound exotic animals such as monkeys - and the monkey's
owners declined to sacrifice its life so it could be tested
as a rabies carrier. "I wouldn't wish this on my worst
enemy," Larry Sickman said. "I wouldn't want to
see anybody's children have to go through this treatment.
Nothing's more heartbreaking than to see my child down because
of these rabies shots."
The monkey's owners, Steve and Shelly Bowman, the Sickmans'
next-door neighbors in a rural subdivision northwest of Parkville,
have declined to comment.
The disease threat from monkeys is significant, said Kirk
Suedmeyer, senior staff veterinarian at the Kansas City Zoo.
Studies show most macaques in captivity carry simian B virus,
a form of herpes that is harmless to macaques but can be deadly
to humans. Macaque monkeys, which can weigh up to 40 pounds,
also can transmit other viruses, bacteria, toxic amoebas,
hepatitis and tuberculosis.
The Bowmans did have a veterinarian test the monkey for simian
B virus, and it was negative, according to Platte County Health
Department records. Ethan also has been tested for the virus,
which involves giving blood samples. So far, his tests have
proved negative, too.
Yet the Sickmans and health officials had no recourse to
require further testing of the monkey. Platte County's health
codes - as do many community codes - deal only with bites
by cats, dogs and ferrets.
After learning of the Sickmans' case, Missouri state Sen.
Sidney Johnson introduced legislation to close the loophole
by giving state health officials the legal authority to quarantine
and test any animal that bites someone. Pet owners would be
responsible for medical testing costs or damages as a result
of a bite.
Kansas has a law requiring that any animal that bites a person
be observed or tested for disease.
Johnson's bill recently was approved by the Public Health
& Welfare Committee and will be considered by the full
Senate. Larry and Lori Sickman testified in favor of the bill.
State health officials such as Howard Pue, Missouri public
health veterinarian, support it, too.
Exotic pets such as monkeys are becoming more common, Pue
noted. Missouri is a haven for exotic-animal auctions and
sales. During Pue's two years as public health veterinarian,
he has investigated at least three cases of monkey bites.
In the patchwork of city and county laws, some communities
don't have ordinances to cover bites by dogs and cats, let
alone exotic animals.
Kansas City does not allow exotic animals. But city codes
provide the authority for testing any animal involved in a
bite or attack. If an illegal exotic animal is found during
a bite investigation, it is policy to euthanize it and test
it for rabies.
Platte County's health and animal codes for rural areas authorize
quarantines for dogs, cats and ferrets, but nothing else.
Johnson's bill is S.B. 0027.
A similar bill, H.B. 690 - sponsored by Rep. Meg Harding,
a Democrat from the Northland - was introduced in the House
of Representatives and referred to the Agriculture Committee.
A hearing has not been scheduled.
Exotic pet ownership policy alters
www.stjoenews-press.com/Main.asp?SectionID=81&SubSectionID=272&ArticleID=17428
Feb. 19 2001
By SCOTT PUMMELL
New act signed by Holden will change past procedures
Eight-year-old Ethan Sickman had to suffer through a round
of rabies shots and other vaccines after being bit by a rhesus
monkey last summer.
That might not have been necessary if the monkey's owner
would have allowed the animal to be tested. But the owner
refused, and Ethan had to undergo shots and tests for three
months.
Ethan's parents, Lori and Larry Sickman of Platte County,
have spent the past year working to change state law so that
the next person in Missouri bitten by an exotic animal will
have more rights.
The culmination of the Sickmans' efforts came Thursday when
Gov. Bob Holden signed into law the "Farmland Protection
Act," an omnibus agriculture bill which included a provision
with new restrictions for people who own exotic animals like
rhesus monkeys.
Exotic pet owners will be required to turn the pets over
for testing if they bite someone, something not previously
required. It also gives authority to the state Department
of Health to intervene and provide resources in these circumstances.
Another change will be making the pet owners - and not the
person bitten - responsible for medical costs incurred because
of any attack.
For the Sickmans, the medical costs ran into thousands of
dollars.
"The next family that goes through this won't have to
deal with a lot of these issues," Mrs. Sickman said.
"That's why we worked so hard for this, to make sure
that in the future no one else will have to go through as
much as we did."
The Sickmans worked with state Sen. Sidney Johnson, D-Agency,
to get the legislation passed.
Buffalo News (New York)
February 19, 2001, Monday, FINAL EDITION
FORT ERIE, Ont. -- A spider monkey bit the end off the finger
of a 6-year-old girl Sunday afternoon at Steve's Petting Zoo
on Stevensville Road.
The Niagara Regional Police said the Crystal Beach girl,
accompanied by her father, had been petting one of two monkeys
and then put her finger inside the cage. One of the monkeys
bit one centimeter off the end of her right index finger.
The girl was taken by ambulance to Greater Niagara General
Hospital, but physicians were unable to reattach the recovered
portion of her finger.
http://www.vetcentric.com/magazine/magazineArticle.cfm?ARTICLEID=1896
The Monkey Business
January 02, 2001
Written by: Wes Alwan
Part I: Barrel of Monkeys, But Not of Laughs
Igor is terrified of Gibbons. In fact, Igor is so terrified
of Gibbons that he becomes crazed and self-destructive at
the mere site of them-tearing at his own arms until they bleed
profusely. Oddly enough, Igor is not just afraid of Gibbons:
he is a Gibbon.
Igor is one of many casualties of a booming U.S. pet trade
in monkeys, a business that can be devastating to both animals
and owners.
"Wild animals should not be pets," said Nicole
Paquette, who is in charge of the Animal Protection Institute's
campaign to ban private ownership of exotic pets, including
non-human primates. "They deserve to be in their natural
habitats-especially non-human primates, which come with numerous
health and safety risks."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mature monkeys inevitably will challenge human owners for
a higher position
in the family hierarchy. That often means biting, and because
they have the
lowest position in the family hierarchy, children, one step
above them,
often are the first to get bitten.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The pet trade of primates has a typical cycle. Monkeys are
sold as infants, when they are cute, docile, and similar enough
to human infants that they wield a powerful emotional force
over their owners. For about two years, these animals are
raised as humans, and become completely socialized to their
company. But at about two years of age, the animals become
sexually mature, aggressive, and uncontrollable. Mature monkeys
inevitably will challenge human owners for a higher position
in the family hierarchy. That often means biting, and because
they have the lowest position in the family hierarchy, children,
one step above them, often are the first to get bitten.
"Kids will get bitten even for telling on a monkey,"
said Christine Camp-Scott, a breeder in the precarious position
of both engaging in and discouraging the pet trade in monkeys.
"The animals understand even subtle challenges to their
behavior-if a child challenges a monkey, it gets bitten."
Once a child is bitten, the owner usually looks to get rid
of the animal-often despite a strong emotional attachment.
Most owners, having paid as much as $6,000 for their pet,
will resell it rather than give it to a sanctuary or zoo.
A monkey may be passed around between naïve, would-be
owners for some time. Because it is uncontrollable, the animal
often is left neglected and isolated in small cage, until
it becomes so obviously psychologically damaged that it cannot
be resold or even given to a zoo.
"Zoos don't want washed-up pets," said Shirley
McGreal, a chairperson for the International Primate Protection
League and director of a League sanctuary in Summerville,
South Carolina, where Igor currently is kept.
"They're too neurotic-and really, they're neither man
nor beast, having adapted to human ways with considerable
psychological stress."
Once they reach an animal sanctuary like hers, she added,
these animals often never have seen another member of their
own species.
Even monkeys like Igor-well-treated and taken care of by
his human family-find themselves in a netherworld of mythological
proportions when confronted with other members of their own
species: not comfortable as a beast, but not capable of being
civilized, these animals are robbed by the pet trade of something
as valuable as it is intangible: their identity.
Supply: In the Jungle
In 1975, the import of monkeys for private ownership was
banned in the United States, but selling and owning creatures
bred in the United States generally remains legal-with state
and county laws varying widely. And for the most part, the
pet trade in non-human primates is highly unregulated. States
may or may not required traders to be licensed, and certification
by the United States Department of Agriculture is optional.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buyers are deceived by the docility and affectionate behavior
of infant
monkeys-and are unpleasantly surprised when the animal matures.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But even USDA certified traders are not required to test
their animals for the herpes-B virus, which is especially
prevalent in macaques, a popular species of monkey among buyers.
Herpes-B is fatal to humans, and can be contracted not only
from bites, but when monkeys shed it in saliva or genital
secretions.
Reported cases of herpes-B infection are admittedly rare.
According to the Center for Disease Control, there were less
than 40 documented cases of herpes-B causing symptomatic infection
in human beings between 1933 and 1994, and almost all occurred
in laboratory workers.
Monkeys imported from the Third World are more likely to
be infected with herpes-B than those bred on U.S. soil, where
there is a higher likelihood that animals used for breeding
have been tested. Consequently, there is a greater risk to
owners that unknowingly receive an imported monkey. And there
is no guarantee to buyers that a monkey isn't part of the
$3 billion annual U.S. trade in illegal wildlife.
"There's been smuggling [of monkeys] from Mexico forever,
and there always will be," said a source at the law enforcement
division of the CDC. "There's no way to figure out how
big it is, because you only know the ones you catch."
But beyond the possibility of infection, even some breeders
agree with activists that monkeys simply do not make good
pets. Buyers are deceived by the docility and affectionate
behavior of infant monkeys-and are
unpleasantly surprised when the animal matures.
"A monkey doesn't remain like a child," said Ms.
Camp-Scott, who keeps more than 100 monkeys in caged troops,
as well as other animals ranging from zebras and large cats
to a camel, at her home in Clewiston, Florida. "You have
to accept the fact that one day, it's going to challenge your
place in the family hierarchy."
Non-human primates have a strict social hierarchy. The dominant
male of a macaque troop, for instance, is usually the first
to eat at mealtimes, with males, a dominant female, and other
females following in progression. Only the dominant male breeds
at will, though he may let other males breed occasionally.
Monkeys treat their human family as the same sort of hierarchy.
That means they will try to climb the social ladder, with
tactics that naturally involve physical fights and biting.
Human females will find it very
difficult to establish dominance with a male monkey. And children
are in the most danger.
These rules apply even to the smallest and seemingly most
innocuous of non-human primates. "Even the smaller ones
like marmosets, which are less than half a pound, have razor
sharp teeth," Ms. Camp-Scott said.
Ms. Camp-Scott claims that she doesn't sell to people with
children, and tries to discourage buyers as much as possible
with some of the horror stories of monkey ownership. She notes
one case in which a woman kept a monkey in a dirty, two-foot
cage in an RV without air conditioning during a Texas summer.
Ms. Camp-Scott discovered the situation and reported it to
the USDA, which then gave the owner 30 days to correct the
conditions. Instead, she sold her monkey at an auction. Within
hours of getting to its new home, the animal bit off and swallowed
the fingers of a child, and was subsequently euthanized.
Many stories of monkey attacks recently have been reported
in the media. A little over a week ago, a Chicago woman was
found bleeding to death by her husband after she let her seven
year-old, 25-pound macaque out of its cage to "play."
Still in the hospital, the woman received over a hundred stitches,
and will require plastic surgery.
The incident occurred three days before the Illinois legislature
defeated a law proposing a ban on the private ownership of
non-human primates, among other exotic pets.
But even in more sanguine cases, after about two years of
raising monkeys, owners often end up with animals they simply
can't control, and have to give up.
"Monkeys don't make good pets," said Ms. Camp-Scott,
who admits she feels like a hypocrite for selling infant monkeys
in order to support her numerous caged animals. "For
most people, getting a monkey is a very big, expensive, and
heart-breaking mistake."
Part II: The Back Yard of Doctor Moreaux
Supply: Many Unhappy Returns
Some evenings a TV lies near the cage, blaring and flickering
through a trash bag that protects it from pounding wind and
rain. For Frankie, one of more than one hundred monkeys that
Ms. Camp-Scott keeps at her home, the noise and colors are
a relief.
In the absence of social interaction, Frankie had taken to
grooming himself-grooming is a major form of social expression
for monkeys. But grooming in isolation quickly became unfulfilling
for the monkey, and it escalated to self-mutilation.
It seems that for Frankie, the pain was better than no stimulation
at all. Now it takes the TV blaring all day to keep Frankie
occupied enough that he doesn't hurt himself. After more than
a year, Frankie has improved remarkably, but he still isn't
ready to be caged with other animals of his own kind.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Really, I regret every monkey I put into the pet trade,"
Ms. Camp-Scott
said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frankie started out at an amusement park called the Jungle
Gym, in Miami. After the facility decided to get rid of its
male monkeys because of their aggressiveness, Frankie was
without a home.
Frankie was passed between numerous owners-who found, like
many owners, that grown monkeys are uncontrollable. Instead
of giving such creatures to a zoo or sanctuary, owners often
try to get their money back by selling the creature to another
unsuspecting buyer. In the meantime, the animal is left in
its cage-often a small cage, since cages are expensive-and
usually without stimulation.
Like many monkeys, Frankie was so psychologically damaged
by that process and the abuse of owners that he finally ended
up with an owner who couldn't find a buyer for him.
In 1999, Ms. Camp-Scott bought Frankie in his terrible condition,
when no one else would take him. When she saw him, it didn't
take long for her to realize that Frankie had passed through
her hands before-about four years earlier, and in much better
condition.
"I felt really guilty about Frankie," said Ms.
Camp-Scott. "Really, I regret every monkey I put into
the pet trade."
Nevertheless, she is still involved in selling infant monkeys
to raise money that will give her numerous other animals the
medical attention and food they need. Ms. Camp-Scott claims
she will take back any animal she has sold, although she won't
buy them back.
"A lot of people are dead set on getting a monkey-if
they have to do it, I'd rather they do it from me, where they
can give it back," she added, admitting that she feels
like a "hypocrite."
Because pet monkeys have adapted to living with human beings,
and prefer human company, socializing neurotic monkeys to
live with other members of their own species is not easy.
"When they first come here, a lot have never even seen
another monkey, and it scares the heck out of them,"
Ms. Camp-Scott said.
It can take a year of gradual exposure to its own species
to introduce even a monkey that has been well treated by its
human owners into a troop of other animals. Cases like Frankie's
are even harder.
Ms. Camp-Scott notes that the worst part of being involved
in the trade is the taking of an infant from its mother, although
she claims she tries to take infants primarily from females
that have a history of negligence to their offspring.
"The mother mourns, screams, will fight to the death
for her infant, and often has to be tranquilized-in fact,
the whole troop will fight," Ms. Camp-Scott said, noting
that many traders will lie to buyers about the trauma caused
by taking an infant. "The mother, as well as the whole
troop will be depressed for months afterwards, and if they
see the person who took [the infant]-no matter how much time
has passed-they remember, and show their hatred."
Ms. Camp-Scott leaves the task of taking infants to her husband
and another handler; her husband is hated by her caged monkeys,
and many troops will huddle around an infant to guard it when
they see him.
She recalls one case of a female monkey that kept dropping
to the ground on its belly whenever her husband went near
its cage. Thinking the behavior unusual, she investigated,
and found out that the female had an infant, and was falling
on top of it to hide it. Ms Camp-Scott hadn't even known of
the animal's pregnancy.
Sellers will lie about the heartbreak caused by the pet trade
in non-human primates, Ms. Camp-Scott said. She thinks buyers
ought to know the truth.
Demand: Bringing Home Monkey
For all the problems and cruelties surrounding the private
ownership of monkeys, why is owning one so alluring to many
buyers?
According to Ms. Camp-Scott, monkeys are especially popular
among couples who can't have children. She notes that adopting
human infants is both difficult and expensive. "There
is a very long waiting list for infant babies," Ms. Camp-Scott
said.
"Monkeys return the kind of love that you get from no
other animal-it is the closest thing to getting a newborn
infant human child there is," she added. "It's unbelievable-the
love that you have, the bonding process is about the same,
and for a couple of years it is just like raising a human
child."
Cheryl Hochstatler, a trader who also works at a car dealership
in Bremen, Indiana, agrees.
"I couldn't live without them, " Ms. Hochstatler
said. "They are so extremely intelligent, affectionate,
loving, and playful."
Ms. Hochstatler, like Ms. Camp-Scott, tries to ward off buyers
with warnings about the perils of ownership, and considers
herself a responsible seller-providing health certificates,
a requirement for United States
Department of Agriculture certified sellers, as well as disease
test results.
Despite the warnings, both sellers acknowledge that the demand
for non-human primate pets far outstrips the supply. Ms. Camp-Scott
has a waiting list of over 300.
But the ultimate result of that demand is a host of psychologically
damaged monkeys that end up in sanctuaries and facilities
like Ms. Camp-Scott's-caught in a conflict between their social
identification with human beings and the instinctual behavior
of their own species.
"We consider the pet trade extremely abusive,"
said Shirley McGreal, chairperson for the International Primate
Protection League, and director of a League sanctuary in Summerville,
South Carolina. "It is not possible for a nice and compassionate
person to be involved in this trade, which starts with an
act of the most vicious cruelty: the kidnapping of the baby
from the mother."
Whatever the ethics, almost everyone seems to agree with
the general principle that monkeys shouldn't be pets-even
when they succumb to their inclination to act against that
advice.
The allure remains understandable: monkeys are a fascinating
mix of the human and the wild. Our closest relatives in the
animal kingdom, monkeys are often remarkably human in their
behaviors, yet are not capable of being domesticated even
to the least standards of an unruly housecat.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite the warnings, both sellers acknowledge that the demand
for non-human
primate pets far outstrips the supply. Ms. Camp-Scott has
a waiting list of
over 300.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the end, one doesn't have to search far for examples of
our potent human identification with these animals, and what
it says about us. Most of us were made in high school to read
The Monkey's Paw, a story that effectively uses the symbol
of the monkey in its analysis of human desire. Appropriately,
the story is about the dangers of getting what we wish for:
it is about getting caught-and hurt-in the machinery of our
own desires.
Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia)
December 31, 2000, Sunday, CITY EDITION
Those monkeys need a spanking.
Just north of Jarratt, three monkeys pelted cars on Interstate
95 with bananas and crab apples before running across the
highway and disappearing into the woods.
Published Sunday, December 10, 2000
http://www.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisSlug=PET10&date=10-Dec-2000
Pet talk: Looking for a pet? Expert says you don't want to
monkey around
Mitzi Perdue / Scripps Howard News Service
Infant monkeys are adorable and in many ways like human babies.
But if you ever have the urge to buy one for a pet, April
Truitt has some advice for you:
Don't.
Truitt is the founder of the Primate Rescue Center (PRC)
and knows why buying a monkey would be a really bad idea.
Why would anyone want a pet monkey?
The answer is that, in some circles, at least, a monkey is
a status symbol. And people who long for children or who are
going through empty-nest syndrome sometimes feel that a baby
monkey could fill the gap.
The result is that hundreds of people in this country pay
anywhere from $3,000 for a capuchin monkey to $40,000 for
a female chimpanzee. It's legal and you can find infant monkeys
for sale on the Internet.
However, if you do buy one of these animals it's just about
guaranteed that you'll regret it. As Truitt says, "the
media portray them as substitute humans, but what you don't
see is that these animals are capable of inflicting horrendous
damage."
Monkeys' capacity for doing "horrendous damage"
is hard-wired into them. It's the result of the monkey's hierarchical
nature.
When the monkey is an infant and dependent, it accepts a
submissive role in the hierarchy. But as a monkey matures,
it has an overwhelming instinct to climb to the top of the
social group. In a human family, the monkey is apt to challenge
and dominate the children first, because they're the weakest.
The monkey's next target is the woman and, finally, the man.
Even a capuchin monkey, one that will never weigh more than
20 pounds, can seriously injure a 200-pound man. "By
the time a capuchin is five years old," said Truitt,
"he has figured out that he has the power and the artillery
to injure his human captor."
The power and artillery that Truitt is referring to are the
animal's teeth and nails. To see how this works in practice,
take the case of Boog, a 10-year-old spider monkey who now
lives at the PRC.
His former owner, a woman, bought Boog as an infant, thinking
he would be a darling pet. However, at age 6, Boog decided
one day that he absolutely didn't want to return to his cage.
He went after the woman with his inch-long canines and weaponlike
fingernails, plus his prehensile tail. The woman suffered
severe gashes.
What Boog did was fairly typical. Generally by the time the
PRC gets a call, a monkey has inflicted injury more than once.
The injuries happen because the animals challenge their social
hierarchy just as they would in the wild.
One of the PRC's missions is to educate people so they won't
enter into relationships that are going to end badly.
-- Melissa D. Boyd
THE DAILY OKLAHOMAN
December 08, 2000, Friday CITY EDITION
Pet monkey quarantined, stays at home
Ken Raymond, Staff Writer
Winston the monkey survived Monday's shenanigans, but now
he faces house arrest.
The Capuchin monkey, who can usually be found at the office
of an Oklahoma City public relations firm, became a source
of conflict after he bit a boy during a shopping trip to a
northwest Oklahoma City Home Depot, said Dave Murdock, city
animal control manager. Winston "was with a sitter or
nanny, I guess they call it, and she took him with her to
Home Depot," Murdock said. "Of course, kids see
a monkey, and everybody wants to touch it."
The monkey latched onto the leg of a 13- or 14-year-old boy
and began biting, Murdock said.
"His canines had been removed, so he punctured the skin,
but it wasn't deep," he said.
The boy's mother took him to a hospital for treatment of
the wound, and the hospital - as required by law - notified
animal control. That was when the situation got wild.
Winston's owner, Mary Myrick, protested a search warrant
that allowed city officials to take Winston into custody for
confinement in an animal shelter. During the ensuing melee,
an animal control officer was assaulted and a woman arrested,
police said.
Myrick reached an agreement with animal control workers once
Winston had been brought to the shelter, Murdock said.
"We originally brought him here, and then we agreed
to let him go home with the possibility of spot checks,"
he said.
Winston will be kept in quarantine at home for 30 days. After
that, he will be examined by a veterinarian. Unless signs
of disease are present, the monkey will be given a clean bill
of health and allowed to return to work.
Monkeying Around - Office melee erupts when police try to
take away monkey
http://www.foxnews.com/etcetera/120800/monkey.sml
Friday, December 8, 2000
OKLAHOMA CITY - The monkey went peacefully. It was the humans
who went ape.
Friends of a 9-pound Capuchin monkey got into a fur fight
Monday when city animal control officers arrived at an office
with a warrant to take 5-year-old Winston into custody.
Workers at Public Strategies, a public-relations firm, yelled,
screamed and cried. One employee bumped an officer with her
chest and pinned him against the transport truck, police said.
"You don't understand," Mary Myrick, who owns the
firm and the monkey, told police. "This monkey had a
nanny, for God's sake."
The problem began when Myrick took Winston with her to a
Home Depot store last Saturday. Some people came up and asked
to pet Winston, and did so without any trouble, Myrick said.
When the group was about to leave, Winston "nipped"
a teenager on the back of the leg, she said. Myrick said the
bite wasn't serious, although animal control officers said
it broke the skin.
During Monday's altercation, officers told Myrick that Winston
would not be harmed and that she could stay with him at the
shelter until his release.
Winston was taken to the shelter and tested, police said.
Test results and additional information about the victim were
not available.
Time
December 4, 2000
Life Along the Chimps Elysees; The French loved the magots
because they were cute. Then the apes grew up
BY: Bruce Crumley/Paris
For the past five years, thousands of endangered baby monkeys
have been smuggled from North Africa into France for families
dying to own the chic pet of the moment. But as the Barbary
monkey, which the French call magot, grows, so do its fangs,
claws and temper. As a result, some of these simians, like
other fads, have been abandoned--tied to trees in the park,
left there for nature to take her course. Nature, however,
like fashion, can take unexpected turns. Now the French are
worried that their latest bout of petty cruelty may have a
bestial denouement.
"It's like the movie Gremlins," says Marie-Claude
Bomsel, a veterinary expert at the Museum of Natural History
in Paris. "These little creatures are adorable and docile
while babies but become uncontrollable and violent in adulthood.
Deprived of their natural socialization and incapable of adapting
to human life, these monkeys become highly stressed, aggressive
sociopaths that owners can't handle." The fear is that,
left in parks and forests, the monkeys may turn on innocent
humans taking walks in the woods. If that happens, ultimate
fighting would pale in comparison. Says Bomsel: "These
monkeys are very aggressive, and being stronger than humans,
will inflict serious injury by biting and clawing." The
damage may be especially excruciating for males of the human
species. "Mature male magots consider men rivals, and
will target sexual organs during attacks. That could be bad--very
messy."
For some owners, the adult magots' capacity for violence
has only enhanced their appeal. The monkey now rivals pit
bulls and Rottweilers as a favorite accessory in French public-housing
projects.
But most of the French are not amused, and are watching with
alarm every fresh report of monkeys abandoned in public spaces.
This month, police captured an escaped magot in a Paris-area
park, less than a month after a pair of free-roaming magots
were captured in a park in Lyons. Earlier, an adult magot
was found in Paris' Bois de Vincennes tethered to a tree.
News of the Paris finding sparked a flurry of calls to park
officials reporting herds of magots roaming among treetops--sightings
that have yet to be confirmed.
What worries authorities is that the French magot population
may be as high as several hundred thousand. "This is
an endangered species protected by international accords,"
says Serge Belais, president of France's Society for the Protection
of Animals. "And neither North African or French customs
officials seem too concerned." Baby magots can fetch
up to $ 90 apiece in Africa--and sell for $ 1,200 in France.
But they are susceptible to illness and often die in captivity.
Their bites can transmit such diseases as TB and hepatitis.
"People are risking their lives by adopting these creatures,"
says Belais, "and hastening the magot's disappearance
from the planet."
Judge Anne Vosgien, president of a Paris-based animal-protection
association, says it's time to get tough on the trade in all
sorts of exotic pets. "We've got to crack down on people
with animals that are known to be uncontrollable and dangerous.
We don't care if it's a monkey, pit bull, cobra or hamster--we
want tougher and better-enforced laws making pet owners responsible
for their animals."
Though the humane society and police have removed scores
of adult magots from traumatized households, French zoos and
animal refuges have begun refusing requests to assume care
of unwanted monkeys. Previously, such easy outs for owners,
says Belais, only encouraged the traffic in baby magots. Zoos,
meanwhile, do not want to expose their simian populations
to belligerent and often diseased domestic magots. "This
is a slow massacre that only customs authorities can stop,"
Belais laments.
Sadly, the high-profile monkey problem may only be growing.
Large numbers of baby magots were purchased by trendy Parisians
just before the adult magot problems made headlines. If the
monkey population explodes as feared--and fad-fatigued owners
abandon their charges in greater numbers--men who plan to
visit France's parks may want to don protective gear before
they wander too far into the woods.
LOOKING FOR IDEAL PET? MONKEY SEE; DON'T DO
Ann Landers
November 18, 2000
Dear Ann Landers: You have printed several letters about
pet monkeys. I am sending you a brochure from the Simian Society
of America in Jacksonville, Ill., that explains the difficulties
in owning a monkey.
Here is some information from their brochure:
A monkey is a wild animal. Their infant friendliness fades
as soon as they reach adulthood. They then become aggressive
and can attack at the slightest provocation. Home-rearing
an infant primate does not stop or alter this behavior.
You must watch your monkey every second. Even the smallest
squirrel monkey can open a cupboard. Larger monkeys can open
refrigerator doors, turn on faucets, rip through window screens,
unlock outside doors, turn over chairs, tables and TVs. Toxic
substances and medicines must be kept under lock and key.
Monkeys are highly excitable animals and will relieve themselves
whenever and wherever they are upset. Though you may be somewhat
successful diapering or toilet-training a young monkey, once
the monkey reaches maturity, that training is forgotten or
ignored.
If you are contemplating getting a monkey, you should contact
the appropriate regulatory agencies (Fish and Game, Animal
Control, Health Department) to learn of restrictions concerning
these primates. Some cities and states prohibit keeping monkeys,
while others require special permits.
Don't wait until you have acquired a monkey to find out it's
against the law in your area.
Be aware that monkeys are expensive. They cannot live on
peanuts and bananas alone. All primates require a well-balanced
diet, including fresh vegetables, fruits, vitamins and live
insects.
All monkeys bite. Punishment is usually taken as a threat
and can result in serious consequences. Spaying or neutering
your monkey will have little effect on curbing aggression.
You must keep your primate away from strangers, as well as
friends of your children, neighbors and relatives.
You should also invest in liability insurance and make sure
you have some type of comprehensive health insurance for you
and your family.
Monkeys need lots of space. Primates become depressed, even
insane, if they don't get enough mental and physical stimulation.
Tire swings, climbing ropes and toys must be replaced constantly
as the monkey grows bored. The monkey's environment must be
warm, dry and free from drafts.
They like to sunbathe for short periods of time, and must
be provided with both indoor and outdoor caging with shade.
The average, well-tended captive primate lives for 20-40
years. Monkeys don't adapt well to new situations, such as
the addition of a spouse or child.
What will happen to your monkey when you go away to college,
get a job in another area or join the military? Keep in mind
that your responsibility to your pet continues when you change
your lifestyle.
I hope this information will make you think twice before
seriously considering a monkey as a pet.
Joe in California
Windsor Star
November 17, 2000 Friday Final Edition
Don't monkey around with these pets; Primate Rescue Center
says you'll regret having this animal in home
BY: Mitzi Perdue, Scripps Howard Service
Infant monkeys are adorable and in many ways like human babies.
Still, if you ever have the urge to buy one for a pet, April
Truitt has some important advice for you:
Don't.
Truitt is the founder of the Primate Rescue Center (PRC)
and knows why buying a pet monkey would be a seriously bad
idea. Before we get to her reasons, though, why would anyone
want a pet monkey? The answer is that, in some circles, at
least, a pet monkey is a status symbol. And people who long
for children or who are going through empty-nest syndrome
sometimes feel that a baby monkey could fill the gap.
The result is that hundreds of people in the United States
pay anywhere from $3,000 US for a capuchin monkey to $40,000
for a female chimpanzee. It's legal to do it and you can find
infant monkeys for sale on the Internet.
However, if you do buy one of these animals, it's just about
guaranteed that you'll regret it. As Truitt says, "The
media portrays them as substitute humans, but what you don't
see is that these animals are capable of inflicting horrendous
damage."
If you're not familiar with the innate drives of monkeys,
it may surprise you to know that their capacity for doing
"horrendous damage" is hard-wired into them. It's
the result of the monkey's hierarchical nature.
When the monkey is an infant and dependent, it accepts a
submissive role in the hierarchy. But as a monkey matures,
it has an overwhelming instinct to wrest its way to the top
of the social group. In a human family, the monkey is apt
to challenge and dominate the children first, since they're
the weakest. The monkey's next target is the wife and, finally,
the husband.
Seriously injure 200-pound man
Even a capuchin monkey, one that will never weigh more than
20 pounds, can seriously injure a 200-pound man. "By
the time a capuchin is five years old," says Truitt,
"he has figured out that he has the power and the artillery
to injure his human captor."
The power and artillery that Truitt is referring to are the
animal's teeth and nails. To see how this works in practice,
take the case of Boog, a 10-year-old spider monkey who now
lives at the PRC.
His former owner, a woman, bought Boog as an infant, thinking
he would be a darling pet. However, at age six, Boog decided
one day that he didn't want to return to his cage. He went
after the woman with his inch-long razor-sharp canines and
weaponlike fingernails, plus his prehensile tail.
The woman suffered multiple severe gashes.
What Boog did was fairly typical. Generally by the time the
PRC gets a call, a monkey has inflicted injury more than once.
The injuries happen because the animals challenge their social
hierarchy just as they would in the wild.
One of the PRC's missions is to try to educate people so
they won't enter into a relationship with monkeys that's going
to end badly for both. The PRC also:
* Provides a sanctuary or referral to appropriate facilities.
* Works to end the illegal trade in primates both in the
United States and abroad.
* Educates the public about the plight of primates caught
in the breeder/dealer cycle.
* Assists researchers and zoo personnel in finding appropriate
placement for their surplus primates.
TULSA WORLD
November 6, 2000
Exotics - They're here (even in your neighbor's back yard),
but do they belong?
Making pet sounds: for and against
TIM HOOVER
After playing with the frisky and cuddly feline for a just
a few hours, Linda Griffis was sold.
The baby mountain lion was going to be her pet.
So the Verdigris woman bought the cub -- who weighed not
much more than 30 pounds -- for $ 300 from a friend just before
Valentine's Day.
"I was ready for some love and affection, and he was
too," Griffis said. Two years later, Pouncer weighs more
than 140 pounds and lives in a 24-by-30-foot wrought-iron
pen in Griffis' back yard. He is declawed and is fed a special
diet of cow bone, hide and flesh, along with pet vitamins
that are crushed into his food several times a day.
"He was a lot different than what I expected,"
Griffis said. "I expected meanness, but he is so sweet."
Griffis is one of dozens of Oklahomans who own large cats
or other exotic animals such as bears, monkeys, wolves, alligators
and snakes as pets. Nationwide, in what seems to be a growing
trend, there are thousands of owners who keep such normally
wild animals in back yards and even in their homes.
At the same time, there are increasing concerns among animal
rights organizations and wildlife officials about the ethics
and humaneness of keeping such animals as pets.
And in light of highly publicized incidents that have resulted
in death or serious injury to people -- especially where large
cats are involved -- there also are worries about public safety.
"I wouldn't recommend any of these animals as pets,"
said Nicole Paquette, government affairs specialist with the
Animal Protection Institute, a nonprofit organization that
opposes the ownership of exotic animals as pets.
"They don't adjust well to a captive environment. People
are misguided thinking they can take care of them."
Paquette points to several deaths involving exotic animals,
including one in 1997 at an animal refuge near Oklahoma City
in which a leopard killed a woman and then escaped from its
cage. Oklahoma County sheriff's deputies shot the animal to
death after a massive search involving multiple law enforcement
agencies.
Beyond the dangers of biting and clawing from such animals,
there are risks of disease, Paquette says.
As many as 90 percent of all reptiles carry salmonella bacteria,
and there have been numerous examples of children contracting
serious salmonella illnesses from contact with family pets,
the Animal Protection Institute says.
Many monkeys carry the herpes B virus, among other diseases,
and have been known to transmit it to humans through bites
and secretion of bodily fluids.
Despite these risks, there is little regulation of the ownership
of exotic animals.
The result, Paquette says, is that many exotic animals are
owned by people with little or no knowledge of their diets,
health needs or behavior. The animals become big and difficult
to care for, and owners often give them to animal sanctuaries.
Sometimes, the animals are starved or forced to live in filthy
conditions until authorities rescue them -- assuming that
they survive.
Too often, the animals escape or get out of control and hurt
humans, Paquette said.
Dr. Kristy Bradley, a veterinarian and epidemiologist with
the Oklahoma Department of Health, agrees with the need for
more regulation.
"In my opinion, it is not a well-regulated area,"
she said.
The Health Department investigates incidents in which people
are attacked by exotic animals ranging from large cats to
bears. The department has had to quarantine animals after
attacks to determine whether they had rabies.
Bradley remembers one recent case in Osage County where a
family was terrorized by a neighbor's pet monkey. The animal
frequently escaped from its cage, urinated on playground equipment
and bared its teeth at children, she said.
"These (exotic) animals are inherently wild, and their
behavior is unpredictable," she said. "Although
they may be calm with their owners, others are at risk."
Bradley favors higher license fees to own the animals, higher
standards for their caging and care and mandatory education
for would-be owners. She also says owners of exotic animals
should be required to carry liability insurance.
"I think these things would be a deterrent to impulse
ownership of these animals," she said, adding that such
measures would redirect possession of exotic animals to only
experienced and responsible owners.
In the meantime, more exotic animals are finding their ways
into the back yards of ordinary people like Griffis. The Verdigris
woman admits that she is careful around her mountain lion,
but she says he's well-behaved.
Once, she said, she took Pouncer to the veterinarian and
walked him on a harness into the waiting room where owners
of dogs and cats were waiting their turns to see the doctor.
"He just walked right in and hopped up on a chair and
sat down beside me and just purred," Griffis recalled,
adding, "A few people backed up and had to leave."
Aside from the occasional visit to the vet, though, Pouncer
never leaves his cage, she said.
"Basically, he doesn't want out," Griffis said.
"Life's too good."
Tulsa World (Oklahoma)
September 29, 2000
Monkey is 'jailed' at shelter after run-in with child
A monkey was taken to the city animal shelter Thursday after
injuring a child at a motel.
The monkey, whose name is Barney, either bit or scratched
a 4-year-old girl's cheek at the Western Capri Motel, 5320
W. Skelly Drive, Tulsa County Sheriff's Capt. Tim Albin said.
The monkey's owner was staying in a room next to the one
in which the girl was staying, but no more details about how
the incident occurred were available.
Sheriff's officials became aware of the incident when the
girl was taken to a Tulsa hospital for treatment of the injury.
Albin said Barney is in the city animal shelter awaiting
examination by state Health Department officials, as is required
in cases involving exotic animals.
Briefs - 09/25/00
This article appeared in the Maryville Times-Monday
September 25.
Maryville,TN.
Briefs
Monday, September 25, 2000
Girl bitten by Japanese monkey
Blount Memorial Hospital filed an animal control complaint
at 5 p.m. Friday concerning a brown Macaque monkey, owned
by Joe Helton, Rocky Branch Road, Walland.
According to a report filed with the Maryville Police Department,
the monkey bit Brandi Hyde, Helton's step-daughter, leaving
a small red mark on her right arm.
The owner said the monkey was current on all its shots.
Macaque monkies, native to Japan, can weigh from eight to
35 pounds depending on gender and species. They are also sometimes
referred to as "snow monkies."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
September 17, 2000 Sunday ZONED EDITION
Exotic animals ordinance in works; Dover Town Board asks
its attorney to draft regulation after monkey attacks two
people in Kansasville
LUKE KLINK Special to the Journal Sentinel
Dover -- The Dover Town Board asked its attorney last week
to draft an ordinance regulating the keeping of exotic animals.
The move comes after an incident last month when a Japanese
macaque monkey named Ronnie broke through the rotted wall
of a downtown Kansasville home and attacked a neighbor and
postal carrier. The attack victims were treated at a hospital
for bite wounds. The monkey, a pet owned by Jacquelyn Thacker
for the last eight years, was put to death.
Dover Supervisor Theodore Dremel said the attorney, Peter
Ludwig, will draft the ordinance, which will be patterned
after similar ordinances in neighboring communities.
Dremel said the board did not want to prevent town residents
from keeping more docile exotic animals.
"There are so many exceptions that have to be filtered
out on what exotic animals should be included and which should
not," he said.
Some town residents keep llamas, kangaroos and an African
breed of cattle, Dremel said.
The exotic animal ordinance could be ready for discussion
by the Oct. 9 Town Board meeting.
Wildlife News -- August 28, 2000, Vol. 48 No. 36
Pet Monkeys Can't Be Taken To Public Places
The Arizona Game and Fish Department wants to remind owners
of non-human primates, such as monkeys, that the law has changed
and they cannot take their primate pets into public places.
"Non-human primates can carry a lot of different diseases,
many of which can be readily transmitted to humans. Some of
these diseases are extremely serious," said Research
Branch Chief Jim deVos.
DeVos said the Game and Fish Commission Rule regarding non-human
primates allows those who already have such animals to keep
them, but they are prohibited from taking the animals into
public places. However, they are allowed to take the animals
to veterinarians for treatment.
Game and Fish officials had originally considered a ban on
private individuals owning primates. The department examined
the issue in depth, and even conducted focus groups. "We
arrived at a more moderate approach, which was adopted by
the Game and Fish Commission last December. The whole idea
is to protect the public, yet allow those who already own
such animals to keep them," deVos said.
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
August 14, 2000, Monday, BC cycle
Pet chimp gets loose, bites neighbors, damages property
The same chimpanzee that two years ago wrecked a U.S. Postal
Service truck has struck again.
Herbie got loose after a sitter opened the wrong door of
his cage and was on the run for more than three hours Saturday.
Herbie stayed near his home while most neighbors stayed inside
out of fear, said Raleigh County Sheriff's Deputy M.A. McCray.
Police told residents to keep their lights off. "If
he saw a light on, he would apparently go to the house and
want to go in," McCray said.
The chimp jumped on one vehicle and tore screens out of one
resident's home, the deputy said.
While loose Herbie bit Ronald McClung, 18, in the palm of
his hand.
Herbie also bit Mike Cochran, a neighbor who had tried to
restrain the 5-foot, 150-pound creature.
Even though Cochran had played with Herbie before, "It
jumped on him, knocked him down and bit his finger. He had
some injuries to his side, too," McCray said.
Herbie's roommate, Sonny, never made it out of the large
cage they share in the home of Fred Wriston, who has owned
Herbie for 13 years.
A Beckley police officer obtained a tranquilizer from a veterinarian
and a Wriston family member got close enough to inject it.
Herbie went to sleep and was carried home.
In June 1998, Herbie tried to take the driver's seat of a
postal truck. After escaping from his cage, Herbie ran Arthur
Warden of Beckley out of the truck, causing the truck to slam
into a parked vehicle. The chimp, who jumped from the truck
before the accident, started after Warden, getting into a
grab-each-other match until Wriston restrained his pet.
Wriston said at the time he believed Herbie tried to take
the mail truck because he was once featured in a commercial,
driving.
Herbie cooks, cleans, mops and hammers, and relatives say
he's just as intelligent as a human.
Owner Kills Infamous Biting Monkey
8/8/00
SAN ANGELO, TX
Ted E. Bear, a monkey that drew national attention after
biting a San Angelo man's neck in January 1998, was recently
shot and killed after biting one of his owners.
An Animal Shelter official indicated the Capuchin monkey's
body was brought to the shelter Friday and his head was shipped
to a laboratory in Austin, where his brain will undergo rabies
testing.
Officials should know test results within the next few days.
Ted E. Bear lived with Russell and Judy Woods in Carlsbad,
and neither would comment Monday.
It was unclear which of the Woodses was attacked last week,
but a bite report at the Animal Shelter said the monkey "went
crazy" and bit his owner, who in turn shot the monkey
seven or eight times.
The report also indicated the individual sought medical attention
for the bites before taking the monkey's body to the animal
shelter.
The monkey made national headlines two years ago after a
biting incident resulted in a debate over whether city officials
should execute him so his brain could be tested for rabies.
State District Judge Barbara Walther issued an injunction
preventing the monkey's death, and Eric Hernandez, the 19-year-old
bite victim, agreed to take rabies prevention shots.
In the meantime, Judy Woods appeared on NBC's "Leeza"
show in a program themed "Headline Grabbing Animals."
But city law doesn't allow exotic animals - such as monkeys
- within the city limits, and a city marshal escorted the
monkey to San Angelo's city limits about a month after the
bite incident.
The Woodses sold their San Angelo home and moved beyond the
city limits in order to keep Ted E. Bear. Judy Woods - who
suffered a neck injury years ago - originally got the monkey
to assist her with tasks like opening bottles and turning
on faucets.
The Miami Herald
August 5, 2000 Saturday BROWARD EDITION
MONKEY BITE VICTIM HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL
A 15-year-old girl who was attacked by a monkey was released
from the hospital Friday.
Dorothy Colosimo, of Davie, and friend Candace Garwood, 19,
were standing outside Garwood's home at 17221 SW 65th Ct.,
in Southwest Ranches, when Garwood's mother's pet monkey,
Mikey, attacked them, fire rescue officials said. Colosimo
was bitten on her arm, back and left ear.
The girls ran to a car for safety where they called 911.
When neighbors came out, the monkey ran back to the house.
Garwood, who had bites to her arms and face, refused to go
to the hospital. Colosimo was treated at Memorial Hospital
West in Pembroke Pines for several bites. She was released
Friday.
Garwood did not want to talk about the incident Friday but
a friend who answered her phone said she was in a lot of pain
but doing well.
Residents are allowed to have monkeys as pets but they must
have a state permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission.
Monkey attacks man, letter carrier
Charges not likely for macaque's owner, Racine official says
By Dave Cole
Special to the Journal Sentinel, Last Updated: Aug. 5, 2000
Town of Dover - A woman whose pet monkey got loose and then
attacked and bit a neighbor and a letter carrier probably
won't face charges, a Racine County Sheriff's Department spokesman
said Wednesday.
And Jacquelyn Thacker, 45, won't have to worry about being
sued by at least one of the victims, even though the man had
to run for his life.
"She's a good, hard worker, and I feel sorry for her,"
George Mutter, 73, said Wednesday of the monkey's owner. "She
apologized that the thing got away."
The monkey's rampage began Tuesday morning when it broke
through some rotten boards on Thacker's rented property in
the community of Kansasville and escaped, according to sheriff's
Lt. Jim Scherff.
Mutter was in the backyard of his home when the monkey, a
Japanese macaque named Ronnie, suddenly appeared. And he was
anything but playful.
"The thing came over the top of my car and off the hood,"
Mutter said. "It grabbed me around the waist, and I struggled
to get away from it. It slid down my waist and started biting
me."
Mutter said he suffered four bite wounds to his left leg
before escaping by running into his home.
Moments later, the monkey attacked a U.S. Postal Service
employee delivering mail from her truck, Scherff said.
The monkey reached up and bit Renee DeGroot's hand, Scherff
said.
DeGroot then drove across the street to get help, Scherff
said. But things went from bad to worse when the animal attacked
again, and this time leaped into the truck, he said.
DeGroot was able to get the monkey out of the truck and the
animal ran off, Scherff said.
With the help of Thacker, Ronnie eventually was captured,
and with her consent he was euthanized, Scherff said. Thacker
had the monkey as a pet for eight years, he said.
Both victims now face the possibility of having been infected
by a virus macaque monkeys have been known to carry, according
to Jan Rafert, curator of the primate and small mammals exhibit
at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The disease can be fatal if left
untreated, Rafert said.
Rafert, consulted by the hospitals that treated the victims
Tuesday for their wounds, said pending test results should
determine whether DeGroot and Mutter need treatment.
Normally, macaque monkeys aren't aggressive, Rafert said.
In this case, the nimal probably attacked after becoming frightened
by his new surroundings, he said.
A lover of exotic animals, Thacker also has a half-breed
wolf penned in her backyard, Scherff said. There are no state
or local laws against the possession of such animals, he said.
And a town ordinance against allowing animals to run loose
probably would not apply in this situation, Scherff said.
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
August 4, 2000, Friday, Broward Metro EDITION
PET MONKEY ATTACKS SOUTHWEST RANCHES TEENS
SHANNON O'BOYE ; Staff Writer
Monkeys may be cute, but sometimes they can be nasty.
Just ask Candice Garwood, 19, and Dorothy Colosimo, 15, who
had a hairy encounter Thursday night with a 4-foot furry monkey
who jumped into the teenagers' car and left them bloodied
and bruised.
The girls were leaving Garwood's Southwest Ranches home about
7:30 p.m. when the monkey followed them out of the house,
hopped into the car and got violent, fire officials said.
Garwood's mother, Barbara, who is out of town on vacation,
keeps the Sumerian monkey as a pet.
The monkey bit and scratched the girls in the face and arms
before they could shoo it out of the car. The girls rolled
up the windows, locked the doors and sat in the car in the
driveway for more than an hour, afraid the animal would attack
if they ventured out.
"The monkey was banging on the windows and roof, tormenting
them," said Broward County Fire-Rescue spokesman Todd
LeDuc.
Finally, Colosimo called her mother, who called 911.
When Broward firefighters arrived, they found the tall, thin
monkey on the car's hood.
"We were chirping the siren and the air horn and flashing
our lights," said Capt. John Frailey. "We thought
we'd scare it and it would run away, but it just looked at
us."
The firefighters stayed 50 feet away from the beast until
a neighbor, who was friendly with the monkey, came over with
gloves and approached the car. Upon seeing the man, the monkey
dashed into the house. When firefighters left, Broward sheriff's
deputies were trying to get the animal back into its cage.
Colosimo, of Davie, was transported to Memorial Regional
Hospital West. She was "bitten all over" and needed
stitches, Frailey said. Garwood, who had scratches on her
forehead and arm, planned to drive herself to the hospital.
Garwood told authorities that the pet is up-to-date on its
shots. She knows because the monkey attacked her mother six
months ago.
Shannon O'Boye can be reached at soboye@sun-sentinel.com
or 954-356-4597.
Monkey in the Doghouse
By David Snyder, Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday , July 20, 2000
In the photograph on Steven and Kimberly Ritterspach's kitchen
counter, Jamie looks like a perfect angel. He is reclining,
almost asleep, his face blissfully calm.
This is the way the Ritterspachs remember their 2-year-old
Bonnet macaque, as a loving and loved member of their family.
A monkey, yes. But a monkey who ate at the family table, took
showers and grabbed his own food from the refrigerator.
A son, almost.
The police reports and the quarter-inch-thick file at the
Anne Arundel County Animal Control Division recall a somewhat
different monkey. Seven bite reports in 18 months. A knock-down,
drag-out fight at a local bar.
Impoundment.
For the past 15 months, Jamie has lived at a wildlife and
primate sanctuary in Woodstock in Howard County. And for the
past 15 months, the Glen Burnie couple has fought to get Jamie
back. The Ritterspachs have spent more than $20,000 in lawyers'
fees to challenge the county's confiscation of their pet.
"It's like having a kid ripped from your arms,"
said Steven Ritterspach, 46, a used-car wholesaler. He breaks
into tears from time to time talking about his monkey. "Jamie
and I have a special bond. He was like a kid when you'd come
in in the afternoon. It was about 30 minutes of hard playtime
with Dad and Jamie."
Jamie's saga, which has involved a half-dozen county and
state agencies, has become a cause celebre in the small but
tight-knit world of monkey enthusiasts. His impoundment and
the dramatic brawl that preceded it have sparked ongoing discussions
on monkeymaddness.com, a Web site for monkey-lovers.
The Anne Arundel County Board of Appeals ruled in November
that animal control officials were within their rights in
seizing Jamie and turning him over to the sanctuary. The Ritterspachs
have not decided whether to sue the county.
But Jamie's epic continues July 27, when the Howard County
Planning Board is scheduled to review a zoning-variance application
by Frisky's Wildlife and Primate Sanctuary, Jamie's new home.
If the county denies the variance, the sanctuary could be
ordered to shut down or change its operations.
While the Ritterspachs say they don't expect the hearing
to bring Jamie back to them, Steven Ritterspach says he will
be there to testify about what he believes are wrongdoings
by Colleen Layton, the sanctuary's owner.
The hearing came about after an anonymous caller reported
that Layton was violating county zoning by having too many
animals. Layton, who has run the sanctuary for 30 years, maintains
that the Ritterspachs have misplaced their frustrations about
losing Jamie.
"I didn't ask for the monkey, and I'm not asking to
keep him," Layton said.
Anne Arundel animal control officials put Jamie at Layton's
sanctuary after his impoundment in April 1999, said Tahira
S. Thomas, the agency's administrator. Steven Ritterspach's
voice began to crack as he recounted what happened.
"This has just brought everything in our lives to a
complete stop," he said as he stood in the kitchen of
his two-story home, flipping through the dozens of snapshots
he and his wife took of Jamie. "Life was good, I was
rolling along, getting things done. Now, I just can't find
the energy anymore."
The Ritterspachs lost two children shortly after birth, he
said. All were three months premature.
The couple bought Jamie from a monkey broker for $4,000,
and he and his wife still own three monkeys.
"A primate definitely is never going to replace a child,"
he said. "But it filled a void."
Jamie was first reported to the authorities July 14, 1997,
records show, for biting a 6-year-old girl at a local carnival.
He struck again in April, 1998, biting a 12-year-old girl.
Animal control warned the Ritterspachs that if Jamie bit again,
they would confine the monkey to the Ritterspach home.
Five months later, Jamie bit a 23-year-old woman. The Ritterspachs
were ordered to keep Jamie at home, or on a leash if he left
the house, county records show.
Two months later, Jamie scratched a 36-year-old woman, and
the county confined Jamie to his owners' house.
That following April, the Ritterspachs decided to take Jamie
out for a night on the town. They dressed him in a blue jumpsuit,
Ritterspach recalled, and had him on a leash.
Shortly after midnight, the Ritterspachs stopped at the Speak
Easy bar to have a few drinks. A woman came over to the couple
where they were sitting in a back room and reached out to
touch the monkey. Then, Ritterspach said, "all hell broke
loose."
By the time the police arrived, several people were brawling
at the bar, and Jamie was skittering and chattering, threatening
to bite anyone who approached him, according to the police
report.
The police asked Ritterspach to give the monkey to his wife,
and, according to police reports, he refused. They hit Ritterspach
with a blast of pepper spray, according to the incident report
from that night. By the time the evening concluded, Jamie
had bitten three people and Steven Ritterspach was charged
with three counts of second-degree assault, one count of reckless
endangerment and one count of resisting arrest.
He was later found not guilty on all counts except reckless
endangerment, for which he was fined $1,055, court records
show.
Since then, Jamie has lived in one of Colleen Layton's dozen
monkey cages. He stays in the "macaque compound"
on Layton's three-acre spread, just across from the turkeys
that were found wandering the streets of Howard County a few
months back. The primates have cable television in the cages--"Animal
Court" is a favorite, Layton said.
Bright yellow signs bearing warnings about the dangers of
monkeys blare out from every cage.
"Monkeys are very emotional," explained Layton,
48, who refers to primates' volatility as "PMS"--primate
mood swings. "Much more so than your dog or cat. They
can turn on a moment's notice."
Layton started her sanctuary about 30 years ago with a shoebox
full of baby rabbits. She now has about 40 different animals
in her "permanent collection"--the animals that
will spend the rest of their lives at Frisky's--and dozens
of other transient animals there for treatment and then release
into the wild.
It's a 24-hour job, Layton said, but she loves it. "People
always tell me they're jealous that I have all these animals,"
she said. "And I always tell them, 'No, they have me.'
"
What would she do if the county closed her down?
"There are all these animals that have all these needs,"
she said. "It would destroy their lives, and it would
destroy mine."
http://www.salisburypost.com/2000july/071600b.htm
Monkeys 'make terrible pets'
July 16, 2000
BY EMILY FORD
SALISBURY POST
Almost every day, someone calls Lorraine Smith at the N.C.
Zoological Park looking for a pet monkey.
She listens, then tells them about her other phone calls.
The ones from people trying to get rid of a pet monkey that,
once cute and cuddly, now bites and scratches them and their
children.
"People get the idea that bottle-raising a monkey would
be fun," said Smith, the curator of mammals at the zoo
in Asheboro.
But they make terrible pets, she said.
"Monkeys are dangerous and unpredictable and, at some
point, they will bite," said Richard Farinato, captive
wildlife protection director for the Humane Society of the
Unites States.
"Then, they will be bounced around from owner to owner
until they end up rotting in a cage in someone's basement
or at an exotic animal auction," Farinato said. "That's
not the life you want for any animal."
Monkeys are bound to bite because that's how they discipline
their young, Smith said.
"Monkeys deal with each other by biting, and they would
deal with us that way. And we can't teach them otherwise,"
Smith said. "They are not children."
A monkey bite will hurt, could cause a bacterial infection
and might even kill you, experts said.
Monkeys can carry deadly viruses and pass them on to people.
"With Old World monkeys, especially macaques, we're
talking about herpes B, simian HIV and hepatitis," Farinato
said.
Monkeys available on the Internet and through the pet trade
could be more prone to violent behavior because people take
them away from their mothers at such a young age, experts
said.
"Hand-raised animals don't get the psychological development
they need," Farinato said. "They have nothing to
base their behavior on."
As monkeys mature, they become even more unpredictable, said
Dr. Stephanie Ostrowski, a veterinarian epidemiologist for
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. And reintroducing them
into a colony rarely works, she said.
"So you sacrifice the longterm good of the animals for
a short-term commercial gain," Ostrowski said. "You
traded two or three years of direct contact for 30 years in
solitary confinement."
At the Charlotte Metro Zoo near Rockwell, owners plan to
raise an infant monkey in their home and let people pose with
it for $5.
"It sends the wrong message that monkeys are little
tiny kids in furry coats," Farinato said. "While
they'll claim that it's educational and helps people understand
monkeys, all it will do is encourage other people to want
baby monkeys."
Zoo owner Steve Macaluso disagrees.
"We educate every person that comes into the zoo that
these are not pets, that you don't want to own one,"
he said.
Macaluso raised his first monkey 10 years ago. Scooter, a
macaque, lives at Charlotte Metro Zoo and still lets Macaluso
handle him, he said.
"I tell people it's like having a 2-year-old child who
will never grow up," he said.
Despite what he says, Macaluso's actions encourage people
to buy monkeys, Ostrowski said.
"If he truly believes that, he should not be setting
that example," she said.
Raising an infant monkey is stressful and dangerous, Farinato
said.
"And taking the baby has a horrendous impact on the
mother," he said.
Farinato watched a mother monkey try to nurse her dead baby
for three days before finally putting it down, he said. Mothers
who lose a newborn to the pet trade go through a similar mourning
process, he said.
"You want to see a heartbreaking scene ..." he
said.
It's easy for untrained pet owners to misinterpret a wild
animal's behavior, Ostrowski said.
When chimpanzees on TV or in the movies smile, they are actually
frightened, she said.
"We see that big, toothy smile and say, 'How cute and
funny,' " Ostrowski said. "People who are really
tuned into behavior say it tears at their heart every time
they see it.
"That's a fear grimace. That baby chimp is saying, 'I'm
scared. Please don't hurt me.' "
In many primate species, a smile is a threat, Smith said.
"If we smile at them, they could respond by biting,"
she said.
Counties across the state are regulating or even banning
exotic animals. The Rowan County Board of Health will consider
an ordinance in August that calls for registering but not
banning exotic animals.
"People feel their rights are being violated because
they can't own animals, while neighbors feel their rights
are violated because there's a lion in their backyard,"
Smith said. "We need to address this on the state level,
but I don't see that happening."
When people call Smith looking for a home for their pet monkeys,
she has to turn them away.
"We can't take them. There is no room at the inn,"
she said.
Instead, she directs them to an accredited sanctuary. But
many refuges are already bursting with unwanted wild animals,
she said.
The best solution is not to give in, Ostrowski said.
"Everyone thinks they want a baby wild animal, whether
it's a monkey or a squirrel or a tiger," she said. "I
think we have to move past that little impulse and do what's
right for the animals and the environment and, in the long
term, what's right for ourselves."
http://www.wtopnews.com/mainstory4.shtm
Monkey on the Run in Columbia
June 1, 2000
(Columbia, Md.-AP) -- Police searched in vain all day Wednesday
for an escaped monkey that chased and bit a Columbia woman.
Officers from the Howard County Animal Control division scoured
the area near the home where Debra Frederick was attacked
by a 2 -foot-tall spider monkey.
The monkey approached Frederick, 38, Wednesday morning as
she stepped outside her sister's home to give it a piece of
bread. It snatched the bread from her hand and then bit her
on the thigh as she ran away.
"It scared me to death. This is Columbia - this isn't
the jungle," she said before she went to the hospital
to have the superficial wound checked by a doctor.
Police set traps with grapes and bananas around the neighborhood,
urged children to stay off the bike paths and asked residents
to call a hot line if they spotted the monkey.
Chicago Sun Times
It's a jungle out there
February 25, 2000
BY CATE PLYS
We have a monkey in the neighborhood. It was interesting
at first to see its owner "walking" it down the
street, on a leash long enough for the monkey to scamper a
good 10 feet up the trees. Of course, that was before it tried
taking out my 2-year-old daughter.
So I was disappointed to hear that a bill to ban pet monkeys
in Illinois, sponsored by state Rep. Anne Zickus (R-Palos
Hills), was voted down last week by the House Agriculture
and Conservation Committee. Who can't understand that pet
monkeys are a public health threat? Monkey owners and dealers,
that's who. And that's who the committee decided to listen
to at a hearing, rather than experts from the Cook County
Department of Health, the Cook County Department of Animal
and Rabies Control and Brookfield Zoo, plus written support
from the Humane Society of the United States. Not one committee
member voted yes.
"The members are rural members, and it's probably not
an issue," Zickus explained. "And the pet owners
and in particular the ones who sell [monkeys] had 30 or 40
people down here at the hearing."
About 90 percent of macaque monkeys, the most popular type,
carry Herpes B virus, according to veterinary epidemiologist
Stephanie Ostrowski of the federal Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Herpes B is harmless to monkeys but fatal
in humans at least 50 percent of the time. It's spread by
any bodily fluid contact. Monkeys also can catch and spread
most human diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV.
"They all bite," said Ostrowski. "They bite
without warning, and they have very big teeth." She recalled
a recent incident in Albany, N.Y., in which a SWAT team in
body armor had to subdue a 7-pound Capuchin monkey that had
driven its owners out of their home. Pet monkeys already are
illegal in California, Colorado, Georgia and New Jersey, she
said.
Mark Matuck, communicable disease program coordinator at
the Cook County Health Department, told the House committee
all about monkey diseases. He also told them about last week's
monkey attack in Lansing, where a pet named Zip turned his
owner into a human pincushion. "It didn't seem to make
much of an impact," Matuck told me. "One of the
questions to me from the representatives was, `Has anybody
died?' That isn't the point."
"I don't think the committee heard many points from
anybody, really," said fellow witness Dr. Dan Parmer,
administrator of the Cook County Department of Animal and
Rabies Control. "They weren't really interested in hearing.
The thing was, the primate people came en masse."
No doubt monkey owners think it's their business if their
pets maul them. Unfortunately, owners invariably take monkeys
outside and endanger everyone else. A few months ago, said
Matuck, someone was wheeling a young macaque around Northbrook
Mall in a baby carriage. Monkeys also escape. Remember, we're
talking about animals with fingers and opposable thumbs. In
Pittsburgh two years ago, a monkey picked the lock on its
cage and toured the neighborhood.
In my case, we brought our daughter outside and found the
monkey up a tree in our front yard. All the kids from the
block were gathered, staring up in wonder. Our daughter looked
up too, until the monkey hurtled straight at her. In that
split second, my husband threw himself between them. The monkey
knocked the wind out of him. The monkey's owner scooped it
up and hurried off. No apologies.
Two years later, the monkey bit a neighborhood friend of
mine who was seven months pregnant, then ran off. The owner
came back with it later--not to apologize, but to ask her
to make up with the monkey, who was upset. Last year, another
friend was walking down the street when the unleashed monkey
dropped out of a tree onto her head.
If only those committee members would walk around my neighborhood
for a while, maybe the monkey would drop on their heads too--and
knock some sense into them.
PET MONKEY ATTACK PUTS ITS OWNER IN HOSPITAL;
25-POUND ANIMAL NO `MONSTER,' WOMAN SAYS
By Maria T. Galo, Chicago Tribune Staff Writer
20 February 2000
William Huscher will never forget the chaotic, bloody scene
that greeted him when he returned home after picking up some
Chinese take-out.
Huscher's wife, Cathy, 44, was lying on the floor of their
Lansing home with paramedics tending to wounds inflicted by
her pet Java monkey, Zip, who attacked her after being let
out of his cage last Sunday night.
"There was blood everywhere, it was horrible,"
said Huscher, 42, on Friday. "I was so mad because of
that monkey. All the family, they all hated him, and she would
get mad at us because everyone hated him."
Cathy Huscher lost a pint and a half of blood in the attack,
with 6-inch-deep bites and cuts on her head, arms and legs.
She underwent three hours of surgery last Sunday at Community
Hospital in Munster, Ind. On Friday, she was in stable condition,
a nursing supervisor said.
Despite the attack, she still thinks affectionately of Zip
and thinks he may have been neglected or abused by previous
owners.
"Don't make him out to be a monster," she said
from her hospital room. "He was my baby." Still,
when the monkey leaped from the cage onto her head with a
little scream, "I thought I was going to die," she
said.
The monkey will be killed, William Huscher said, and his
brain examined for rabies. Lansing police ticketed the Huschers
for having a monkey without a license.
Cathy Huscher also faces about 12 weeks of therapy as doctors
wait for the wounds to heal before trying any reconstructive
surgery, her husband said. Her left arm was badly damaged
when she tried to yank it out of the monkey's jaws, and the
attack also left a fist-size hole behind her right knee.
The attack came just three days before an Illinois House
panel defeated a bill to add primates to the list of pets
banned under the Illinois Dangerous Animals Act.
William Huscher is convinced that monkeys are dangerous.
"They belong in trees, they don't belong in people's
homes," he said.
The Great Java monkey looks like a small baboon with fang-like
incisors that are "the size of your pinkie, on top and
bottom," Huscher said. Zip weighs about 25 pounds and
stands 2 feet high.
The Huschers, who also own two miniature Doberman pinschers,
got the 7-year-old monkey about a year ago from a friend.
Zip bit Cathy Huscher on the hand the first day, her husband
said. About five months later, the monkey attacked one of
the dogs, and then, a few months ago, he jumped on Cathy Huscher
and bit and scratched her on the head.
"But it was nothing major, just some little scratches
and teeth marks," William Huscher said. But William Huscher
said he did not like being home when the monkey was out of
its cage.
Last Sunday, Cathy Huscher said she was going to let the
monkey out to play. "I said, `then I'm leaving,' "
her husband said, and drove off to pick up dinner. When he
saw emergency vehicles in the driveway upon his return, "I
knew right away, I knew what it was, it was the monkey,"
he said.
When People Play Host to Some Of Their Best Friends' Diseases
http://www.foxnews.com/science/021800/petdiseases.sml
7:00 a.m. ET (1100 GMT) February 18, 2000 By Amanda Onion
NEW YORK - Barbara Healy lives with six monkeys.
While charming to watch, macaques can leave a disease behind
after a bite she says usually the pet macaques that live in
her outdoor and indoor enclosures make wonderful companions.
But monkeys are wild animals and, inevitably, their feral
side occasionally surfaces.
One of Healy's monkeys, whom Healy suspects has a troubled
past, sometimes reaches through his cage and scratches her.
"He even pulled out a chunk of my hair once," she
said.
Healy is one among a coalition of exotic animal owners nationwide
who recently lobbied to knock down pending legislation in
Illinois to ban certain exotic pets, including monkeys. The
proposed bill was rejected in committee on Tuesday, but the
battle continues between pet owners who say it's perfectly
safe to keep exotic animals and health officials who cringe
at the thought.
"We dread getting calls about monkey bites," said
Connie Austin of the Illinois department of health. "Macaque
monkeys very frequently transmit the Herpes B virus and this
virus is 70 percent fatal in people."
A March 1998 report from the federal Centers for Disease
Control states that the deadly Herpes B virus is 80 to 90
percent prevalent in adult macaque monkeys. If a monkey is
infected, it may not exhibit symptoms, but it can easily transmit
the disease to people by a bite or scratch.
Healy claims the CDC's figures are inaccurate and reflect
only those populations of macaques that are kept in the closed
quarters of scientific laboratories. The number of monkeys
who infect their owners is difficult to assess, says Austin,
because people are reluctant to report a problem in fear that
their monkeys will be taken away.
Dogs are mostly harmless but can carry worms or other parasites
Whatever the true numbers, the risk of contracting life-threatening
diseases exists - and not just among owners of exotic pets.
Every year health agencies across the country document cases
of pets attacking their owners or inadvertently infecting
them with diseases that prove grave or even fatal. About two-thirds
of Americans own pets and every year about four million of
them contract diseases from their animals.
"There are very important psychological and social benefits
of owning a pet," said Fred Angulo, an epidemiologist
at the CDC. "But those benefits sometimes need to be
balanced against adverse health effects."
While many health officials believe keeping a macaque is
a bad idea ("Macaques are never appropriate pets, period,"
says Mira Leslie of the Arizona Department of Health Services)
they simply encourage increased vigilance when it comes to
avoiding infection from less exotic pets.
Angulo points out, for example, that many don't realize that
reptiles are very common carriers of salmonella. Salmonella
is a bacteria that can be spread from the feces of an animal
to a person through ingestion. It can lead to serious infections,
particularly among children and immunocompromised people.
"What's different about reptiles is they live in pens
and crawl through their feces," said Angulo. "So
if you touch the head of a reptile, you could easily also
be touching their feces."
Iguanas and other reptiles can leave a trail of bacteria
in their wake
A simple solution, Angulo says, is to wash your hands after
handling a reptile pet. But as more and more people take in
snakes, iguanas and turtles as pets (the CDC estimates 3 percent
of U.S. households now have reptilian pets), there has also
been a noted increase in salmonella infections from the animals.
The increase was enough to urge the CDC to publish a November
1999 report advising people to keep reptiles out of homes
with children under five or immunocompromised people.
Even if a child is kept away from the pet, the bacteria can
still be spread indirectly. Angulo has heard reports of people
washing their reptiles' cages in the kitchen sink or letting
their animals walk around the kitchen. These practices lead
to contaminating surfaces where food is prepared.
Another commonly feared animal-borne disease is toxoplasmosis.
This condition is spread from cat feces and can cause birth
defects or miscarriage if a pregnant woman is infected. Again,
basic caution can avoid the problem. "Just let the men
take care of the litter box," advises Evret Newman, a
veterinarian at the Zoonosis Control Program of the Texas
Department of Health.
In fact, the list of pets that can potentially carry diseases
is practically all-inclusive. Rabbits may actually pose more
of a risk to pregnant women since they can spread listeriosis,
salmonella or, in some rare cases, the bubonic plague.
Duckling droppings can carry salmonella
Puppies and kittens can spread heartworm or ringworm if they're
not properly inoculated. Chicks and ducklings, apparently
a common gift to children at Easter, can transmit salmonella
through their droppings. This month a 72-year-old Massachusetts
woman with a kidney problem died after contracting meningitis
from the droppings of her cockatoo.
Catching diseases from animals is hardly a new problem. In
Medieval Europe plagues were often spread by rats and fleas.
Fleas would feast on the rats' blood and then jump to a human
host and spread any pathogens the rats were carrying to people.
Last summer, New York City saw an outbreak of West Nile fever,
when the virus had taken a similar path from birds to mosquitoes
to people.
Since pets play an integral role in so many people's lives,
few health officials are advising people to get rid of their
pets altogether. Instead they recommend caution and good sense
when handling animals.
But exotic pets may be another matter. Newman of the Texas
health department argues we know too little about exotic animals
such as sugar gliders (a tiny opossum) and geckos to understand
what viruses or bacteria they may carry. And he says the possibility
of catching a harmful virus from primate pets is only greater.
"Primates are so close on the genetic scale to us that
almost all of the pathogens they carry will be transferable
to people," he said. Newman and many other veterinarians
and animal rights activists further argue that keeping an
exotic animal like a monkey is cruel and unfair to the animal,
itself. "Personally I don't know why anyone would want
one," Newman said.
Healy says she has wanted a pet monkey ever since she was
a child when she spent her afternoons watching the apes and
monkeys at a nearby zoo in Atlanta. And she claims she offers
a comfortable home to monkeys that would otherwise be spending
their time in laboratory cages.
She also adds that the factor that worries health officials
about disease transmission - our common ancestry with primates
- is the same reason she feels unusually close to her six
monkeys.
"Most of the people who have primates don't consider
them pets - they're like the child who never grows up,"
she said. "There is an immediate bond."
Chicago Tribune
February 15, 2000 Tuesday, CHICAGO SPORTS FINAL EDITION
SERIOUS MONKEY BUSINESS IS BREWING;
LEGISLATOR SEEKS BAN ON ANIMALS AS PETS
BY: By Bradley Keoun, Tribune Staff Writer.
Cheetah the squirrel monkey likes to sit atop her cage, sucking
her thumb and watching TV. Sometimes she sits at a desk and
pecks the computer keyboard.
She also likes to push Fisher-Price blocks through correspondingly
shaped square, circular and triangular openings in the lid
of a plastic tub.
"She's like one of my kids," said Des Plaines Ald.
Tom Becker, stroking the 6-pound monkey's peach-colored face
through an opening in the cage.
But Becker's attachment to his pet is threatened by a bill,
expected to be debated Tuesday in Springfield, that would
add "non-human primates" to the categories of pets
banned under the Illinois Dangerous Animals Act. Banned animals
include hyenas and dangerous cats such as lions.
Violators could be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, punishable
by a $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail. More importantly
for owners like Becker, they could be forced to give up their
monkeys to zoos or pounds.
State Rep. Anne Zickus (R-Palos Hills) said she proposed
the measure, which is supported by animal and health officials,
because monkeys are difficult to manage and can suffer mentally
and physically if they don't get proper care. What's more,
the animals can transmit such diseases as herpes, tuberculosis
and hepatitis.
"They have special needs--it's not like a domesticated
dog or cat," said Zickus, who first learned about the
dangers of pet monkeys after speaking with Brookfield Zoo
officials during a legislative luncheon in July.
"The monkey-with-the-organ-grinder days are over,"
said Dan Parmer, administrator of the Cook County Department
of Animal Control. "These animals are supposed to be
in zoos."
Zoos, circuses and research labs must get a permit from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture to keep monkeys. But there
are no licensing or vaccination requirements for monkeys kept
as pets in Illinois.
Other states, including New Jersey, California and Georgia,
have enacted either an outright ban on pet monkeys or imposed
stringent requirements that all but rule out private ownership.
In Florida, inspectors cannot grant permits to monkey owners
until they have inspected the home environment and size of
the cage the pet will inhabit.
Zickus said she has no idea how many pet monkeys there are
in Illinois. But some monkey owners estimate there are hundreds.
Under her proposal, monkey owners would be forced to turn
over their pets to wildlife sanctuaries, animal pounds and
zoos. But there is no guarantee the sanctuaries and zoos would
accept them.
Dennis Pate, Lincoln Park Zoo curator, said zoos rarely take
pet monkeys because their pedigrees are unknown and their
species usually aren't a part of captive breeding programs.
Also, he said, they don't get along well with other zoo animals.
Zickus said she might be willing to allow current monkey
owners to keep their pets.
Pet primates have been a feature of popular culture for years:
Disney's Aladdin had his Abu; the Wonder Twins of Saturday-morning
cartoon fame had Gleek; and Clint Eastwood teamed with a beer-swilling
orangutan, Clyde, in "Every Which Way But Loose."
Yet tales of good pet monkeys gone bad abound. In 1995, a
31-year-old Elgin driver was injured after a pet monkey escaped
from its cage and jumped on her back, forcing her to lose
control of the car. The year before, a pet monkey in Florida
jumped out of a woman's purse and bit the ear of a man dining
in an Italian restaurant.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in
Atlanta, which tracks infectious diseases, doesn't have an
official count of the number of times humans have contracted
illnesses from monkeys.
But health officials point to a 1997 tragedy in which a 22-year-old
worker at a Georgia primate research center died after contracting
a herpes virus from a rhesus monkey. Veterinarians say other
monkey-borne diseases could be similarly lethal.
"Since they're so closely related to humans, there's
a lot of disease transmission, and it goes both ways,"
said Jackie Zdziarski, an associate veterinarian with Brookfield
Zoo.
Phil Snyder, who directs the six-state regional office of
the Humane Society of the United States, which includes Illinois,
said as a field officer in Elkhart, Ind., in 1975 he confiscated
a baboon that its owners had gotten drunk at a party.
"Whoever ends up with them does not know the needs of
these animals, does not know what's needed in terms of the
surroundings, in terms of housing," he said. "It's
not like having a dog in the back yard."
Supporters of pet monkeys say such claims are exaggerated.
Camille Dorian, editor of California-based Monkey Matters
magazine, said most problems come from rhesus monkeys, many
of which are sold to the public by breeders and research laboratories
that have finished with them. Because of the way lab monkeys
are raised, they are more likely to carry certain diseases.
"I don't want you to take away my 2 1/2-pound squirrel
monkey because your 30-pound macaque has a herpes B virus,"
she said.
Matthew and Kathy Anderson of Des Plaines keep six monkeys--three
squirrel monkeys and three capuchins--in two spare bedrooms
of their house. They acknowledge the monkeys are difficult
to manage: They can't take vacations because they have found
no one who can take care of their pets, even for a few days.
They both have scars from scratches they have suffered since
buying their first monkey from a dealer in Missouri in 1989.
Even so, Matthew Anderson said, they would oppose a bill
outlawing their pets: "These animals become attached
to you. It would be a pretty cold person who could have a
pet for 10 years and be able to give them away."
Becker said he called his state representative about the
bill, scheduled to go before the House Agriculture and Conservation
Committee on Tuesday afternoon. He also has not ruled out
going to Springfield.
"She's never actually been around (other) monkeys,"
he said. "She doesn't think she's a monkey. She's one
of the family."
THE PANTAGRAPH (Bloomington, IL.)
February 8, 2000, Tuesday
Zookeeper agrees law should ban pet primates
BY: Associated Press with Pantagraph reports
SPRINGFIELD - Primates would be added to the list of restricted
animals in the state's Dangerous Animals Act, under a bill
sponsored by State Rep. Anne Zickus, R-Palos Hills. A local
animal expert doesn't disagree with the idea.
Animals on the list, such as an exotic cat or poisonous snake,
are considered dangerous and can live only in zoos, research
labs and other controlled environments. John Tobias, director
of Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, said smaller primates may
not be as dangerous as the larger ones, but "in general,
it is not a good idea to keep exotic animals as pets."
People mistakenly believe some animals, such as chimpanzees,
are friendly and harmless. But an adult male chimpanzee can
be bigger than a human and can kill a person. Other larger
primates can "do some serious damage," Tobias said.
"I advocate no primates as pet animals," he said.
Many people bring home an exotic animal or primate as a pet
and do not know how to take care of it, so they call a zoo
to take it in. But if the zoo has no need for that type of
animal, Tobias said, then it cannot take it. "Zoos have
limited spaces," he said.
Many primates and exotic animals are social animals. If they
are raised at home, it can be difficult to introduce the group
atmosphere of a zoo.
On the other hand, Normal Pet Supply Center owner Stan Woelfle
thinks primates could be pets, but there should be a screening
process for customers to determine if they could care for
that pet.
Permit tags, Woelfle said, are required to purchase or sell
an exotic animal or primate. His store does not have a permit
tag.
Woelfle believes animals having diseases is not a valid argument
for not considering them pet-worthy, because the diseased
animals would have been screened out already.
The bill is being considered by a House committee and may
be sent to another committee for approval before it is sent
to the full House.
Zickus said she hopes an amendment could be added to allow
current primate owners to keep their pets.
"I don't want to take anybody's pet away if it's in
a loving environment," she said.
The bill is HB 4067.
San Antonio Express-News
January 19, 2000, Wednesday, METRO
Wild animals not suited as pets
The ultimate gift giver may have endeared himself to his
true love with swans, calling birds, French hens, turtle doves
and a partridge in a pear tree, but experts at the Texas Department
of Health say such living presents can be present serious
problems for the new owners.
"Buying or giving exotic pets such as monkeys, hedgehogs,
prairie dogs, reptiles or other wildlife potentially can be
dangerous to both humans and the animals themselves,"
said veterinarian Jane Mahlow, director of the TDH Zoonosis
Control Division.
These unusual animals can bring with them dangerous, sometimes
deadly diseases.
African pigmy hedgehogs and reptiles such as snakes, lizards,
turtles and iguanas, for instance, carry strains of salmonella
bacteria in their intestines.
Salmonella bacteria do not make the animal sick, but in people
it can cause serious cases of severe diarrhea, fever, vomiting,
abdominal cramps or even death, especially in young children,
the elderly and those with immune-compromised systems.
A person does not have to have direct contact with the reptile
but can get the bacteria from another person who handles the
reptile or household surfaces the animal may have touched.
"Everyone who touches the reptile or its cage should
always wash their hands afterward," Mahlow said. "Also,
the kitchen sink is no place to bathe reptiles or to wash
their dishes, cage or aquarium."
Reptiles should not be allowed to roam around the house, especially
if young children are in the home. Salmonella can live on
furniture and in carpets.
"And reptiles should never be kept in child-care centers,"
Mahlow said.
Monkeys, too, seem irresistible, with their childlike qualities
and humorous antics. But macaques, Asian monkeys including
the rhesus, commonly carry the herpes B virus.
Like salmonella in reptiles, herpes B causes no noticeable
disease in macaques.
But in humans, the virus (also know as monkey B virus or simply
B virus) leads to an illness that can cause death. Monkey
bites are the primary way humans get herpes B virus.
Cute and curious, prairie dogs draw attention to their natural
villages on the Western plains of Texas. But these wild rodents
come from the same area in the state where bubonic plague
is found.
People may become infected by being bitten by fleas on the
prairie dogs that are carrying the plague organism.
"Wild animals are best left in the wild," Mahlow
said. "They can be unpredictable, possibly posing a threat
to people of severe attack. And rabies from wild animals is
always a concern."
And wild animals can face many problems living in captivity.
Most will not live long in an average household. Their diets
are different from domestic pets, and the wrong food can lead
to serious nutritional deficiencies.
Many require as much care and attention as a human infant.
The Tampa Tribune
January 15, 2000, Saturday, FINAL EDITION
Runaway pet monkey mauls neighbor's dog
ROB SHAW, of The Tampa Tribune;
PALM HARBOR - Wildlife officials are on the lookout for an
escaped monkey after a dog is viciously attacked.
Patrick Cambier was walking his dog Friday morning when he
saw his neighbor's monkey in the street.
The next thing he knew, the primate was savagely attacking
Balto, his 11-year-old Siberian husky. "He kept biting
and biting and biting," said Maureen Cambier, who was
not along for the walk. "My husband kept trying to kick
him off. There was blood everywhere."
Finally, Cambier and some others who came to the rescue near
Pop Stansel Park were able to get the spider monkey off the
65-pound dog's body. Balto lay on the sidewalk, bleeding and
going into shock. He was taken to Countryside Animal Hospital,
where he was treated for serious artery and tendon damage.
The monkey, owned by Ann Torke of 632 Sound View Drive, remained
on the loose Friday evening. It normally is housed in a backyard
cage, sheriff's officials said.
Maureen Cambier said it's not the first time the monkey has
slipped out of its cage.
"The monkey has to go," she said. "He needs
to be out of this neighborhood. There are a lot of children
here. He could very easily have attacked one of them."
But animal control officials say they can't seize the monkey
with just one biting incident on another animal. The Torkes
were cited by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,
however, for possession of the monkey without a valid permit.
They had a permit, but it expired last June, said the state
agency's Gary Morris. The couple also was warned for having
unsafe housing conditions resulting in the escape.
Spider monkeys average between 16 and 21 inches in length,
without their long tail included. An average adult would weigh
about 19 pounds. Rob Shaw covers Pinellas County and can be
reached at (727) 799-7413 or rshaw@tampatrib.com
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
January 15, 2000, Saturday
Escaped spider monkey mauls dog
BY: JANE MEINHARDT
PALM HARBOR - Authorities say the monkey was hiding in trees
before it attacked the husky in a Palm Harbor park.
A Siberian husky walking on a leash with its master was badly
injured Friday when it was attacked in Pop Stansell Park by
a spider monkey authorities say escaped from a cage at a nearby
residence.
Pinellas County sheriff's Sgt. Greg Tita said the dog, named
Balto, was bitten severely by the monkey, which remained on
the loose Friday afternoon. The dog had artery and tendon
injuries requiring surgery at Countryside Animal Hospital,
he said.
"It was a savage attack," said Maureen Cambier,
one of Balto's owners. "He was bitten repeatedly and
blood was everywhere. He's been in surgery all day."
The 11-year-old dog is expected to recover, she said, but
may have permanent injuries that could cripple it.
Officials at Countryside Animal Hospital declined to discuss
the dog's injuries.
Mrs. Cambier said her husband, Patrick Cambier, a cardiologist,
was able to stanch the dog's bleeding until he could take
it to the veterinarian for emergency treatment.
Cambier, who was not available to comment Friday, was walking
Balto about 8:30 a.m. when the attack happened in the park
near their house on Soundview Drive. The monkey, named Hanahan,
was hiding in nearby mangroves and attacked the dog, Tita
said.
With help from some neighbors and a contractor's crew working
on a nearby house, the monkey was driven away.
"My husband had to repeatedly kick it," Mrs. Cambier
said. "It would not let go, and it bit his sneaker."
According to Tita, the monkey is owned by Anna Torke, who
lives across the street from the Cambiers. The monkey escaped
from a cage at her house, he said. Torke would not comment
Friday.
"Balto is a family member," Mrs. Cambier said.
"He is very docile and very gentle. He was on a leash
on a public street. This was a hostile monkey. What if it
had been (an attack on) a child?"
Deputies and county Animal Control officers searched for
the monkey Friday. It was last seen heading into mangroves
near the park.
Depending on the species, spider monkeys are 14 to 26 inches
high, with long limbs and a long tail that acts almost like
an extra limb.
Kenny Mitchell, animal control director, said his agency
would investigate circumstances involved in the attack. County
ordinances regarding dangerous animals also can be applied
to monkeys, he said, but attacks by monkeys are rare in Pinellas.
"All monkeys bite if they aren't controlled," Mitchell
said. "They look cute, but they bite a lot and have very
sharp teeth. For their size, they are very powerful."
St. Petersburg Times
14 January 2000, Friday, South Pinellas Edition
St. Petersburg council worries about monkeys
BY KELLY RYAN
Some City Council members and one woman's neighbors want
the exotic pets to be outlawed.
The City Council is ready to wage war against monkey business.
Though the state regulates exotic pets such as the tamarin
monkeys and the lemur living in Causeway Isles, several council
members vowed Thursday to find some way to outlaw the animals
they say pose a health risk.
The city will ask the Pinellas County Health Department to
find out whether the pets could make people sick. The city
will research new zoning rules to keep cages at least 75 feet
from the nearest home.
City leaders also plan to meet with the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission and persuade state regulators
that monkeys don't belong in residential neighborhoods.
"To be honest, I'd say let's quarantine the house and
let them sue us," said council member Larry Williams.
"The answer is get the monkeys out of St. Petersburg."
Since Martha Stewart (not the famous home-decor queen) moved
into her west St. Petersburg neighborhood last summer with
two tamarin monkeys and a lemur, some neighbors have raised
a stink. They are worried about noise, pollution and disease.
But Stewart, a former research biologist and a legal writer,
says her neighbors are spreading lies about the pets and her
treatment of them. She says there is a breed of primates that
can get people sick - but not the ones she has.
She says she has all of the appropriate permits (state officials
confirm she does), she keeps her property and cages immaculate,
and her pets make less noise than her neighbors' dogs.
In tears, Stewart says her pets aren't the problem - the
neighbors are. She said she has been harassed since moving
to St. Petersburg in August; neighbors curse at her, call
police on her and honk their boat horns in the canal behind
her house to torment her animals.
"I've never seen such cruel people, and I am within
the law," said Stewart, 46, who added that stress about
her pets has exacerbated her asthma. "They're lucky I
don't sue them, and I might. This is a personal injury, and
it's slander."
City Council member Robert Kersteen, whose district includes
Causeway Isles, has never spoken to Stewart. But he said he
believes the concerns of her neighbors, who have contacted
state regulators and lobbied council members.
"It's noisy; it's outrageous," said Lynn Zirkle,
who lives across the canal from Stewart. "If someone
gets bit, there will be lawsuits. It's just not the place
to raise monkeys."
On Thursday, Kersteen went to City Hall with a videotape
of the Nov. 17 20/20 news magazine program, which a council
subcommittee viewed. The video stoked the council's concerns.
During the program, a reporter described people getting infected
from monkeys carrying herpes B, tuberculosis, hepatitis and
other diseases. Some species of monkeys, which are becoming
more popular as pets, were described as an "emerging
public health threat."
"I'm really concerned from a communicable disease standpoint,"
said council member Rene Flowers. "This is dangerous."
An official with the Bureau of State Epidemiology has told
the St. Petersburg Times that macaques can carry herpes, but
that tamarins and lemurs do not. They also do not carry HIV,
the official said.
The city has tried before to regulate exotic pets - in 1986,
it was cougars. But a court struck down the city's rules,
saying the city has no authority to regulate wildlife.
Council members remain undeterred. They said the primate
problem is too big "Kersteen called it an "emergency")
to ignore.
But Stewart thinks the city's panic is silly and a waste
of taxpayers' resources. "That's absurd," Stewart
said.
Des Moines Register
January 8, 2000 Saturday
Wayward monkey heading for a new home
BY: Jeff Eckhoff
The unfortunate incarceration of a rhesus macaque monkey
comes to an end today.
Nicky, held by Des Moines Animal Control officers since before
Thanksgiving, is scheduled to depart for a new Kentucky home
at 8 a.m.
Police Sgt. David Huberty said the monkey, which was found
wandering in a north-side neighborhood Nov. 23, will be driven
to Chicago by Tom Colvin of the local Animal Rescue League.
There, Colvin will turn the monkey over to officials of the
Primate Rescue Center Inc., a Nicholasville, Ky.-based organization
that has been trying to adopt Nicky for weeks.
Huberty said regulations forced Animal Control to keep the
monkey locked up. "The problem is we can't release it
without a health certificate," Huberty said. "They're
carriers of various diseases."
The first blood sample got lost during shipping to a lab
in Texas. A second came back clean. By that time, however,
the monkey had bitten an animal control worker, forcing a
12-day quarantine.
April Truitt, founder of the primate center, was one of several
people who offered to take the rhesus. Des Moines Mayor Preston
Daniels said he received several pleas on the monkey's behalf,
and he's happy to have Nicky off his back.
"I'm getting monkey letters from PETA. I'm getting monkey
letters from somebody up at Iowa State. . . " Daniels
said. "I just want the monkey gone."
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
July 05, 2000, Wednesday
Monkey owner found dead at home
BY: JON WILSON
ST. PETERSBURG -- Some blame Martha Stewart's suicide on
neighborhood complaints about her pet monkeys she kept at
her home. "She felt her neighbors didn't like her anymore."
Martha Stewart's monkeys have been taken elsewhere and her
ashes, as she requested, will be scattered over water.
The 47-year-old Causeway Isles resident, whose lemur and
two tamarin monkeys upset neighbors and brought City Hall
attention, was found dead at home on June 13.
The medical examiner's officer ruled the death a gunshot
suicide. Police found a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver,
according to reports.
"She felt her neighbors didn't like her anymore,"
said City Council member Bob Kersteen, who represents the
Causeway Isles neighborhood.
Newspaper and television reports featured Stewart and her
pets last year soon after she moved into the trim house at
7949 Fourth Ave. S. Neighbors said they were concerned about
the animals' noise and diseases they might spread.
The controversy came before the City Council, which asked
the city staff to find a way to ban the animals.
But that proved to be difficult because state regulations
governed Stewart's animals - and a state wildlife officer
said she was within the law.
Authorities were not poised to take Stewart's animals. No
city action was pending.
"There was nothing threatening her animals," said
Mark Winn, senior assistant city attorney.
Stewart had complained to the media, friends and relatives
about neighbors harassing her. "She couldn't even go
out in her front yard," said her sister Kathryn Jachna.
There were signs Stewart was about to put the situation behind
her.
Kersteen said he believed Stewart, who had degrees in law,
marine science and ornithology, was planning to move out of
the neighborhood.
A friend had removed the monkeys, then returned the next
day to get the cages and discovered Stewart's body, said Jachna.
Jachna said she did not know her sister had a gun, nor, said
Kersteen, did anyone in St. Petersburg.
"It's unfortunate when something like this happens,"
Kersteen said. "I don't feel good about it. It pains
me."
Jachna said Stewart left no note, "but she left a lot
of papers concerning the neighbors."
Lynn Zirkle was one of Stewart's neighbors. "It's a
shame the lady killed herself," he said, adding that
animal regulation remains a concern.
"Even though the monkeys are gone out of my neighborhood,
it's still a problem in the city," he said. "We
can't drop it now just because these are gone."
The Des Moines Register
December 28, 1999, Tuesday
Monkey adoption delayed: 'Nicky' nipped a handler, leading
to a quarantine, but now his chances look good.
By TOM ALEX, Register Staff Writer
Attempts by Des Moines animal control officers to place a
runaway monkey in a good home have been beset by bad luck,
health concerns and a nip to a handler by the animal in question.
After more than a month, the monkey who was swinging around
a north-side neighborhood is on the fast track to adoption.
"We don't want to keep him one day longer than we have
to," said Des Moines police Sgt. David Huberty. "My
goal is to find the best place for him and get rid of him
as fast as we can."
Groups and individuals have expressed interest in adopting
the monkey, including the Primate Rescue Center Inc. of Nicholasville,
Ky.
April Truitt, founder of the rescue center, has been trying
to adopt the monkey but as one obstacle after another stalled
adoption, she wrote a letter to Des Moines Mayor Preston Daniels,
pleading for help. She wrote that she had learned the monkey
had bitten a handler, was in quarantine for 12 days, and at
the end of that time might be euthanized as a "vicious
animal."
Huberty said animal control officers never planned to destroy
the animal unless it presented a clear health risk. Adoption
procedures stalled when officials learned the monkey, named
Nicky by an animal control employee, was not a South American
spider monkey but instead a rhesus macaque, which can carry
the fatal herpes B virus.
Huberty said a blood sample from the monkey was sent to a
laboratory for analysis. That sample was lost during shipping.
A second sample made it to the lab and the little macaque
was given a clean bill of health.
About the same time, the monkey bit a handler when its leash
became tangled. The mandatory quarantine followed.
"We have several groups or individuals who would like
to have the monkey," Huberty said. "Before we give
it to one of them we have to have a health certificate, they
have to be aware of the risks and they will have to show proof
of insurance in case something would happen."
Truitt hopes to welcome Nicky to the Primate Rescue Center,
which has 11 chimpanzees and 35 monkeys. The center already
has the insurance necessary to fulfill legal obligations,
Truitt said.
Nicky was found Nov. 23 running around the 1800 block of
Allison Avenue. " We still don't know whom it belonged
to," Huberty said.
Nicky apparently had been living in a garage. "No one
has come forward to claim it." That's not surprising,
because a monkey is an illegal animal under city code.
The Capital (Annapolis, MD.)
December 27, 1999, Monday
Man loses appeal to keep monkey
BY: By BRIAN M. SCHLETER Staff Writer
A Glen Burnie man whose pet monkey was taken by the county
after it bit a woman in a local bar has lost an appeal seeking
custody of the animal.
The county Board of Appeals voted 4-2 earlier this month
not to return Jamie the macaque monkey to his owner, Steven
Ritterspach, and his family. Jamie was taken from the Ritterspachs
in April fo lowing the biting incident at the Speak Easy Bar
in Glen Burnie. The Ritterspachs appeared before the board
Dec. 1 and told board members they deserved a second chance
because they weren't educated on how to care for a pet monkey
when they lost Jamie.
But Assistant County Attorney Sally Iliff argued that Mr.
Ritterspach had a history of abusing second chances granted
him by county Animal Control in previous biting and scratching
cases.
Board of Appeals members could not comment on the decision
be cause the case is still open, Chair man Anthony Lamartina
said.
Once the board issues a written decision, the Ritterspachs
will have 30 days to appeal in court. The monkey is being
kept in a Howard County animal shelter.
Mr. Ritterspach could not be reached for comment.
Animal Control officers seized Jamie following Mr. Ritterspach's
April 3 arrest on charges of assault and disorderly conduct.
Mr. Ritterspach and his wife, Kimberly, stopped at the bar
for a drink after attending a party with their monkey. Mr.
Ritterspach was arrested for his role in a fight that erupted
when a woman he didn't know tried to take Jamie off his wife's
shoulder, he said at the Board of Appeals hearing.
A District Court judge acquitted him on three counts of assault
Dec. 1, but Mr. Ritterspach was found guilty of reckless endangerment,
according to court records.
District Judge David Bruce or ordered Mr. Ritterspach to
pay a $1,000 fine and suspended a sixmonth jail sentence.
Judge Bruce also placed Mr. Ritterspach on probation until
February 2008, said Kristin Riggin, a spokesman for the State's
Attorney's Office.
Mr. Ritterspach will return to District Court Jan. 24 to
answer to a charge of "monkey being a public nuisance."
He was previously found guilty on Nov. 15 of failure to confine
a vicious animal, a misdemeanor.
THE BALTIMORE SUN
December 23, 1999, Thursday, ARUNDEL
Owners denied custody of pet monkey; Couple vows to keep
fighting
for primate that nipped people
Andrea F. Siegel
Jamie won't be home for Christmas -- or maybe not ever again.
The male macaque, blamed for inflicting minor injuries on
several people and igniting a barroom brawl, will not be returned
to his Glen Burnie owners, the Anne Arundel County Board of
Appeals has decided.
But the owners, Steven and Kimberly Ritterspach, vowed yesterday
to challenge the ruling in Circuit Court. "I won't let
this end," said Steven Ritterspach, noting that he has
spent $20,000 on efforts to regain custody of the pet monkey
that was seized and relocated by Anne Arundel animal control
officials to a wildlife refuge in Howard County. "We
won't give up fighting for him. We love him, and we want him
back."
The board voted 4-2, with one member not participating in
the case, against giving the couple another chance to better
control the 9- pound primate alleged to have nipped and scratched
seven people. A written opinion by the board is due within
a month.
Jamie was removed from the Ritterspach home after biting
a woman on the lip in a Glen Burnie bar -- an incident that
occurred after animal control officials had ordered the couple
to keep the monkey away from the public.
That incident, at the Speak-Easy- Inn, led to a fight and
police filing misdemeanor criminal charges against Ritterspach.
Two weeks ago, Ritterspach was found not guilty of most charges,
but convicted of recklessly endangering other people, fined
$1,000, and given a six-month suspended sentence.
Ritterspach said he and his wife, who bottle-fed Jamie from
infancy and allowed him to sleep in their bed, were devastated
by the decision. Though county law would not bar them from
getting a new monkey, they have been fighting to regain custody
of Jamie for eight months because they consider him part of
their family, he said.
The couple bought the monkey in 1997, after their prematurely
born infant died. Ritterspach said that while a pet is not
a replacement for a child, taking care of the monkey helped
Kimberly Ritterspach deal with the loss of the infant and
two others since.
The loss of Jamie has left his wife depressed, he said. "It
gives you love and you love it back, and to have it taken
from you is more than my wife and I can handle."
The board's vote, finalized this week, upholds a finding
by animal control officials, who said that the primate is
a public menace, and that its owners disregarded warnings
to keep it under control.
Fined three times in less than a year, the couple has challenged
each penalty, once with success and once without; the third
is pending.
"They are not responsible enough to control an animal
that is a danger to the public," said Sarah M. Iliff,
the assistant county attorney who represented animal control
officials.
Testimony at the Board of Appeals hearing, including that
of a Baltimore Zoo veterinarian, indicated that macaques are
aggressive and can carry diseases that are potentially fatal
to humans.
Responsibility for the macaque rests with Tahira Shane Thomas,
animal control administrator, who said she is inclined to
let the 2-year-old monkey stay where it has resided since
April, at Frisky's Wildlife and Primate Refuge in Woodstock.
THE DAILY OKLAHOMAN
December 22, 1999, Wednesday CITY EDITION
Exotic animal law altered New macaques still not allowed
Jack Money, Staff Writer
Oklahoma City Council members adopted numerous changes to
the city's exotic animal law Tuesday, but would not relent
on a continued ban against any new macaques within the community.
Instead, the council allowed four such monkeys already within
the city to stay, provided their owners comply with the law
and license them.
Other amendments made to the law Tuesday were to:
Delete the requirement for tuberculosis tests in all allowed
monkeys, and delete Herpes B testing requirements for "new
world monkeys, including capuchins, marmosets, tamarinds and
squirrel monkeys. Also, extended time to license the animals
to March 1.
Exempt testing for young monkeys kept by a licensed breeder.
Exempt testing for monkeys if a private veterinarian certifies
the animal doesn't represent a health problem.
Reduce the licensing fee for breeders from $ 500 to $ 100.
Most of Tuesday's debate again focused on whether macaques
should be allowed within the city.
The discussion, which lasted more than an hour, even included
a segment from a broadcast news magazine about the monkeys
and the debate they spawn.
While monkey lovers and veterinarians maintain there has
never been a documented case where a macaque has transmitted
a disease to someone within the general public, council members
worried that many of the macaques making their way into private
ownership are from labs and zoos.
"Once these animals are out there, it is hard to document
where they came from," said Ward 2 Councilwoman Amy Brooks,
who met with monkey lovers to craft the compromise allowing
the city's four resident macaques to remain.
"If somebody wants a monkey, why can't they get a new
world monkey?" Brooks asked. "We are allowing the
new world monkeys. Why do they have to get a macaque?
"This will prevent any potential dangerous animals from
coming into the community," she said.
The law changes approved by the council Tuesday also lengthened
the time allowed for big cat owners to register their animals
with the city to Feb. 15.
Assistant City Manager Kathie Wrights said the additional
time for big cats registrations stems from changes in how
the city wants the animals to be documented.
Wrights said owners will have to put identity microchips
into the animals, provide the city with two color photographs
of the animals, and get written consent from abutting homeowners
to prove the animals are welcome.
Council members decided during an earlier debate to allow
city residents to own lions, tigers, leopards, panthers, cougars,
bobcats, ocelots, cheetahs, margays, mountain lions, lynxes,
jaguars and jaguarundi, but only if certain conditions are
met.
They can only keep one big cat and only on properties that
are at least five acres in size.
Chicago Tribune
December 3, 1999 Friday, FINAL EDITION
VIRUS-POSITIVE MONKEYS WILL BE MOVED
BY: From Tribune News Services.
EVANSVILLE, INDIANA --Six monkeys that tested positive for
a virus that is potentially deadly to humans will be moved
in January from their home at an Evansville zoo to a Texas
research facility.
Ron Young, director of the Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic
Garden, said the lion-tailed macaque monkeys will be on "permanent
loan" to the National Center for Retired Research Primates
in Helotes, Texas.
On Oct. 3, one of the monkeys bit a child who crossed barriers
at the zoo and stuck a hand in the monkey exhibit. All six
monkeys in the exhibit later tested positive for the herpes
B simian virus. If transmitted to a human, it can cause encephalitis.
The Dallas Morning News
November 27, 1999, Saturday THIRD EDITION
Capuchin caper;
Couple wants Euless to amend law so they can keep their pet
monkey
BY: Tiara M. Ellis
EULESS - When Teresa Luque took Precious along on the search
for her lost parrot, she didn't expect the city's animal control
officials to tell her she couldn't keep her beloved pet.
Oh, she could keep the parrot. But Precious, a baby monkey,
is classified by city ordinance as an exotic animal and is
therefore an illegal pet in Euless.
Mrs. Luque and her husband, Terry, are asking the city to
amend the regulations so they can keep the capuchin.
"She's our baby," Mrs. Luque said while showing
off photographs of the 7-month-old primate before a City Council
meeting Tuesday. "We've raised her, and she is our child."
The council made no immediate decision but considered arguments
on both sides. Randy Byers, the city's director of public
works, said the ban was established to protect people from
the diseases and aggressive nature of many exotic animals.
"Any time we talk about pets, it becomes a very emotional
issue," Mr. Byers said.
"But studies show that when monkeys enter their adolescent
years, they become more aggressive. Sort of like a teenage
boy," Mr. Byers joked.
The Luques said capuchins are no danger to Euless residents.
Mr. Luque said monkeys have been used to assist people who
have multiple sclerosis or other movement-hindering diseases.
"If the United States government thought [monkeys] were
a danger, they would not have backed this program," he
said.
"This shows that not all primates are a threat to mankind
or a threat to neighbors," said Mr. Luque. "It shows
that there are certain monkeys that, in the eyes of the government
and the eyes of the doctors, are not a threat."
The Luques acknowledged that Precious has bitten one person.
A couple of weeks after animal control officials informed
Mrs. Luque that monkeys were not permitted in the city, Precious
bit an elderly woman who had invited the couple to her home
so her grandchildren could see the monkey, Mr. Luque said.
Mrs. Luque said the woman's oxygen mouthpiece scared Precious
and incited her to bite the woman. The Luques said Precious
has had all of the shots required by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
The Luques and Mr. Byers presented opposing information on
whether monkeys could spread disease.
Mr. Byers said the sources cited by Mr. Luque either breed
monkeys or have some other self-serving interest in the issue.
The public works director said the information he gathered
came from doctors and veterinarians who would gain nothing
by the way they described monkeys.
Mr. Byers added that the city had to deal with a similar
case almost a year ago. A resident had a spider monkey that
was taken to an elementary school, where it bit a child. That
resident lived in an apartment and chose to relocate, said
Mr. Byers.
The Luques bought their home in Euless earlier this year
and want to stay with their monkey, said Mr. Luque. "We
like this area," he said. "We like our neighbors.
We want Precious to live here with us."
Precious lives in her own room in the Luques' home. She even
has her own toys and outfits.
"We don't want to move. But if we can't stay here with
Precious, we'll have to move to Arlington, Irving or Colleyville,"
Mrs. Luque said, indicating three of the surrounding cities
that allow certain monkeys within their city limits.
Euless council members may decide the issue as early as Dec.
14.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
November 27, 1999, Saturday FINAL EDITION
Monkeyshines Euless officials face a tough decision about
a pet primate.
You'd have to be a pretty hard-hearted person not to have
a lot of sympathy for Teresa and Terry Luque. All the Euless
residents want is permission from the city to keep Precious,
a 7-month-old capuchin monkey, in their home. Sympathy, of
course. But change the city ordinance that bans primates as
pets in Euless? No.
Precious is oh-so-cute. She's a tiny thing that drinks baby
formula from a bottle. She plays with her toys and even wears
earrings and dresses. The Luques say that she poses no more
of hazard than a dog or a cat.
But city animal-control officials say otherwise. They say
that monkeys can pose health and safety problems for the rest
of the community, that they can be aggressive and that they
shouldn't be allowed as pets.
And some animal experts agree. Courtney Grafa, a spokeswoman
at the Fort Worth Zoo, says that primates just don't make
good pets because they are unpredictable in their behavior
and prefer outdoor areas where they can move and swing.
Euless officials discovered that Precious was in town after
she bit an elderly woman. The Luques point out that cats and
dogs bite, too.
Of the communities near Euless, only Irving and Arlington
allow monkeys as pets. The Luques say that they will move
out of town if they can't keep Precious in their Euless home.
City Council members, who have been briefed on the Precious
problem, face a hard-hearted decision. But they should not
change their monkey ordinance.
Show: 20/20 Date: November 17, 1999
CO-HOSTS: Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson
DIANE SAWYER: Tonight, 20/20 exposes a frightening practice.
Monkeys, some infected with dangerous viruses, released by
research labs and zoos, and sold by free-wheeling dealers
as harmless pets.
Mr. RICHARD FARINATO: People think of them as babies in fur
coats. And they're anything but.
SAWYER: Exposure to an infected monkey killed this 22-year-old
lab worker in just six weeks. The same breed, kept as a pet,
attacked this little girl when its owner brought the monkey
to a campground.
Ms. ASHLEE BOLWAR: Then the monkey jumped on my leg and just
bit me.
SAWYER: Is a pet owner in your neighborhood harboring a cute
little killer?
Chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross uncovers a disturbing
trade in potentially dangerous animals, Monkey Business.
MONKEY BUSINESS
DIANE SAWYER: Good evening, and welcome to 20/20 WEDNESDAY.
Charlie and I are so happy to have you joining us tonight.
We're going to begin with a potential source of disease which
could be moving into your neighborhood, and we suspect it's
one you've never heard about before. More and more people
are getting monkeys as pets, and, in most cases, it's perfectly
legal to buy a monkey or to keep one at home.
CHARLES GIBSON: But the question is, where do these exotic
pets come from? As you're about to see, our chief investigative
correspondent Brian Ross has uncovered the surprising and
disturbing source of a growing number of pet monkeys and what
might be a very real danger behind those big, brown eyes.
Unidentified Woman #1: I've always wanted a monkey, ever since
I was a little girl.
Unidentified Woman #2: They do everything with us. They go
away with us.
Unidentified Woman #3: Can't help but love 'em. Just like
having a little baby.
Unidentified Woman #4: I can't imagine somebody being without
a monkey.
Mr. RICHARD FARINATO: They are dressed up. They are made into
little human beings. People think of them as babies in fur
coats, and they are anything but.
BRIAN ROSS reporting: (Voiceover) Richard Farinato loves animals,
but what he doesn't love, as a former zoo curator and now
working for the Humane Society of the United States, is what
he says is going on in the monkey trade, the business of monkeys.
A booming business, as 20/20 found in a four-month undercover
investigation.
(Richard Farinato working)
Unidentified Man #1: Usually, I get $1,500 for the males,
if they specify female, $1,800.
ROSS: (Voiceover) With potentially infected monkeys, often
right out of the country's research labs and zoos, ending
up in the hands of dealers like this man in Tennessee, who
offer them as pets for thousands of dollars.
(Dean Olinger in shop)
Mr. DEAN OLINGER: Deposits are nonrefundable.
ROSS: (Voiceover) With scant attention paid to health risks
and few laws to stop it.
(Olinger in office)
Mr. FARINATO: Every time you touch that animal, take the animal
out on a leash, hold the monkey in your arm, show him to the
kid next door, this is dangerous stuff, whether it's physical
injury or whether it's disease transmission.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Yet they are often advertised as diaper-wearing
and bottle-fed, perfect for couples who want a new baby.
(Monkeys in diapers; monkeys with pacifiers)
Unidentified Woman #5: He's part of our family. He's not really
a pet.
Unidentified Woman #6: This is my late-life child.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Including, incredibly, the species of monkey
known as the macaque, like these two, all possible carriers
of a fast-moving and usually fatal virus called herpes B.
It is the very kind of monkey that led to the death two years
ago of a 22-year-old researcher at Emory University, Beth
Griffin, who died just six weeks after she was splashed in
the eye with body fluid from a macaque. In research labs,
particularly since Beth Griffin's death, anyone getting anywhere
near macaques is trained to wear extensive protective clothing
and plastic face shields.
(Monkeys; photo of Beth Griffin; research laboratory; monkeys
in laboratory cages)
Unidentified Offscreen Voice: (From research lab training
video) Treat all macaques as if they were herpes B-positive.
ROSS: (Voiceover) None of those precautions could be seen
at this picnic thrown by monkey owners in Florida, where people
were kissing and sharing drinks with their macaques. These
pet owners say their macaques have tested virus-free, but
experts warn the virus can appear at anytime, even in monkeys
once tested tested as virus-free.
(Monkey picnic)
Unidentified Man #2: No matter how you treat them, they will
always turn to you for affection and love. It's something
I guess every human wants to have throughout their entire
life.
ROSS: (Voiceover) To date, there have been 29 known deaths
from macaques and herpes B, all involving laboratory workers,
and scientists at the Centers for Disease Control say the
growing trade in macaques as pets in the last few years constitutes
an emerging public health threat.
(Monkeys at picnic; CDC statement)
Dr. MIRA LESLIE: Macaques, actually, are the most common monkey
that's sold in Arizona and probably throughout the United
States. They're very commonly bred and sold in the pet trade.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Dr. Mira Leslie, the state veterinarian
in Arizona, has spent the last three years pushing for a law
to get pet monkeys banned altogether because of so many close
calls.
(Dr. Mira Leslie working)
Dr. LESLIE: There are all kinds of different public locations
where people have been bitten, a busy shopping mall at Christmas,
a health club, a campground.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Almost half of the victims were children,
the most recent, 8-year-old Ashlee Bolwar, bitten this summer
by a pigtail macaque whose owner brought it to a popular state
campground.
(Ashlee Bolwar in swiming pool)
Ms. ASHLEY BOLWAR: We were looking for crawdads, and we were
just playing around, looking for them. And then the monkey
jumped on my leg and just bit me.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Ashlee's parents, Karen and Andy Bolwar,
first thought of rabies. But what the state vet told them
was much worse.
(Karen and Andy Bolwar at home)
Ms. KAREN BOLWAR: She had told me how bad the herpes B was.
And she had told me that there was a 70% mortality rate. And
my heart just sank.
ROSS: (Voiceover) The Bolwars were lucky. The monkey that
bit Ashlee wasn't shedding the herpes B virus on that particular
day, as often happens, but it was a terrible two weeks before
their daughter tested virus-free.
(Bolwar family walking)
Mr. ANDY BOLWAR: I mean, I went to bed every night crying.
I mean, I lost five pounds in two days from the stress. I
mean, it was horrible.
ROSS: (Voiceover) And the same horrible wait has just ended
for another set of parents in Evansville, Indiana, where last
month, a child visiting the zoo stuck his hand in a cage and
was bitten by one of six macaques. The monkeys, since placed
in a cage with a Plexiglas shield, all tested positive for
herpes B, although the child has not.
(Aerial photo of Evansville; zoo; monkeys in cage at zoo)
Dr. LESLIE: When you have a disease that's that fatal, you
just don't mess around.
ROSS: (Voiceover) And Dr. Leslie says the concern goes far
beyond just the macaques and the herpes-B virus, that virtually
all monkeys pose a serious health risk.
(Dr. Leslie working)
Dr. LESLIE: There are poxviruses, herpesviruses, salmonella,
lots of parasitic diseases, hepatitis, tuberculosis. There
are all kinds of diseases, a much longer list than with any
other animal.
ROSS: This woman has been trying to keep secret the fact that
an exotic monkey, a spider monkey, bit her.
(Unidentified woman in home)
Unidentified Woman #6: The spots started coming up right after.
ROSS: She has symptoms that her doctors in a small midwestern
town cannot diagnose, repeated outbreaks of something that
appears to be, but is not, chicken pox.
Woman #6: It liquefies the muscle and the flesh, and they
have to drain all that out.
ROSS: (Voiceover) All from one monkey bite.
(Unidentified woman in interview)
Mr. FARINATO: We see animals now out there that we never saw
before.
ROSS: And according to Richard Farinato at the Humane Society,
the trade in exotic monkeys is being fueled by the country's
zoos and university research centers, whose surplus monkeys
have ended up in the hands of unscrupulous dealers and brokers.
(Farinato and Ross walking)
ROSS: You worked in zoos.
Mr. FARINATO: Uh-huh.
ROSS: Did you see this firsthand?
Mr. FARINATO: I did it firsthand.
ROSS: You did it?
Mr. FARINATO: When we had too many animals, especially excess
males that wouldn't get along, we had to place them. We had
to move them out of the zoo.
So out the door the animal goes. And in most cases, where
it's going to end up is in the trade.
ROSS: So you point your finger right at the zoos and the research
labs.
Mr. FARINATO: You have to. There's no other way that these
animals would be out there.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Federal authorities say animals have come
from some of the most prestigious zoos and universities, including
Tulane University in Louisiana, now the subject of a federal
grand jury investigation into how dozens of potentially dangerous
and highly endangered research monkeys from their labs ended
up in the pet trade.
(Monkeys in holding area; Tulane sign)
Mr. FARINATO: Tulane was the importing institution. Tulane
said they wanted these animals. Tulane said they were going
to use these animals and needed these animals. Simple ownership
responsibility.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Tulane says it thought its monkeys were
just going to a private zoo and a wildlife preserve, not the
pet trade. But going undercover, 20/20 tracked some of the
monkeys to the small town of Lebanon, Tennessee, and something
called the Worldwide Exotics Wildlife Center, run by a convicted
felon, this man, Dean Olinger, who provided a fascinating
insight into how the monkey trade works. The monkeys from
Tulane are called white-crowned mangabeys, a breed that can
carry a monkey virus similar to HIV, something of great concern
to public health officials. The mangabeys are so rare that
there's only one in an accredited zoo in all of North America.
But Olinger has at least nine of them.
(Brian Ross driving; Olinger at work; Olinger showing monkeys)
Mr. OLINGER: These mangabeys right here, 99% of the people
in the United States will never see them.
ROSS: (Voiceover) In a cage in the rear of Olinger's property,
we could actually see the identifying tattoo Tulane researchers
had put on one of the mangabeys, number L688. That matched
up with documents obtained by 20/20, an official roster of
some 150 mangabeys, including L688, all imported by Tulane
from Africa under a special exemption allowing endangered
monkeys to be used only for research projects.
(Caged monkey; Tulane documents; caged monkey)
Unidentified Woman #8: Hi, Nikita.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Now, after moving from one dealer to another,
their offspring for sale in Tennessee for $4,500, and the
only law against doesn't involve health risks, but the fact
that the monkeys are an endangered species.
(Monkey playing; Olinger at home)
Mr. OLINGER: The problem is, that, you know, I need to sell
to somebody in state.
ROSS: (Voiceover) It's illegal to sell an endangered monkey
across state lines.
But when a 20/20 producer, answering an ad Olinger had placed
made it clear that she lived in New York and would be taking
the monkey back to New York, Olinger told us he could find
a way for us to acquire a mangabey he called Nikita, but only
after making sure his visitors were not federal agents.
(Olinger at home)
Mr. OLINGER: Neither one of you are affiliated with any law
enforcement agency anywhere, right?
Unidentified 20/20 Producer: Right.
Mr. OLINGER: You don't work for the feds?
20/20 Producer: No.
Mr. OLINGER: You're not undercover?
20/20 Producer: We're not with any law enforcement agencies.
Mr. OLINGER: You just want a pet monkey?
20/20 Producer: Right.
Mr. OLINGER: OK, we can work out a donation thing on Nikita.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Olinger has set up his monkey business as
a nonprofit corporation and said he would call the sale of
Nikita a donation. He said our $500 downpayment for the so-called
"donation" was not refundable.
(Olinger at home speaking to 20/20 producers)
Mr. OLINGER: Put it down over there.
ROSS: (Voiceover) And while Olinger accepted our money, he
would not touch it, reciting in detail the federal law on
endangered animals.
(Olinger speaking with 20/20 producers)
Mr. OLINGER: There's this thing called the Lacey Act.
20/20 Agent: Lacey?
Mr. OLINGER: Yeah, and if you violate the Lacey Act, it's
just point-blank, you're in the penitentiary. It's all said
and done. They don't screw with you. They come get you. You
go to jail and you live there.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Having said that, Olinger then described
how to make it appear our transaction was not a sale, but
just a donation between friends.
(Olinger speaking with 20/20 producers)
Mr. OLINGER: You and I have known each other for years. We're
good friends.
And you've been thinking about getting primates ever since
you've known me.
And I think you deserve something like this. You're dealing
with an animal that's very highly endangered and they'll just,
they'll burn you on it. That's why these had to be donated.
ROSS: What do you make of that?
(Voiceover) Richard Farinato of the Humane Society says none
of this would be happening if Tulane and other research labs
and zoos made sure who they were dealing with before turning
over their rare and potentially dangerous monkeys.
(Farinato in interview)
Mr. FARINATO: They went out the door of the facility that
had imported them, that knew what they had, a rare breed of
monkey, and they simply disposed of them. And now those animals
are out in the trade. It's a perfect direct example.
ROSS: (Voiceover) Officials at Tulane declined to appear in
this report, but in a brief statement to 20/20, Tulane said
it had followed all federal and state laws. We never did complete
our "deal" for the monkey, forfeiting our deposit.
And when we went back to Tennessee to ask Dean Olinger about
it, he declined to talk with us.
(Tulane statement; outside Worldwide Exotic Wildlife Center;
Olinger being harassed by Ross)
ROSS: I want to show you a tape of that, if I could. Is that
possible?
Mr. OLINGER: No, no.
ROSS: Why don't you talk to us, sir?
(Voiceover) Olinger later called the police to order us off
the property and then pelted us with rocks as we attempted
to take pictures over the fence.
(Police harassing Ross; Olinger throwing rocks)
ROSS: You're gonna hurt somebody!
Mr. FARINATO: A gold mine for those individuals that want
to take advantage of it, and there's nothing to stop them.
It's almost that we have to reach a threshold of injury, disease,
death of humans, as well as animals suffering, before somebody
turns around and says, `We need to do something about this.'
GIBSON: Nobody knows for certain, but there are estimates
that, right now, thousands of monkeys are being kept as pets
in this country. In Arizona, there is pending legislation
to restrict the sale of monkeys, and a number of other jurisdictions
have already enacted similar laws. We'll be right back.
(Announcements - End of Segment)
Africa News
November 11, 1999
Rogue Monkey Bites Tanzanian School Children
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - A pet monkey ran amok and
twice invaded a Dar Es Salaam elementary school, terribly
scaring the pupils and biting three of them. The incident
took place Tuesday at the City Academy close to the University
of Dar Es Salaam, some 12 km from the city centre. Eyewitnesses
said a seemingly deranged small brown monkey first leaped
into a classroom of Grade 1 at around 12 noon through an open
window and attacked
six-year-old George Mwakyembe, the son of a lecturer at the
university.
It was immediately driven out by the screaming class but
reappeared three hours later and burst into the same classroom
again. This time it attacked Ayub Hosea and Sweet Muro, aged
seven and five, respectively.
One of the school's teachers, who declined to be identified,
said the monkey was being kept as a pet by a senior army officer
living close to the school.
The kids sustained injuries in their arms and legs.
They were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment and inoculation
against possible monkey disease infection. The incident was
reported to the police. Owners of the school and the parents
have threatened to take the monkey's owner to court.
Although Tanzanian law generally prohibits keeping wildlife
as pet, some people, particularly in rural areas, domesticate
monkeys.
The San Francisco Examiner
November 5, 1999, Friday; Second Edition
Pets suffering through Net craze: Illegal animal sales
BY: JANE KAY
A young man walked into the Peninsula Humane Society in San
Mateo two weeks ago, holding a shoe box. Inside was a tiny
tree-dwelling monkey no bigger than his hand, a South American
pygmy marmoset.
Just like buying a pair of shoes, the man's girlfriend had
purchased the baby primate as a novelty on the Internet.
The marmoset, quiet and cold, had started to fail, and the
man was desperately trying to save its life. Humane Society
official swarmed and fed the wild monkey, which is illegal
to possess in California, and this weekend will send it to
a Texas primate sanctuary.
Dr. Kari Pettit, the Peninsula Humane Society's staff veterinarian,
along with other animal protection experts, say the young
marmoset, which has been named Chichica, is just one more
example of the growing problem of illegal Internet trafficking
in live animals and parts of dead endangered species.
"It's unfortunate that people are able to get these
animals," Pettit said. "We see everything from water
dragons to snakes to chameleons to exotic birds."
More than 1,000 Internet sites, some under the phrase "animals
for sale", offer to sell, give care advice or, covertly,
provide chat rooms where buyers and sellers can haggle over
price, according to Connecticut- based Friends of Animals.
Just last week Pettit read a woman's chat room query for
marmoset breeders and potential sellers. "It was horrendous,"
she said. Monkeys, she added, make horrible pets.
"They can't be housebroken," she said. "They're
like a 2-year-old. They require 24-hour care. You just can't
lock them in a cage."
At the Humane Society, the marmoset has grown to 3 ounces
in weight and 5 inches in length. Over the weekend, a volunteer
will take it to the Texas sanctuary.
"We gave her fluids, and she just devoured them,"
said Pettit, who has worked in Uganda with African primates.
"Most people feed them fruits and vegetables when they
need more protein. In the wild, they eat crickets and other
insects as well as fruit. They eat a lot of sap."
People don't understand that these monkeys need a great deal
of social stimulation, she said.
"Usually, babies stay with their mother for two years.
They're constantly clinging. They need to learn from their
moms and other animals in the group. Who knows what had happened
to her in her past. We don't know what she's been through."
In California, it is against the law to import any of a long
list of animals. The list includes both wild and domestic
animals, including primates, prairie dogs, hedgehogs and ferrets.
Violating the law is a misdemeanor offense carrying a penalty
of up to $ 1,000 and one year in jail.
The young woman who bought the marmoset won't be prosecuted.
The Humane Society is keeping her identity confidential out
of concern that releasing her name might discourage others
from bringing in animals that need help.
Meanwhile, state animal protection agencies are grappling
with how to deal with animal trafficking on the Internet.
"There isn't anything anyone can do about people buying
animals on the Internet," said Ron Jurick, a state Fish
and Game Department enforcement agent. "You can advertise
anything you want. You can buy anything you want.
The enforcement would come at the border or once the animal's
here."
It is illegal to smuggle certain animals into California
whether the sale took place over the Internet or not. The
state operates 16 checkpoints for cars, and airlines monitor
for the illegal importation of live animals. Some seaports
also check.
"We know there are lots of things that are smuggled
across the border," Jurick said. "Every once in
a while, there'll be an accident, and something like a caiman
will get out. It's a reflection of what's going on all the
time."
There are reasons for the laws, he said. The animals can
spread disease, threaten native species and end up suffering
before they die. Also, taking them depletes their native countries'
wildlife populations.
Under federal law, it's illegal to buy or sell an endangered
species in interstate commerce, whether it's over the Internet
or not, said Special Agent Bob Snow of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service office in Burlingame. In the last year, Snow's office
investigated 120 sales of endangered species on the Internet.
His agency also prohibits commerce in marine mammals and
migratory birds, including stuffed songbirds and raptors.
The sale of dead animals or parts is also prohibited, including
walrus tusks and whale baleen.
Federal laws carry fines of up to $ 250,000 and five years
in prison.
"We see people buying animal parts over the Internet,
leopard skins, rhinoceros horns, elephant ivory, sea turtles
and turtle products," Snow said.
People list the items for auction on sites like eBay, which
has cooperated with the federal government by removing the
illegal offerings when it hears about them, said Snow.
This weekend, Chichica, the marmoset, is going to the country's
oldest and largest primate sanctuary, Primarily Primates in
San Antonio.
Its founder and director, Wallace Swett, believes that the
animal was trapped in the wild and smuggled into the United
States.
"I've become increasingly alarmed about the rise in
sales of exotics, especially facilitated by the Internet right
now," said Swett.
"The trade itself is alarming. But with the Internet
advertisements and sales right now, it makes it even less
possible to check on the credentials of the sellers or how
they came in possession of this type of wildlife."
November/December 1999
MotherJones Magazine
High-Risk Monkey Business, by Alan Green
The exotic-animal trade is moving disease-carrying primates
from labs and zoos into the hands of pet owners. The results,
scientists warn, can be deadly.
Ringo is tethered to a sink pipe by a four-foot leash attached
to his collar. The two-year-old, pig-tailed macaque has been
bathed and toweled dry, his tail pulled through a disposable
diaper that's fastened with duct tape. He wears a red-checked
union suit to keep his diaper on and prevent him from getting
a chill, and plays with a teddy bear and some plastic toys.
Every minute, as if on cue, Ringo utters a high-pitched cry.
The monkey grabs for the pant legs of passers-by. He flings
his toys across the room, then wails until they're returned.
He tries to hoist himself into the sink, feet first. But because
the leash is too short today, he is unable to complete his
upside-down climb and tumbles to the floor. He keeps trying.
Ringo looks like a typical pet monkey: a bit rambunctious
perhaps, but not dangerous. Nevertheless, he belongs to a
category of primates that veterinarian Terri Parrott calls
"time bombs" -- for many of them harbor highly infectious
viruses that can be transmitted to humans, resulting in such
deadly diseases as herpes B.
Ringo's home, Parrott's veterinary clinic in Cooper City,
Florida, has a wing devoted to the care of native and nonnative
wildlife. She is one of the few veterinarians in Florida who
specialize in treating exotic species.
Consequently, pets, castoffs, and all manner of "problem
animals" find their way to her clinic. When the owner
of a blind baboon died of AIDS, for example, friends of the
deceased arrived with the animal and its high chair and said
simply, "Here, take this monkey." State and federal
wildlife authorities often deposit confiscated animals --
such as a tiger that turned up at a gas station in Hialeah
-- with Parrott. In addition to Ringo, the current primate
inventory includes a capuchin seized during a federal drug
bust.
These animals' fates are typical of those suffered by monkeys
and other exotic pets, which are often passed like relay batons
from one owner to the next. The sale and resale of certain
exotic species is legal in most parts of the country (though
some jurisdictions prohibit keeping certain wild animals as
pets, and others require that owners be licensed). The exotic-animal
trade is regulated by a confusing mélange of authorities:
State veterinarians handle health matters related to the
sale and ownership of these animals; state fish and game agencies
are responsible for overseeing some animals, while agriculture
departments monitor others; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
regulates the interstate -- but not intrastate -- sale of
endangered species; and the federal Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) watches over the importation of primates
and, presumably, their resale as pets, which in some cases
is legal and in others is not. In short, no one is in charge.
Little wonder that exotic pets are so often doomed to confinement
in backyard cages or basements. Some are released to the wild,
where they die from disease or starvation. Others end up with
breeders, who sell newborns to pet owners ill equipped to
care for them. Still others are foisted off on "sanctuaries"
that often are merely fronts for illicit animal-peddling operations.
Parrott knows that finding Ringo a suitable home will be
anything but easy. His unruliness -- so evident on this day
-- will only complicate the search: The foot-and-a-half-tall
monkey somehow manages to unsnap the leash from his collar
and sprint across the examining room, swiping at jars and
folders. Parrott eventually corners the escape artist, who
is surprisingly submissive when she pins his arms behind his
back. Ringo marches obediently across the room and allows
her to reattach the leash. This behavior, she says, is hierarchical:
Ringo knows that she's dominant, and therefore he gives in
to her commands.
But if that hierarchy is what allows Parrott to control Ringo,
it also causes her concern; because of it, she says, anyone
who owns a pet macaque faces a serious threat. "If I
hit Ringo, he'll attack somebody else, because that's just
their pecking order," she explains. "My children,
who are seven, five, and four, come in here, and if I yell
at Ringo he tries to attack my kids. That's the way macaques
are. What's going to happen someday is that the parents are
going to yell at the baby macaque, the macaque is going to
bite the kid, and the kid is going to come down in 11 to 21
days with flu-like symptoms. Then they'll take him to the
pediatrician, where he won't get treated correctly, and he'll
die."
Parrott and a handful of veterinary colleagues have been
sounding the alarm about macaques for years, though until
recently few paid attention. It wasn't that science didn't
support their contentions: Since the early 1930s, primatologists
have known that macaques carry herpesvirus simiae, commonly
known as herpes B or B virus (scientifically referred to as
cercopithecine herpesvirus), which can cause a potentially
fatal brain infection in humans.
Macaques typically carry the B virus throughout their lives
and shed it intermittently in saliva or genital secretions.
Studies of macaques - both wild and captive -- show that the
proportion of B-virus-positive animals increases as they grow
to maturity. At any given moment, about two percent of infected
macaques are shedding the virus via saliva, urine, feces,
and tears. This shedding typically happens when a monkey is
ill or under stress, or during breeding season. A human who
is bitten, scratched, sneezed on, or spit at while the animal
is shedding runs the risk of infection. But the monkeys rarely
show any signs or symptoms to indicate shedding is taking
place.
Because 80 to 90 percent of adult macaques are believed to
harbor the virus, humans who work in close proximity to them
-- in laboratories or other research institutions -- are presumed
to be in constant peril. These workers are instructed to take
Biosafety Level 2 precautions, as prescribed by the National
Institutes of Health (NIH): the use of lab coats, surgical
masks, goggles, gloves, and other protective measures. Such
protocols can have life-or-death implications, as the herpes
B virus has proved fatal in approximately 80 percent of known
cases. In one 1997 incident, a young research assistant at
Emory University's Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center
in Atlanta died from B-virus-related complications after she
was splashed in the eye with an unknown body fluid when moving
a rhesus macaque -- the first time this route of transmission
had ever been documented.
The disease is catastrophic: It begins with fatigue and flulike
symptoms that progress to headache, vomiting, double vision,
difficulty swallowing, sensory loss, and convulsions. Death
can come as early as four weeks after exposure, and those
who survive suffer pain, paralysis, and severe neurological
damage. "Those who don't die wish they had," says
a physician who has studied the virus.
Public health officials have other reasons to be worried.
Monkey bites can cause severe lacerations, infected wounds,
and potentially debilitating conditions such as osteomyelitis,
an infection of the bone that can result in permanent deformity.
Monkeys can also infect humans with the Ebola virus, monkeypox,
and other deadly illnesses, although this happens very rarely.
But with macaques the leading public health concern is the
exposure to the B virus.
Contact with macaques was, until recently, limited almost
exclusively to zookeepers and biomedical researchers, who
were aware of the risk of herpes B transmission and took appropriate
precautions. Documented B virus infections have therefore
been rare -- the CDC places the number in the United States
at about 40. But in the last few years, Parrott and other
veterinarians have noticed a troubling trend: The monkeys
are increasingly showing up in private hands. Macaques, which
come from India, China, Japan, and other parts of Asia, have
entered the pet trade due in large part to zoos, university
laboratories, drug companies, and other institutions that
discard their unwanted primates.
Ringo ended up with a private owner, James Beekman, a 34-year-old
auto detailer, who kept the monkey illegally in his Palm Beach
residence. Beekman had never secured the permit required by
the state and had ignored the city's prohibition against owning
primates. Authorities learned of Ringo after Beekman stopped
on a sidewalk one day in 1996 to let Debra Brewster and her
four-year-old daughter, Catherine, play with the young macaque.
A short time later Brewster noticed a bite mark on Catherine's
shoulder. A physician who treated the puncture wound recommended
testing the monkey for disease. But because Beekman had no
permit to keep Ringo, public health officials were unable
to identify him. Then the officials played a hunch: A year
earlier, Palm Beach paramedics had responded to a "911"
call from an apartment dweller whose pet spider monkey was
having seizures. A fire department rescue unit arrived to
find the caller performing CPR on the tiny primate, but to
no avail. From a photo, Brewster identified the man. It was
James Beekman.
At first, Beekman denied owning Ringo, but then confessed
after state wildlife investigators pieced together the truth:
Beekman had bought the macaque from an exotic-animal dealer
in Fort Lauderdale. Five days after the biting incident, Beekman
finally turned Ringo over to state wildlife authorities. Three
and a half weeks later, he was charged with five misdemeanor
counts. Among the charges: secretly trying to resell the monkey
to escape prosecution. During the five-day lag, health officials
were left guessing about the type of monkey that had bitten
Catherine and about its disease status. The girl had to undergo
a series of tests and rabies shots, a regimen Beekman dismissed
as an overreaction. Not only had he diapered the macaque and
slept in the same bed and eaten off the same plate as the
animal, he told the Palm Beach Post, but hundreds of people
had held or kissed his pet with no adverse consequences.
Parrott was not quite so sanguine. After Ringo was deposited
with her for safekeeping, she sent his blood off for testing.
The macaque tested positive for herpes B. For five weeks,
the Brewsters waited in anguish before they were assured Catherine
wasn't infected. Later, Ringo was retested several times and
the results proved negative. Parrott thinks he first tested
positive because he was a baby then and had his infected mother's
antibodies in his blood.
The primate trade -- much like the trade in exotic animals
generally - is built on a succession of buyers like James
Beekman, who often don't know what they're getting themselves
into. It's a business filled with cruelties, primatologists
say, that begin when a primate dealer removes a newborn monkey
from its mother, who has given birth in captivity. The traumatized,
days-old monkey is packed into a crate and hauled off to an
auction or shipped by air to a customer who typically has
no primate- care experience.
For some buyers, the tiny monkeys are a child substitute:
They're christened, outfitted in baby clothes, and started
on futile toilet-training regimens. For others, pet monkeys
are status symbols, to be shown off in public and subjected
to endless stress and thoughtless abuse.
Young monkeys are susceptible to measles, mumps, and other
human diseases, and because adequate veterinary care is often
difficult to find, many die. Within a couple of years, the
monkeys usually undergo dramatic personality changes: They
become unruly and destructive, which confuses and upsets their
owners. They sometimes inflict life-threatening bites, so
their teeth are extracted. They initiate troubling sexual
displays, so the males are castrated and the females spayed.
Many owners eventually stop having physical contact with their
monkeys, leaving these social animals to spend the rest of
their lives in the equivalent of solitary confinement. Others
look for someone to take the animals off their hands.
Human-reared monkeys lack survival skills, which means they
can't be returned to the wild. Zoos don't want them. Animal
shelters aren't equipped to keep them. Sanctuaries are overrun
with others like them. In many instances, the only willing
takers are the exotic-animal dealers who fuel the often-illicit
trade in the first place.
When the sources of primates for the pet trade are labs engaged
in biomedical research, the public health implications are
ominous. Such animals may carry other infectious diseases
besides herpes B, including hepatitis and SIV, the HIV-like
simian immunodeficiency virus, which can be passed to humans.
Because of such health threats, the American Society of Primatologists
in June 1998 came out against private ownership of primates
for nonscientific or noneducational purposes. And the National
Association of State Public Health Veterinarians has recommended
banning private ownership of primates and further sale of
them as pets.
Despite these warnings, institutions continue to unload their
unwanted primates. Even the nation's major primate research
centers routinely turn over to sanctuaries or dealers animals
that may endanger the public.
Consider New York University's Laboratory for Experimental
Medicine and Surgery in Primates, which scooped up "surplus"
zoo and circus chimpanzees in the late 1970s for hepatitis
vaccine research and in the late 1980s for AIDS research.
In early 1995, NYU began planning to give away the lab, setting
off a scramble for its 300 baboons, macaques, and other primates.
About 50 of the chimps went to a huge California sanctuary
that had a workforce largely composed of volunteers with no
background in primate care. Another 15 chimps went to a sanctuary
near Montreal. Quebec health authorities were troubled by
the relocation and spent several futile months requesting
copies of the animals' complete medical histories. The primates,
which may have been infected with human hepatitis or HIV,
wound up roaming an indoor-outdoor facility with few safety
protocols. As with the California sanctuary, the chimps' care
was largely entrusted to volunteers with little biosafety
training.
In mid-1997, Emory University's Yerkes primate center sought
to dispose of 40 sooty mangabeys -- monkeys native to West
Africa -- infected with SIVsm, a strain isolated from sootys.
SIVsm is a close relative of HIV type 2 (HIV-2), which can
cause AIDS in humans. SIVsm has been shown to be directly
transmissible to other species, and there is widespread speculation
that this simian virus evolved into HIV-2 after jumping the
"species barrier" to infect humans. Some scientists
suspect this cross-transmission occurred when West Africans
butchered and ate infected monkeys.
In 1992, the CDC reported that two U.S. laboratory workers
-- including one who had handled blood specimens without gloves
-- had developed antibodies to SIV. So far, the humans infected
with SIVsm (at least five have now been identified in the
United States) and another retrovirus called simian foamy
virus have suffered no adverse health consequences, nor have
their sexual partners been infected. But these monkey viruses
are not thoroughly understood. There is some concern that
they may mutate and, like HIV-1 (which is responsible for
the global AIDS epidemic), spread between people.
The Yerkes staff members charged with finding a new home
for their infected mangabeys were repeatedly frustrated. Two
primate facilities in Texas declined, expressing worries about
the animals' health status. Finally, in late 1998, Yerkes
worked out an agreement with Wild Animal Orphanage, a large
private sanctuary in San Antonio. Officials of the Texas Department
of Health learned of the arrangement only after receiving
an anonymous tip.
Because the sanctuary is open to the public, they worried
that visitors might be put in jeopardy. Carol Asvestas, who
operates the sanctuary with her husband, Ron, tried to quell
officials' fears by spelling out the specifics of the deal:
Yerkes had agreed to finance the construction of a building
to house the mangabeys; the building would be on land outside
the city limits; and the research center had agreed to train
the sanctuary's two permanent employees, Carol Asvestas, and
any future staff in Biosafety Level 2 protocols.
But the proposed transfer of the mangabeys raises some troubling
questions. What happens if, in 5, 10, or 15 years, the sanctuary
-- a nonprofit organization that solicits donations -- cannot
raise enough money to stay in operation? Who will take responsibility
for the infected mangabeys if they outlive the sanctuary operators,
or if the place is closed?
There is another cause for concern: The Asvestases have a
poor track record for security. In April 1997, an intruder's
hand was mangled by a tiger when he and an accomplice broke
into the sanctuary, possibly to steal a cougar. A month earlier,
a tiger escaped from its cage, apparently after someone tampered
with the door. And, in late 1997, a capuchin monkey escaped
from its cage. Earlier this year, the Asvestases were charged
with violating the Animal Welfare Act for failing to "maintain
structurally sound housing facilities for nonhuman primates
in good repair so as to protect the animals from injury, to
contain the animals securely, and to restrict the entrance
of other animals." They settled the case last August
by agreeing to pay a $1,000 fine and spend $10,000 to repair
cages.
More than 60 years after herpesvirus simiae was identified,
little is known about the macaque-borne virus. What's certain
is that rhesus, Japanese, pig-tailed, and virtually every
other macaque species (there are more than a dozen) carry
herpes B. There are other troubling aspects of the virus,
which, according to medical literature, has killed about 20
people in the United States. A definitive diagnosis requires
a test that only a few laboratories in the world can perform.
What's more, monkey owners often don't report bites or scratches
out of fear that their pets might be confiscated, so some
of the numerous deaths caused by influenzalike or viral encephalitis
symptoms may in fact be attributable to herpes B. Finally,
it's possible that infected individuals may suffer only mild
initial symptoms and that the virus may emerge later, long
after the moment of exposure. If someone were to die from
the virus, who would suspect a monkey-borne disease? "If
no one is performing up-front testing for zoonotic diseases,"
says Dr. Stephanie Ostrowski of the CDC, referring to diseases
that can be passed from animals to humans, "then it's
not a question of whether there's going to be a disastrous
incident, but when."
Given the threat herpes B poses, it seems reasonable to expect
that zoos, biomedical researchers, and others who house, use,
and display macaques take uncompromising precautions to ensure
that these animals never leave institutional control. But
in fact, during the past decade, many of these institutions,
concerned about the liabilities associated with harboring
B-virus-infected macaques, rushed en masse to get rid of them.
The official records of curators from zoos accredited by
the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) show the distribution
routes of potentially deadly primates:
>From the Columbus Zoo: 11 Japanese macaques to Jim Fouts,
a Kansas dealer who has sold surplus animals at auction.
>From the Buffalo Zoo: Japanese macaques to Edward Novack,
a New York dealer whose exotics are sold to breeders or advertised
for sale in Animal Finders' Guide, a magazine that caters
to the private pet trade.
>From the Cincinnati Zoo, the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha,
and the Burnet Park Zoo in Syracuse: Japanese macaques to
Northland Wildlife, a Minnesota-based animal dealer whose
owner pleaded guilty in 1993 to a federal charge of illegally
selling monkeys.
>From the Los Angeles Zoo: Celebes macaques to Texas dealer
Buddy Jordan, who sells animals at auctions, to private individuals,
and to so-called sanctuaries that breed primates for the pet
trade.
>From Bucknell University: seven Japanese macaques from
the university's laboratories to Animal Kingdom Zoo, in New
Jersey, a privately run menagerie that doubles as a primate
dealer.
And remarkably, from the California Regional Primate Research
Center, an NIH-funded research center: eight Japanese macaques
to Thomas Nichols, of Georgia, a well-known primate trafficker
who was later indicted by the federal government for unlawfully
importing and selling monkeys and was sentenced to a year
in jail.
The dumping of zoo macaques has been so rampant that hundreds
have seemingly vanished from institutions accredited by the
AZA. In a landmark study, Ostrowski reviewed primate-transfer
patterns from AZA institutions and documented about 200 Japanese
macaques that are now -- in zoo terminology -- "lost
to follow-up," along with 200 black macaques, 17 lion-tailed
macaques, and other species of macaques for which there are
no official records.
The pet trade is now teeming with macaques. They're for sale
at exotic-animal auctions. They're moving from roadside menageries
to dealers, and from there to private homes. Macaques are
even being crossbred with other macaque species, creating
hybrids whose capacities for B virus and SIV infections are
unknown. In a recent issue of Animal Finders' Guide, five
advertisers offered macaques, including a South Florida broker,
and a Wisconsin dealer with pregnant snow macaques. This commerce
in the potentially deadly monkeys has spooked public health
officials, who have seen a rise in macaque bites. In a recent
10-month period, 13 such bites were reported to the Arizona
Department of Health Services. None of the victims was infected.
Ringo is still a baby, but in two years, Parrott says, he'll
be a full-grown male with big teeth and a surly attitude.
Many macaques in private hands are about that same age, having
come into popularity as pets only recently. Age brings on
not only aggressiveness but sexual activity -- which experts
believe triggers the shedding of herpes B. Many older, more
aggressive, infected macaques coming into contact with greater
numbers of unsuspecting humans is particularly troubling to
Parrott and some of her colleagues. They're convinced that
this will lead to more cases of herpes B.
The CDC could slow the private trade in macaques by enforcing
the foreign quarantine regulations of the Public Health Service
Act, which has prohibited the redistribution of imported primates
and their progeny to the pet trade since 1975. But so far
the CDC has not enforced those regulations.
In the Miami area, Parrott has seen macaques become especially
popular with Latino families. "They're the ones I'm worried
about," she says, "because, like many other pet
owners, they have no education about what they've got."
James Beekman wanted his pet macaque back. so on April 23,
1998, he headed for the judicial complex in downtown Palm
Beach to face the charges against him. In the end, he negotiated
a plea bargain. Beekman not only pleaded guilty on three charges,
he also agreed to forfeit his monkey and pay about $3,000
in court fees and restitution, including $500 for Catherine
Brewster's medical bills. In addition, he was placed on probation
for two years. Not long afterward, Ringo also got a reprieve.
Parrott and her co-workers decided to adopt the young macaque.
Beekman earned his own form of absolution: A Florida fish
and game officer agreed not to oppose Beekman's new wildlife-possession
application. If, after three years, he has met the terms of
the plea arrangement, Beekman -- like a growing number of
macaque owners -- will be free to sleep with and eat off the
same plate as a monkey, and expose himself and others to a
killer virus.
Adapted from Animal Underworld: Inside America's Black Market
for Rare and Exotic Species.
AAP NEWSFEED
September 16, 1999, Thursday
TOKYO AP - Japanese city dwellers haven't seen the last of
their simian woes: A monkey escaped from a pet shop over the
weekend and sank its teeth into two young bicycle riders.
In August, it was a sybaritic macaque that lived it up for
weeks in an upscale Tokyo neighborrhood. A month before that,
a fugitive primate kidnapped pets and terrorised toddlers
in Osaka.
The monkey caught last month in Tokyo eluded police for weeks
before it was caught by a swimming pool attendant at a social
club for Americans. The Osaka monkey became such a menace
that police warned parents to keep their kids at home. Eventually,
police say, it apparently returned to the hills that were
its home.
The latest fugitive monkey was for sale at the "Who
and Me" pet shop in Kawasaki, just south of Tokyo, when
it saw its chance Saturday: Shopkeepers placed it outside
to clean its cage.
Police caught the monkey the following day - but not before
it had wrought some havoc.
The first victim was a 10-year-old boy riding his bike near
the shop, said police spokesman Noboru Asaoka. The monkey
sprang from behind and bit the boy's leg, causing a wound
that newspapers say won't heal for two weeks.
It then turned its sights on an 8-year-old girl, also riding
her bicycle. Again it attacked from behind, clawing the girl's
back and right arm.
The monkey - a species of macaque common in Japan - was spotted
loitering outside the local post office Sunday and apprehended
by police with the help of its owner.
Monkeys have long infuriated farmers in rural Japan, where
they damage crops, swipe food and bite humans.
But recently simian demographics have mirrored those of humans,
as tribes of wild monkeys desert the countryside to raid well-stocked
grocery stores in urban areas.
Monkey captured after attacking 2 Kawasaki children
09-13-1999
Kyodo World News Service
YOKOHAMA, Sept. 13 (Kyodo) -- A monkey that escaped from
a pet store and attacked two children over the weekend was
captured Monday in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, police officials
said.
The officials said the primate was a 5-year-old, male Japanese
monkey standing about 70 centimeters tall. It had escaped
from its steel cage in Asao Ward, Kawasaki, on Saturday morning.
The monkey reportedly bit a 10-year-old boy's left leg in
Tama Ward shortly after noon Saturday morning and attacked
an 8-year-old girl on a bicycle in Asao Ward on Sunday afternoon,
slightly injuring her.
A group of people, including police officers, captured the
primate in the front yard of a private residence in Asao Ward
on Monday morning. Police said they were questioning the monkey's
owner.
The News-Press (Fort Myers, FL)
August 19, 1999 Thursday
Monkey killing angers owner
BY: Matt Whitehead, Staff
Pet euthanized after it bit woman
By MATT WHITEHEAD The News-Press
CAPE CORAL - A man is accusing the Lee County Animal Shelter
of unfairly euthanizing his monkey Tuesday after it bit a
home health worker on the leg last week.
Richard Zaunere, 64, said one of the two white-faced capuchin
monkeys he kept at his home at 718 S.E. 10th Place was destroyed
by the animal shelter after the woman who was bitten refused
to get precautionary rabies shots.
"This is unfair. This is not right," Zaunere said.
"I begged them for more time to prove the animal didn't
have rabies, but they wouldn't listen. It's completely frustrating.
A small creature trusted me with its life, and I failed it."
Judy Glock reportedly was bitten last Thursday when she went
to Zaunere's home to tend to his roommate, Larry Petterson,
who had broken his leg. Glock could not be reached for comment.
"I keep the male monkey in a cage in the living room
and I was keeping the female monkey in the bedroom,"
Zaunere said. "When the nurse came over, I had forgotten
about the female that was in the bedroom. Well, when the nurse
walked by the male's cage, he let out a shriek and the female
monkey heard this and ran over and jumped on the nurse's leg."
The two monkeys were confiscated by the animal shelter Friday
after Glock visited her doctor to check the bite mark.
Pamela Hodgens, animal services director at the shelter,
said the animals were removed from the home because Zaunere
did not have a permit through the Florida Department of Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission to keep the monkeys.
"Any time a person is bitten by an animal, the doctor
is required by law to inform us and we have to look into the
situation," Hodgens said. "When we went over to
investigate, we learned that he didn't have any permits to
keep the monkeys at his home, so we had to take them to the
shelter."
Hodgens said the animal was euthanized after the woman decided
not to be treated for rabies.
"If it had just been a case of him not having the paperwork,
none of this would have happened. But because this one was
a bite case, it had to be handled different," she said.
"The victim went to an infectious disease control doctor,
and he advised her not to go through the shots unless the
animal turned up positive for rabies," she said. "That
left us no choice but to have the animal put down and have
it tested, which is what we did."
Results on the rabies test should be available as early as
today.
The male monkey is being kept at a Cape Coral residence whose
owner has a license to keep monkeys because the Lee County
Animal Shelter is not equipped to handle exotic animals.
Zaunere said he visits his monkey every day to feed him.
He has applied for a license.
"I hadn't applied for a license before because I was
moving back and forth from my other home in New Hampshire.
But now I'm living here permanently, and I've already applied
for the license.
"This is terrible. I never let either of the monkeys
outside, and they didn't have rabies, but they wouldn't listen
to me," he said.
"The monkey was like a little old lady. She never hurt
anyone and was so sweet. But there was nothing I could do.
I cried, I protested, but it didn't do any good." - Matt
Whitehead can be reached at 945-3555.
Omaha World Herald (Nebraska)
August 5, 1999, Thursday METRO EDITION
Officer Bitten By Monkey
BY: Jeremy Olson
BELLEVUE - Blood tests were sent to a specialist in California
to determine whether a monkey that bit a Bellevue police officer
is carrying any serious or even fatal diseases.
Bellevue Officer Robert Bailey was conducting interviews
in a home in southeast Omaha, following up on a Bellevue burglary
at 3 a.m. Tuesday, when a monkey bit him in the leg.
Animal control officers from the Nebraska Humane Society
were called to the scene. The owner of the monkey helped lure
it into a cage so it could be taken away for observation.
Doug Armstrong, a veterinarian from Henry Doorly Zoo, drew
blood from the monkey, and other zoo experts helped identify
the animal. The type of monkey, a macaque, has been known
to carry serious viruses and diseases.
Bellevue Deputy Chief John Stacey Jr. said Bailey was taken
to a hospital after the biting near 25th and Washington Streets
in Omaha. Bailey returned to work Wednesday night, Stacey
said.
The monkey had a history of biting people, said Dave Schlotman,
Nebraska Humane Society director of field operations. The
monkey remained in the custody of the Humane Society.
The owner of the monkey was issued tickets for owning a dangerous
animal, harboring a nonpet and owning three unlicensed dogs.
The Capital (Annapolis, MD.)
4 August 1999, Wednesday
Monkey pets may be banned
By JESSICA S. BUEL, Staff Writer
Though they might not be man's best friend, many primates
still pass for pets in Maryland.
But with one county animal's recent attacks being treated
as more than mere monkey business, veterinarians in the state
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are working on proposing
legislation that would ban animal lovers from owning primates.
The call for legislation follows the seizure of a Glen Burnie
pet monkey named Jamie, who was accused of biting seven people.
But veterinarians say their proposal, which is in its early
stages, doesn't stem from his case.
"Over the past few months, we started to look at what
other states are doing," said Dr. Beth Karp of the state's
Center for Veterinary Public Health.
Dr. Karp said the state's primary concern is the transmission
of disease. The physiological similarities between monkeys
and humans means there are many diseases, which the two species
can share, Dr. Karp said.
The herpes B virus is common in certain types of monkeys,
while tuberculosis and viruses that attack the immune system
also can be transmitted from monkeys to humans. Meanwhile,
monkeys also can catch certain human diseases, said Dr. Clifford
Johnson, state public health veterinarian.
"If we get theirs, it could be deadly to us, and if
we give a disease to them, it could be deadly to them,"
Dr. Johnson said.
Dr. Michael Cranfield, head veterinarian for the Baltimore
Zoo, said disease is just one of the reasons he believes monkeys
make bad pets. Many die in domestic captivity, he said.
"In the past, it was for conservation reasons,"
Dr. Cranfield said. "Many monkeys were imported from
South America. It was a one way street from the jungle to
the garbage can."
When the federal government outlawed importing primates as
pets in 1975, breeding began to thrive in places such as Ohio
and Florida, he said.
Today, Dr. Cranfield said the spread of disease, aggressive
behavior that develops with age and the inability of owners
to give monkeys the amount of attention they need are key
in his decision to become involved with the legislation.
But while some former monkey owners agree with Dr. Cranfield
that many owners don't know what it takes to keep a monkey,
they oppose legislation to make ownership illegal.
"Knowing what I know today, I could say I believe no
one should own a primate without knowing what's involved in
caring for it, what they're getting themselves into,"
said Stephen Ritterspach, the Glen Burnie resident who owns
Jamie. "I understand it's a public safety issue. But
I think you have the right to own it, even if it's an alligator."
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
July 31, 1999 Saturday, CENTRAL FLORIDA
CALL HIM 'FURIOUS GEORGE';
MONKEY'S ESCAPE IS A BARREL OF TROUBLE
BY: By Lenny Savino of The Sentinel Staff
KISSIMMEE - Arron Court looked like a scene from Ace Ventura:
Pet Detective Friday morning as six Kissimmee police officers
tracked down an escaped monkey.
The hunt for "Forrest," the brown and gray primate,
began after he nimbly untied the rope holding his cage door
shut behind an Arron Court home in the Mill Run area.
Forrest first headed for an open garage at the end of the
court, where Allen Horsley, 13, was playing.
"He jumped on my leg," Allen said.
"I tried to kick him away, and he scratched me."
Somebody called 911.
"When I pulled up, he jumped on my windshield,"
said Officer Scott Morris, smiling.
"He was running all over the place. On the cars. In
the street. Everywhere."
Officer Charles Chattin, who has a pet ferret, tried the
nice guy approach.
"One of the guys handed me a banana," he said.
"The monkey jumped up on my arm, and I fed it to him.
Everything was going fine until Marnee got here."
Marnee Allen is another officer. When she got out of her
police car, Chattin said, Forrest jumped off his arm and bit
Allen. Then he pulled Officer Denise Farmer's hair and took
off across the court. The officers gave chase.
"I hope nobody is videotaping this," someone said
on his police radio.
Chattin said he understood why the monkey ran.
"He just wanted to know what we were doing," he
said.
Forrest spotted Sgt. Greg Stephens, who was now directing
the action.
"That's when he violated the sergeant's leg," Chattin
said.
Morris positioned himself between the screen door and front
door of the Horsley house and beckoned for Forrest to come.
He took the bait. Morris slammed the screen door shut and
the perplexed ape was trapped.
Five officers stood guard as two animal control officers
arrived with "catch poles" in hand.
"Watch out," Stephens said. "If he gets out,
I'm heading straight that way."
"Forrest. You're under arrest," Chattin said. "Don't
try to escape."
Forrest's head was caught in one of the pole's lassos. Officer
Allen was treated for her monkey bite and released. She returned
to work Friday.
The media arrived. Looking like a famous criminal, Forrest
was escorted to an Animal Control truck while the cameras
flashed.
"He'll be quarantined for 10 days for biting one of
the officers," said Animal Control Officer Wally Collins.
"If he doesn't show any signs of rabies, he'll probably
be released back to his owner if he has a permit for him."
If Forrest's owner has no permit, officials said, he will
likely be given to JungleLand or another theme park where
he can be cared for properly.
After Forrest was driven away, animal control officers tried
to find his owner, who was not home.
As a precaution against hepatitis and other diseases, animal
control officials recommended blood tests for those who came
into contact with Forrest.
Looking at a photograph of the primate, JungleLand Curator
Michael Sapper said Forrest was probably a capuchin monkey
indigenous to the jungles of South America.
"They're the most common monkeys used as pets,"
Sapper said. "They're frequently called organ-grinder
monkeys."
THE BALTIMORE SUN
July 15, 1999, Thursday ,HOWARD
Panel backs decision to remove pet monkey; Arundel animal
control took macaque from couple after attacks on people
BY: TaNoah Morgan
A pet monkey accused of biting or scratching more than a
half-dozen people over two years will have to remain at the
Howard County refuge where it has been since spring.
After hearing seven hours of testimony yesterday, the Anne
Arundel County Animal Control Commission, a seven-member administrative
review panel, decided that animal control officers were right
to take Jamie, a 2-year-old Bonnett macaque, from owners Steven
and Kimberly Ritterspach of Glen Burnie after the animal was
involved in a barroom brawl in April.
The six commission members at yesterday's hearing said animal
control administrator Tahira Shane Thomas will have to decide
where the monkey will be placed permanently and whether the
owners will be allowed to visit. The Ritterspachs, who have
come to regard the monkey as the child they could not have,
said they planned to appeal.
"I'm not giving up at this point," said Steven
Ritterspach, 45, owner of a used-car dealership. " We've
spent enough now for three monkeys. But that's not what this
is about -- it's about the bond that was between us."
Ritterspach said the couple had spent $13,000 in lawyer fees
to try to get Jamie back.
He said that during the daylong hearing, he tried to assure
the panel with a tearful plea that he would not allow Jamie
to be a danger again.
"Jamie wasn't at fault in any of this. It was us,"
he said. Since then, "we talked about keeping Jamie confined
to the home. He would have to be ours, and that's it, and
not be allowed to be shared with anybody else."
Members of the commission indicated that the family might
get another chance at caring for the animal by talking to
Thomas and persuading her to change her mind, but Thomas said:
" That's not going to be one of my considerations. I
do not feel that returning the monkey is the appropriate thing
to do for public safety."
Thomas said she would talk with the manager of the primate
center in Howard County, to see if the animal could stay there
permanently.
Animal control took custody of Jamie after the monkey bit
a woman in the lip at the Speak-Easy-Inn in Glen Burnie, touching
off a brawl in which two more people were attacked, according
to police records. The agency had on file instances of four
people who had been bitten or scratched by the 9-pound animal.
Before the April 2 melee, animal control officials had labeled
Jamie dangerous and prohibited the Ritterspachs from taking
it out in public. Officers had fined Steven Ritterspach twice
because he had taken the animal out in public.
After the fight, Thomas decided to take the monkey from the
couple and fine them again, bringing their total penalty to
$850. They have not paid the fines, officials said.
Eleven people have reported having been bitten or scratched
by the animal, although four of those reports have not been
confirmed, Thomas said.
If the Ritterspachs appeal the decision, the case would be
heard before the county board of appeals.
The Japan Times
June 10, 1999, Thursday
Monkey fanciers share joys, woes on the Internet
By JOEL DAMES
SEATTLE - "I have two capuchin monkeys I must sell due
to losing our home," posts Deborah from Ohio on The Primate
Care Site. "One is a black cap female 7 years old, ready
to breed. She is very calm and loves to clean your finger
nails. She eats from a spoon and loves to look at books. She
loves to be picked up and held, except when she is going through
her cycle. I love her and hold her and walk around with her.
"The other monkey is a 5-year-old male white face. He
is handable, lovable and he loves to take a shower."
Owners and activists from around the world post e-mails like
Debra's, exchanging information and views. Virtually all agree
on keeping more than one monkey. In forests and jungles monkeys
live in large social groups, learning much of their behavior
from other members of the group. They learn to give and take
and to fit into the group's social
order. For the first five years or so they are dependent on
the mother and sometimes the father as well.
Dave and two friends in South Africa formed the Vervet Monkey
Rehabilitation Center, where they keep over 200 vervet monkeys.
In Washington state, CJ converted a bedroom into a playroom
for her six primates with swings and bars. At night she keeps
them in large indoor cages and, weather permitting, during
the day they share a large outside enclosure. Depending on
the monkey, they also are allowed access to other parts of
her home.
Activists would point out that even a situation like CJ's
comes nowhere close to simulating a natural primate environment.
Primates are equipped with long, loose, muscular limbs and
sharp teeth, designed for arboreal life in forests and jungles.
Domestic living robs them of their freedom and bores and frustrates
them.
Cute, cuddly, dependent babies tempt potential owners into
adopting. Reality sets in when the pet grows sharp teeth and
starts behaving like a nonhuman primate, chewing on everything
in sight and biting even young children.
Lynn, who lives in south Florida with 17-month-old tamarin
Max and a 10-month-old capuchin, says both are the "apples
of my eye," but "anyone who says to me, 'I want
a monkey, they are so cute,' I always say to them, 'Yes, they
are wonderful, but do you like 2-year-olds?' Monkeys are 2
emotionally the rest of their lives and if you don't like
temper tantrums and having to say 'no' a lot, then a monkey
is not for you. Me, I LOVE 2-year-olds! Always have."
Unlike 2-year-olds, they can't be toilet trained, yet are
intelligent enough to take off their diapers. This can mean
20 to 30 vacationless years of mopping urine daily (sometimes
diarrhea) and cleaning and disinfecting smelly homes. Since
many monkeys live 26 to 30 years, owners need to consider
including them in their will unless they find someone committed
to caring for them.
Most owners say it's worth all the trouble. "Last night,
my 7-month-old male macaque groomed me for the first time,"
writes another owner. "That just made all the diaper
changing, middle-of-the-night feeding, bite marks in everything
and lack of sleep worthwhile."
Dave of Vervet Monkey Rehabilitation Center, sees it differently.
"For Americans to allow these animals to be kept as pets,
and then direct the rest of the world to respect wildlife
and habitat in their countries is a little misguided. I do
not think monkeys are evolved to be pets; they are evolved
to be monkeys; not humans, which for the most part is what
owners are shooting for it seems to me. Their mail and photos
of them diapered and clothed gives that away."
In Japan, activist Yumiko Ohba cannot afford to offer blunt
advice and maintain the respect of primate owners. She says
Japan imports about 4,000 to 5,000 monkeys a year; about 25
percent go to the pet market. Sellers tell customers, "You
can feed them dog food; they make nice pets; they don't have
diseases."
Many owners know little about primate care and keep them
in small cages. These monkeys develop psychological and physical
illnesses and often die in a few years. Through her Web site,
Ohba offers information on care and diseases and answers all
questions through e-mail, postal mail, fax or telephone at
no cost to the owner or vet.
Activists and owners advise potential owners to first get
some hands-on experience by volunteering at a zoo or babysitting
for an owner. They should also do lots of research.
This may avoid awakenings like the one Martin Kjellberg of
Sweden experienced May 23. "I have two common marmosets,
and this morning when I gave the food I recognized they had
babies. I had suspected that the female was pregnant, and
now I know. And now I wonder if anybody knows if they receive
some special diet, or any tips that make my monkeys happier?"
Yumiko Ohba, chairwoman of Pet-Monkey Lab, tel./fax (047)
461-6368, staff@monkey.org or www.pet.monkey.org
June 23, 1999 Wednesday, Final Chaser
MONKEYS IN MIDDLE OF DISPUTE; MESA NEIGHBORS SCRAP ABOUT PRIMATE
PETS' CONDUCT
By Robbie Sherwood, The Arizona Republic
If a child gets out of the house, climbs into the neighbor's
yard and defecates on the pool deck, there's a good chance
the law will get involved.
If the trespasser is a monkey, however, there's not much
a neighbor can do about it. Not in Mesa, which has no ordinance
dealing with the estimated 300 to 500 primate pets living
in the city.
Diane Heinz is pushing the City Council to change that.
Heinz and her husband, Larry, have waged a yearlong skirmish
with back-fence neighbor Elaina Werns, over Werns' four macaques
and her capuchin. The monkeys terrorize the Heinzes and their
dog during escapes from backyard cages, the couple contend,
and the monkeys stink up the area the rest of the time.
"(Werns) calls them her children, but we've had monkeys
spit at us, we've had poop thrown at us, and the sexual gestures
are real fun," Heinz said. "We have ordinances for
a 2-pound poodle, but no law saying monkeys can't be at large."
Heinz said there have been many monkey escapes over the past
two years, and she took pictures of an escaped monkey June
2 that allegedly lunged at her husband. Animal control officers
tranquilized the monkey and returned it to Werns.
Werns said that escape, and another in November when a friend's
monkey ran away for about 10 minutes, are the only times in
two years that monkeys have gotten loose.
"(Heinz) is just anti-monkey," said Werns, 33.
"She is making slanderish remarks because it only happened
two times, and mine was let out by somebody; we're trying
to find out who."
After Heinz spoke at Monday's Mesa City Council meeting about
the danger at her home and the diseases that monkeys can carry,
Mayor Wayne Brown sympathized with her situation. The council
will study a possible ordinance next Wednesday. Council member
Dennis Kavanaugh, though, is not ready to create a law for
a problem that is actually quite rare in Mesa.
"I don't think the answer is an outright ban where you
penalize the other hundreds of pet owners whose monkeys aren't
creating any harm," Kavanaugh said. "I've heard
of more pigeon cases than monkey cases."
Before Heinz and Werns went at it, Mesa had fewer than 10
monkey calls in the past decade, said Diane Brady, animal
control specialist.
Kavanaugh said the Heinzes' best recourse lies in the courts,
where they have, in fact, found success.
After responding to several complaints about odors, an animal
control officer cited Werns for the unsanitary condition of
her backyard cages. The cages sit nearly 70 feet from Werns'
home, but nearly abut the Heinzes' fence, putting them much
closer to the neighbor's house than the owner's.
On June 14, a city court judge convicted Werns on the basis
of the smell. A city prosecutor is pushing for permanent removal
of the monkeys, and the judge will hand down a sentence June
29.
Werns said she has changed disinfectants and cleans her cages
every day. She also said she wanted to build the kennels closer
to her home but city ordinances prohibit it.
Arizona once outlawed most primates, but in 1989 the law
changed. Now, only chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans are
banned. The state's top veterinarian, who testified against
Werns in city court, is pushing the state Game and Fish Department
for tougher rules.
Most macaques can carry the Herpes B virus, which is usually
fatal when contracted by humans, and other diseases, said
Dr. Myra Leslie, a state veterinarian.
Leslie said many monkey owners are ill prepared to take care
of the animals because docile and friendly baby monkeys rarely
stay that way.
"They are a danger both physically and disease-wise,"
Leslie said. "When they become sexually mature and adult,
they become so dangerous that they have to be caged all the
time and even owners can't handle them."
Werns disagrees strongly with Leslie's stance. Although Herpes
B is fatal in humans 70 percent of the time, there have only
been 40 cases of monkey-to-human transmission in the United
States since 1933.
"And all of those were laboratory monkeys," Werns
said. "We don't think it's fair to classify private monkeys
with lab monkeys."
Game and Fish is looking into banning the sale of baby monkeys
and requiring all current primate residents to be tested for
diseases, said Game and Fish mammalogist Bill Van Pelt. A
series of five public hearings to be held around the state
will kick off in August.
Werns has owned monkeys for seven years and said it has been
a lifelong dream.
"I can't have kids, so these are my kids," she
said. Heinz said Werns' "kids" have her packing
a fire extinguisher for self protection when she walks in
her back yard.
"It's not my goal to get rid of every monkey in the
world," Heinz said. "I just want my back yard back.
The city owes me that right, and (Werns) owes me that respect."
Chicago Tribune
May 2, 1999 Sunday, CHICAGOLAND FINAL EDITION
EVEN DEDICATED MONKEY OWNERS THROW IN THE TOWEL
BY: By Steve Dale, Tribune Media Services.
Q--I've always been an animal lover, and I've shared my life
with birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, cats and dogs. My dream
is to have a pet monkey. I saw the capuchin monkey on (the
TV sitcom) "Friends," and I'd like to know more
about them. Are they trainable? Can they be taught to use
a toilet?
-- B.S., Metamora, Ill.
A--Dogs and cats are domesticated, monkeys are not. Living
with a monkey would be like sharing your life with a hyperactive,
out-of-control 2-year-old who never grows up. Jay Petersen,
primate collection manager at Brookfield Zoo, has hands-on
monkey handling experience. He says monkeys have boundless
energy, and unless you keep a monkey in a cage -- a cage with
climbing space -- the animal will literally climb the walls
knocking over lamps, books and breakables in the process.
Leaving a monkey in a room without supervision is also dangerous
to the monkey, which can strangle itself on a Venetian blind
cord, bite into an electrical cord, or turn an oven burner
on and start a fire.
Despite monkeys' intelligence and anatomy, both seemingly
favorable to toilet training, it's not an easy task. Dogs
and cats are predisposed to "do their business"
in the same place, while monkeys are not. Monkeys naturally
"go" whenever and wherever the spirit moves them.
What's more, dogs -- and even cats -- are hard wired to please
people. Monkeys could not care less.
Petersen guesses 99 of 100 dedicated monkey owners wind up
giving away their primate. "They're just too much to
handle," he says.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Florida)
April 16, 1999, Friday, ENGLEWOOD, VENICE EDITIONS
Policeman kills monkey that scared park residents
BY: James Roland STAFF WRITER
Punta Gorda, FL - The end came loudly and quickly for a rhesus
monkey that had both amused and terrorized residents of a
mobile home park and eluded authorities in Punta Gorda.
Punta Gorda police Officer Charles Caruso shot and killed
the monkey in Punta Gorda Isles at about 9 a.m. Thursday,
after Charlotte County Animal Control Director Keith Larson
reluctantly decided the animal had to be destroyed.
"That was probably one of the most difficult decisions
I've ever had to make," Larson said. "I had to weigh
the decision. Which was more important, the monkey or public
safety?"
Larson said it was likely that the monkey was carrying a
strain of herpes and hepatitis B. In addition, the monkey
had been acting aggressively toward residents in the area
and had already broken out of one cage.
The monkey's unusual adventure was first noted about a month
ago in the Riverside Oaks mobile home park and surrounding
areas near Alligator Creek, east of Interstate 75 on Jones
Loop Road.
At first, some residents gave the monkey food. Later, the
animal became more aggressive and charged after residents.
Riverside Oaks resident Sylvia Kuypers had taken to carrying
a rake when she went outside, in case she needed to defend
herself. Her husband, Norbert, was surprised at news of the
monkey's slaying.
"It's a shame to see it shot," Norbert Kuypers
said. "I don't think anyone over here will grieve, but
I hate to see any animal shot like that."
The monkey had been trapped briefly, but broke out of the
cage.
Larson said tranquilizing the monkey was ruled out because
it would take time for the sedative to work and by then the
animal would be lost.
After a few days without a reported sighting, Isles resident
Sofia Travis saw the monkey eating oranges in a neighbor's
tree on Colony Point Drive, about six miles away from the
original sightings. She called the Punta Gorda Police Department,
which sent officers to the scene.
Larson and another animal control officer also arrived at
Colony Point, which is near Ponce de Leon Park. After consulting
with Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission officers
and public health officials, Larson decided to end the pursuit
of the monkey.
"It had moved to a highly residential area," Larson
said. "It represented a danger to the people in that
area."
Delores Farkas, who lives a few houses from Travis, said
she understood the decision to shoot the monkey.
"He was being very aggressive," Farkas said. "I
think they did the right thing. We have a lot of little children
in PGI these days."
Caruso used a 12-gauge shotgun to shoot the 2-foot-tall monkey,
which had crossed the street to the mangroves along Colony
Point Drive.
Larson said he didn't know where the monkey came from, but
had heard suggestions that it came from Miami or might have
been the pet of someone living near the area.
He added that one of his officers confirmed that the monkey
he had encountered last week was the same monkey that was
killed Thursday.
1999 Bristol United Press
Western Daily Press
3 March 1999
Monkey business; PET MARMOSETS TURN INTO HOME WRECKERS
By Edward Oldfield
THEY were quite literally just enjoying a bit of monkey business
- but in the end their wild antics simply became too much
for the Williams family.
Greg Williams had bought pet monkeys Josh and Cruella to
cheer up his eight -year-old son Jordon after an operation
on the boy's knee.
At first the family loved having the cute marmoset couple
larking around their house in Bristol - until they started
going bananas. The mischievous monkeys began hurling crockery
and attacking anyone who came near them and took over the
kitchen and conservatory as their den.
But yesterday was the final straw and they could take no
more, having had their semi-detached home wrecked by the pair.
In the end they had to call in the RSPCA to evict the monkeys
after the siege became so intense that the family had to send
out for takeaway food rather than brave the bombardment to
prepare a meal in the kitchen.
The creatures were eventually captured and exiled to the
leafy Cricket St Thomas wildlife park near Chard, Somerset.
The monkey business began when Greg, aged 51, first bought
seven-inch tall Josh for his son and gave him the run of their
home in Hartcliffe.
He then decided the monkey might be lonely so they got him
a mate named Cruella. The pair were initially well behaved
and spent evenings perched on Jordon's shoulders watching
television.
But as the days passed they bonded and became aggressive.
They began attacking anyone who approached their home in an
adapted conservatory, then moved into the kitchen and began
smashing crockery.
Builder Greg suffered scratches and bite marks in one savage
attack and his wife Pauline, 39, was left with cuts to her
arms, legs and hands.
Greg said: "It was a nightmare. You had to duck in and
out again in case they attacked. They would jump at you in
a pincer movement and bite and scratch, the kitchen was a
virtual no-go zone. There were a few times when we bought
in a takeaway instead of going in there.
"The problems only began when we got Cruella to keep
him company. They would sit and scream at you if you went
into the conservatory and Pauline was unable to feed them
a couple of times. They attacked her twice and the second
time it was quite nasty, she got scratches and bites on her
hands, arms and legs.
"I built them a giant cage in the conservatory and they
completely took that over. Then in the last few days they
were in the kitchen. They began smashing cups and plates.
I had to call the RSPCA in the end because it was all getting
too much and it wasn't fair to keep them caged all the time."
RSPCA inspector John Pollock said: "It was terrifying
when we got to the house. We had our socks tucked into our
trousers and wore protective hats. It was extremely difficult
trying to catch them because they are so quick."
Animal behaviour expert Emma Magnus said when a male marmoset
bonds with a female, they become very territorial. "These
monkeys would just have been trying to defend what they thought
was theirs. But they can give quite a nasty bite."
Family takes cover as monkey mayhem terrorises house
03-03-1999
The Daily Telegraph
By: Michael Fleet
A MONKEY which charmed a family with its antics turned into
the pet from hell when they bought it a mate and the pair
took over two rooms in the house.
From being a friend to eight-year-old Jordon Williams and
his parents, the 18-month-old marmoset, Josh, turned into
a scratching, biting aggressor which attacked anyone who entered
its "territory".
In the end that included the kitchen of Jordon's family home
in Hartcliffe, Bristol, where Josh and his new mate, Cruella,
threw plates and cups and jumped at intruders.
Greg Williams, Jordon's father, said that before Cruella
arrived, Josh had been a wonderful pet. "He would sit
on your shoulder and watch television. But he turned into
a nightmare," said Mr Williams, 51.
"You had to duck in and out in case they attacked. They
would jump at you in a pincer movement and bite and scratch
- the kitchen was a virtual no-go zone."
Mr Williams had bought the first monkey to cheer up Jordon
after a knee operation. Feeling sorry for Josh not having
a mate, they bought Cruella and the problems began.
For the first few days, both monkeys lived happily with the
family but as they "bonded" they became aggressive
and protective.
Mr Williams, a builder, suffered scratches and bites in one
attack and his wife, Pauline, was left with cuts to her arms,
legs and hands.
The monkeys lived in a large cage in the conservatory but
it was thought cruel to keep them locked up and when they
were given their freedom they went wild.
Mr Williams eventually rang the RSPCA for help and a team
of officers took the monkeys away to a wildlife park, leaving
the family to clean up the mess.
RSPCA inspector John Pollock said: "It was terrifying
when we went to the house. We wore protective hats because
we don't have to deal with monkeys very often."
The Tampa Tribune
16 January 1999, Saturday
Owner says pet monkey headed for new home after biting attack
DARLENE McCORMICK, of The Tampa Tribune
TOWN 'N COUNTRY - A peevish pet monkey bit its owner on the
hand and leg, but rabies isn't a big concern.
Was it a case of Angel turned devil? Or raging hormones?
Whatever her motive, the 6-year-old "organ-grinder monkey"
named Angel went berserk, biting owner Phyllis Booth.
Bleeding and bewildered by the attack, Booth called the Hillsborough
sheriff's office Wednesday morning as Angel leaped wildly
around her home.
"She's generally a good monkey," said Lee Skowronski,
Booth's son-in-law. "She came into season for the first
time, so I guess it's PMS or something."
Booth, 69, was holding Angel about 8 a.m. when the capuchin
monkey suddenly chomped her fingers. She tried to settle the
monkey down, but Angel "kept on being mean."
"I can't understand her going so crazy," Booth
said, adding the monkey had never bitten her before.
"Once she shook it off her hand . . . it bit her leg,"
said Deputy Ken Holtry, who answered the call for help at
Three Lakes Mobile Home Community, 9800 Sheldon Road.
Holtry found the woman fending off more monkey business by
holding a quilt in front of her. Angel, meantime, was screaming
and tearing around the room.
Holtry got Booth outside. When state wildlife officer Dennis
Parker arrived, the two went on a monkey hunt. They found
the peevish primate hiding under a bed. Wearing heavy-duty
gloves, Parker grabbed her little arms and delivered her safely
back to her cage.
"She bit me a couple of times. She's just afraid right
now," said Parker, who works for the Florida Game and
Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Angel may have bitten her owner because she's reaching sexual
maturity, he said. Primates will also bite when denied a favorite
toy or treat. "The animal could be having a bad day,
too," he added.
Booth said she had taken the monkey's teddy bear away for
a wash, but that was routine. Angel had been kissing her and
cuddling before the incident.
Primate bites are rare, Parker said. He responds to perhaps
half a dozen a year in an 11-county region.
The animal will have to be quarantined, probably at home,
for 14 days to make sure she does not have rabies, he said.
But Booth probably doesn't have much to worry about.
The chances are "extremely rare," Parker said.
Booth, went to the doctor's office and received four stitches
for an estimated 50 bites. She plans on finding Angel a new
home, perhaps with a breeder.
Darlene McCormick covers law enforcement and can be reached
at (813) 885-5437.
St. Petersburg Times
14 January 1999, Thursday, South Pinellas Edition
Moody pet monkey bites owner 50 times
By AMY HERDY
The Capuchin monkey, which has sharp canine teeth, likely
attacked because it is entering puberty, an animal official
says.
Phyllis Booth was enjoying some cuddle time with her 6-year-old
Capuchin monkey Wednesday morning when Angel's mood suddenly
turned bad.
"She was kissing me and hugging me, and then she got
a little rough nipping my chin," said Booth, a 69-year-old
great-grandmother and retired beautician. When Booth tried
to send Angel back to her cage, the 2 1/2-foot-tall monkey
didn't take it well.
"She got mad," Booth said. "She started biting
me and wouldn't let loose."
Fifty bites later, sheriff's deputies and a state wildlife
officer responded to Booth's home in the Three Lakes Mobile
Home Park off Sheldon Road to capture the still-rampaging
monkey and help Booth.
Capuchin monkeys, the friendly imps that accompany organ
grinders, become unpredictable and grow sharp canine teeth
as they mature, said Dennis Parker, an officer with the Florida
Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. When Capuchins bite,
Parker said, it's in rapid succession.
"Like a sewing machine needle, they go up and down the
arm, from the fingers to the shoulders." Although not
seriously injured, Booth had bites to both hands, arms and
her right leg, and she required stitches on her right knee.
Because Booth had a permit for the monkey, Parker checked
on Angel's living conditions and then left her securely confined
in a cage in Booth's home. He also speculated on the cause
for the attack: Angel has entered puberty.
"Just like a teenager, they get more testy with people,
and aggressive," he said.
By Wednesday afternoon, a stitched-up and bandaged Booth
sat in her living room and warily eyed the monkey she had
raised from a baby. While Angel squeaked, chattered and picked
imaginary bugs from her fur, Booth pondered her pet's fate.
"I don't understand it," she said. "She likes
me so well. Why would she turn on me for no reason?"
Angel had become grumpy the night before, Booth said, and
turned up her delicate, sloping nose to offerings of mixed
fruit, bananas and even potato chips. "She wasn't satisfied
with anything," she said. "When I went to feed her,
she would grab my finger and pinch."
By 8 a.m. Wednesday, Angel's mood worsened, and after biting
Booth's fingers, she sat and glared while Booth called her
brother for help.
"She was showing her teeth, making faces at me,"
she said. "I was panicky." The bites were so deep,
she said, that blood ran down the phone and over the counter
while she made the call. "I was in shock," she said.
"I couldn't believe she would do anything like that."
Suddenly, Angel attacked again, grabbing Booth's leg and biting
hard before working her way along both arms.
Booth called 911 and later went to a doctor. Parker and a
sheriff's deputy donned heavy gloves and threw a blanket over
the screaming Angel. The monkey was terrified, he said, but
not hurt. Most Capuchin owners have the monkeys' canine teeth
removed, Parker said, for the very reason Booth encountered.
Yet after the attack, Booth said, she didn't think she wanted
to keep Angel. "I'd want to sell her to some place that
would breed her," she said, "if that's what causing
this problem."
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
October 4, 1998, Sunday, BC cycle
Model's love of monkeys turns into painful lesson
BY: By GILDA PERKINS, The Sentry-News
SLIDELL, La. - Two years ago the only monkeys Michelle Germain
knew about were in a zoo. Then she bought Rico, a Vervet monkey
who so savagely attacked her legs that it threatens her career
in swimsuit modeling.
When a friend asked her to baby sit her monkeys, Michelle
agreed. This was her first experience with monkeys. "When
she took them to her mothers instead I was stuck with a big
empty cage so I decided to get a monkey of my own," she
said.
An ad for a three week old female Marmaset caught her eye.
She named it Bongo, fell in love with the monkey as a pet,
a year later she bought a male and soon after they had three
babies.
"My monkeys rode on my shoulder and hid in my hair when
we went out," Germain said. "I loved my monkeys."
Soon after she added four Tamarin monkeys to her collection
but still wanted one large enough to dress in baby clothes.
"A man in Wisconsin was selling Rico, a three-year-old
Vervet monkey advertised as tame, bottle fed, leash trained
and wearing clothes," she said.
Checking out the breed in books from the library, she made
the deal with an assurance that the monkey was sweet and had
never bitten anyone.
She agreed to pay $ 1,400 for Rico, who was delivered in
a small cat carrier while she was on a Hawaiian Tropic swimsuit
photo shoot in Florida. A friend who breeds monkeys picked
him up at the airport for her and brought him to the motel
where they were staying.
"My friend was concerned that Rico kept charging the
door of the cage but I thought it was not used to being confined,"
she said. In the motel room he seemed friendly enough when
petted through the door of the cage so she let him out.
"He went wild and ran all over the room knocking over
a lamp and putting us in darkness," Germain said. "As
I changed the light bulb he attacked me and I ended up in
the emergency room with stitches in my arm from his bites."
She called the dealer and began a telephone battle to rid
herself of the monkey and get her money back.
Returning to Slidell, she traveled with Rico in the cat carrier
and then transferred him to a cage until she could send him
back to Wisconsin.
Things went well until she put Rico in the cat carrier so
she could clean his cage. Somehow he unlatched the door and
escaped.
They found him sitting on roommate Susan Turner's bed. As
Susan was putting on a long sleeve shirt, Rico ripped up Michelle's
legs with teeth and claws.
"Again and again he attacked me and by the time we got
him off, there was blood all over the room," Germain
said. "We finally locked ourselves in the room."
Frantically calling 911 for an ambulance, Michelle lay on
the floor bleeding. St. Tammany Deputy Sheriff Howard McCrea
- who also takes calls on nuisance alligators - was called
in.
"As soon as I walked in the door the monkey attacked
me and threw a picture frame at me," he said. "As
he was running around jumping on me and biting me, the girls
were in the room screaming, and blood was everywhere. It was
a mad scene."
Rico was eventually subdued with nets and tranquilizers after
a lengthy siege. Germain and Turner - rescued after the ordeal
- were taken to the hospital. Germain needed dozens of stitches
for teeth and claw marks.
The monkey was released to an Abita clinic, but Germain had
to sign a waiver authorizing the doctor to euthanize Rico
if no home could be found.
Rico was tested for monkey virus, Herpes, virus simiae, salmonella,
tuberculosis and hepatitis before being put to sleep.
Out over $ 5,000 in medical bills, the cost of the monkey,
travel, and other expenses, Germain is left with an uncertain
future as a Hawaiian Tropic model.
She has already missed shoots and faces plastic surgery to
repair the scars on her legs. Make-up won't work because it
runs off in the water - where most of the photo shoots are
done.
Associated Press State & Local Wire
August 22, 1998, Saturday, BC cycle
WEST COVINA, Calif. (AP) - One of two police officers bitten
by a chimpanzee after it escaped from his owner's home underwent
surgery after a serious infection developed in his hand, authorities
said.
In addition to the two police officers, an animal control
officer and one other person were bitten by Moe, a chimp that
had lived in his owner's West Covina home for at least 30
years. Moe escaped and ran wild through a neighborhood for
three hours on Aug. 16 before being caught.
Officer Marcos Plebani, 38, was in stable condition following
surgery on his hand at Queen of the Valley hospital, police
Cmdr. Jim Dillon said. He might miss several weeks of duty.
The chimpanzee remained under a 15-day quarantine at his
owner's West Covina home.
"People think it is cute and funny to see a chimpanzee
running down the street," Dillon told The San Gabriel
Valley Tribune in a story Saturday. "But the officers
have to deal with the situation, and now we have one with
a serious hand injury."
Authorities, meanwhile, were to decide within a month whether
Moe should remain at his home, be moved to another location
or be destroyed.
The chimpanzee is not suspected of having any serious communicable
disease, said Sgt. Dennis Carter of Los Angeles County Animal
Care and Control.
Plebani's infection could have resulted from bacterium commonly
found in the mouths of primates, Carter added.
Plebani was injured when the chimp ran toward him, pushed
him down and bit him in the left hand, police said. Moe bit
another officer on the hip, but the bite did not break the
skin, officials said. An animal control officer was also bitten,
but refused treatment at the scene.
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia)
July 08, 1998, Wednesday
Escaped chimp goes postal 'Herbie' chases mail carrier from
his appointed rounds
BY: Greg Stone
SPRAGUE - Each day, Fred Wriston and his 125-pound chimpanzee
Herbie play with hammers and drills.
Fred, a former construction company owner, supervises the
sessions.
Monday afternoon, he got called away, leaving an escape tool
at the mercy of Herbie's remarkable dexterity.
Four-foot-six, elastic Herbie clawed a hole in the fencing
which
encloses a porch at one end of Wriston's home, located just
outside Beckley in Raleigh County.
On Cohen Street below, mild-mannered, 25-year postal veteran
Arthur Warden was going about his usual business. Warden pulled
up to a box across the street, flipped down the lid and turned
to grab the mail out of a tray to his left.
Wriston was changing the oil in his truck.
Warden was Herbie's first encounter on the run to freedom.
"When I turned to get the mail, the chimp was coming
in the passenger side window," Warden said. "My
first thought was, 'Can this monkey get through this window?'
When he did get through, my thought was, 'I have to get out
of here.'"
Warden unbuckled his seat belt, pushed open the door and
flew out.
Herbie followed him, climbing across the mail tray and over
the right-side driver's seat.
In his terror, Warden failed to put the vehicle in park on
the sloped street. The truck began to roll. Its door caught
the exiting chimp on the hip, sending him rolling down a hill
and into the yard across the street.
Warden tried to chase after the truck, but Herbie covered
the 15 feet which separated them with alarming speed. "He
got back up and took off straight at me," he said.
Wriston, meanwhile, had a choice to make. Did he jump in
the mail truck and keep it from clobbering his son-in-law's
pickup, or save Warden from what the mailman considered primate
assault?
Warden and Herbie were locked up like pro wrestlers on the
short hillside, each one with a grip on the others' elbows.
"He was strong as an ox," Warden said. "He
was pushing me backwards down the hill.
"He appeared to be looking at me in a way that he wanted
to bite my arms. Each time he was in a position to do that,
I tried to kind of sling him."
Wriston let the mail truck go and stepped between his 13-year-old
pet and his mailman. Herbie scampered away. Wriston later
found him watching TV on the couch with his father-in-law,
who lives nearby.
"He loves people," Wriston said. "He doesn't
mean any harm whatsoever."
Wriston said Herbie merely wanted to play. The bared teeth
are a sign of playful happiness, he says, not aggression.
"A chimp won't bare his teeth if he's attacking you,"
he said.
Warden didn't know the chimp was just joshing around.
"When the monkey finally left I kind of got shaky,"
Warden said. " I felt sorry for the animal. He was upset
and confused. When the truck hit him and knocked him down,
he might have taken that personal."
Both the mail truck and the pickup were damaged.
The Wristons' chimp history goes back 13 years, when they
purchased Herbie from an organization known as Monkeys Unlimited
in Cincinnati.
"My wife and I both were fascinated with them,"
Wriston said.
Another chimp, 195-pound Sonny, entered the fold six years
ago. He had been abused as a circus animal in Florida, Wriston
said. If Warden thought Herbie was scary, he ought to meet
Sonny, whose disposition doesn't match his name.
Sonny is the "dominant chimp," the Wristons say,
and takes his role as protector of Herbie and his home quite
seriously.
Both beasts have the run of much of the Wristons' home. The
chimps' portion has been cordoned off and monkey-proofed,
with wire grating over windows and triple-reinforced floors.
"Their feet are like sledgehammers," Wriston said.
Wriston, 59, is retired from his construction company career.
Joyce, 51, also quit her job because she was dissatisfied
with the care the chimps' baby sitter provided.
The chimps' portion of the house is larger than that inhabited
by the Wristons, they say. Their outside cage runs 90 feet
around the side and back of the house. It's 12 feet wide with
high ceilings.
Herbie and Sonny eat what the Wristons eat. Herbie likes
hot dogs, hamburgers and spaghetti, while Sonny is partial
to vegetables.
The Wristons also own ferrets, a massive Rottweiler, iguanas
and a horse. They've also raised two cougars.
Wild animals aren't raised easily, a fact the two acknowledge.
"Who's going to open their home and do the things you
need to do in order to keep them happy?" Joyce Wriston
asks.
Many wild animal owners end up confining them to basements
or other spaces, Fred Wriston said, because they lose control
of them.
Herbie played with children in the street until the age of
6 or so, until his strength became too great.
He once got out of Wriston's car and climbed through a drive-through
window at a fast-food restaurant. Wriston found an elderly
lady inside feeding him.
On another occasion, Herbie used a drill to remove a household
door from its hinges.
Still, they don't encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
They take Herbie and Sonny to various fairs and festivals
to make that very point.
"If we had known what we were getting into, we never
would have done it," Fred Wriston said.
But now they're in too deep.
"Now that we've got them, we'd give our lives to protect
them," Joyce said.
The Times
June 27, 1998, Saturday
If you want a chimp, you'll need a zoo too
BY: Carol Price
Monkeys may be cute and cuddly when they are young, but they
do not make good house pets, writes Carol Price
Recently the actress Liz Hurley was pictured with chimps
in the African jungle as part of a Born Free Foundation campaign
to save the creatures. She said: "I've been obsessed
with chimpanzees ever since I can remember and often thought
how I'd like to own one. When you look deep into a chimp's
eyes, you seem to see all the wisdom in the world."
Many people have fallen for chimps as pets, but as Ms Hurley
says: "I now realise that it would actually be horribly
cruel to the chimp. Wild animals are not supposed to live
with humans in houses or, even worse, in cages." When
they are small, primates are cute and appealing, but when
they grow up they become more focused on dismantling your
home.
Monkeys have lots of things not going for them as pets. They
have sharp teeth, volatile natures, a devastating effect on
furnishings and as they mature they prefer the company of
other monkeys. This could be why we rarely see the singer
Michael Jackson with his chimp, Bubbles. As an adult male,
Bubbles could now top ten stone, so his cuddle and manageability
factors are likely to have dived faster than a flop album.
Today in Britain, since the introduction of the 1976 Dangerous
Wild Animals Act, you have to be an approved zoo or specially
licensed individual to keep monkeys. America has even stricter
requirements, which is why when Jackson got Bubbles he also
had the extra little outlay of the zoo to go with him.
Before 1976, primates were common pets here. Molly Badham,
a primate expert and director at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire,
remembers all too well the first chimp she brought home from
a London pet shop in the Sixties: "It was after she had
bitten two friends that it became clear that it was the guests
we had to lock in the spare bedrooms. She was lovely, but
you need to be firm. They have to learn the word no' as early
as possible."
Dick Shiel had additional problems when he set up a monkey
sanctuary in Ramsgate, Kent, which rescued many primates from
research laboratories. He inherited a chimp called Melody,
which - courtesy of past research work - arrived with a 20-a-day
cigarette habit.
Mr Shiel says: "Weaning her off the fags was a job and
a half, to say the least. If she didn't get them she was tense,
neurotic, screaming - a bit like you'd expect in a human under
the same circumstances.
"It didn't seem fair to make her go from 20 to zero
without help. We eventually got her down to six a day, which
she could smoke only in a segregated area while we stood by
with a fire extinguisher. But she was bright enough to turn
those six into 12 by breaking them in half, so we were still
stuck with a problem."
Monkeys are still being used in smoking experiments in Japan,
according to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection,
and in other laboratory research worldwide. "Although
Melody lived to be 28," says Mr Shiel, " it might
have been 40 if it wasn't for the fags."
Jim Cronin, a former head primate keeper at the Bronx Zoo
in New York who is now director of the Monkey World Rescue
Centre in Wareham, Dorset, thinks it is still far too easy
in Britain for inexperienced owners to get monkeys. He describes
the procedure for issuing the required special licences as
"totally inadequate".
"All you need as a private owner is one local vet and
local environmental officer to say yes. What do they know
about monkeys? There are only about half a dozen vets in this
country who are primate experts," he says.
As a result, a stream of new inmates is joining the existing
45 chimps and 110 other monkeys of various species at Monkey
World. "Many of them were and still are too readily available
through small ads or pet shops," says Mr Cronin, "particularly
smaller, popular varieties here like vervets, macaques, marmosets
and capuchins which people think are cute until they bite
them."
Mr Cronin says that marmosets suffer in Britain particularly,
because you do not need a special licence to own one. Because
they have one rather than two sets of canine teeth this, in
theory, makes them less dangerous.
A chimp rescued from a shed in Barcelona - his owner bought
him from a circus, then he grew too big to handle - and a
woolly monkey confiscated from the home of a woman in Norwich
- she smuggled it here under her arm on a flight from Bogota
- are, says Mr Cronin, two recent Monkey World acquisitions
which should not have been pets but were. He understands too
well the appeal of monkeys: "They are so wonderfully,
if not scarily, like us." He is still adamant that the
only place for them is with their own kind, under expert supervision.
Ms Hurley and the Born Free Foundation are establishing a
100- acre island sanctuary for chimpanzees that have been
rescued from smugglers in Uganda.
She supports Mr Cronin in appealing to would-be owners: "Please
don't get one. I'm only going to have to deal with it later."
Monkey World (0800 456600);
Twycross Zoo (01827 880260); Born Free Foundation (01403
240170)
Central Maine Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME)
May 15, 1998 Friday
Pet owner again afoul of the law
BRIDGTON (AP) - A Bridgton woman whose pet monkeys were seized
nearly a year ago by game wardens now faces a court hearing
following the confiscation of eight horses and a cow from
her property.
Officials are trying to determine whether Karen M. Hawkins
abused the horses and cow, which have been placed in the care
of the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals in
Windham. No charges have been filed, and Assistant District
Attorney Tara Jenkins said evidence still is being gathered.
After obtaining a search warrant, Bridgton police officer
Gary M. Chadbourne found a dead horse in a barn and confiscated
animals that he said 'were showing signs of being malnourished,
dehydrated.'
Jeanene L. Wilson, a humane agent for the state Department
of Agriculture, was with Chadbourne during the April 28 search.
If the horses weren't taken from Hawkins, their condition
would worsen and they would die, Wilson said in a court affidavit.
Bridgton District Court authorized the animals' confiscation
pending a hearing June 10. Hawkins, 45, had no comment Wednesday.
Hawkins was the owner of a monkey that allegedly bit and
scratched a woman in a supermarket checkout line last summer.
The monkey was taken from Hawkins, despite her insistence
that it did nothing wrong.
The offending primate, named Mookie, was sent to a sanctuary
in Florida. Game wardens also seized a second monkey.
Hawkins, a horse farmer, said the monkey was being trained
to assist disabled people who cannot lift or manipulate objects.
Chadbourne, who is Bridgton's animal control officer, said
Hawkins' horses and cow had been living in inhumane conditions
and needed medical attention. He would not say whether Hawkins
protested the search and the animals' confiscation.
Malaysia General News
27 February 1998, Friday
GIRL HOSPITALISED AFTER ATTACK BY FAMILY'S PET MONKEY
Monkey-Attacked
A three-year-old girl had to be hospitalised after she was
attacked by the family's pet monkey while sleeping on Wednesday.
Norhayati Ibrahim was in a room with her five-month-old brother
at their house at Jalan Teku here when she was attacked by
the monkey at about 2pm.
The male monkey had broken loose from its chain, entered
the room and attacked her.
Norhayati's mother Puan Siti binte Kassim, 28, who was in
the living room with two other children, rushed into the room
when she heard her daughter's cry for help.
She saw Norhayati covered in blood and the monkey attacking
her, she said when met at the Sibu General Hospital here.
The animal, however, did not touch Norhayati's little brother
who was asleep.
Her two nephews nearby, who also heard the commotion, rushed
to her aid and beat the monkey to death with a piece of wood.
Norhayati was rushed to the hospital and given emergency
treatment. She suffered injuries to her head, face, eyes,
upper lips and thigh.
Siti said the monkey had been with the family for a number
of years and was known to act aggressively when it saw young
girls or women.
Austin American-Statesman
January 19, 1998
Man bitten by pet monkey agrees to have rabies shots
SAN ANGELO -- A man bitten by a neighbor's monkey has changed
his mind and agreed to undergo rabies vaccinations.
Eric Hernandez was bitten Jan. 9 by Ted E. Bear, a 6-year-old
Capuchin monkey owned by neighbor Judy Woods. Hernandez, 19,
had initially refused to have the shots, prompting city health
authorities to order the monkey to be destroyed so its brain
could be examined for rabies.
Woods, who depended on the monkey for small chores because
of disabled hands, obtained a court order Thursday to stop
authorities from putting her pet to death.
Her attorney, Galen Moeller, argued that the chance of the
monkey's having rabies was too minuscule to justify killing
the pet.
Hernandez changed his mind Friday, agreeing to take the shots.
Hernandez's decision brought relief to city officials, who
faced a dilemma over the matter.
Everybody at the city is just thrilled that we don't have
to worry about (Hernandez) coming down with something,'' City
Prosecutor Jeff Betty said.
Monkey that bit teen won't be killed: San Angelo judge extends
quarantine
01-17-1998
The Dallas Morning News
SAN ANGELO, Texas - A monkey who attacked its owner's neighbor
won' t be put to death - for now, at least.
Authorities planned to put Judy Woods' 6-year-old Capuchin
monkey to death, lop off his head and examine his brain for
signs of rabies after he bit her next-door neighbor on the
neck last week.
But Judge Barbara Walther agreed Thursday night to continue
a temporary injunction against the animal, said Galen Moeller,
Mrs. Woods' lawyer.
"The monkey will stay in quarantine to see if any clinical
signs of rabies appear for 30 days from the date of bite,"
Mr. Moeller said. The judge can overturn her decision at any
time, he said.
If no rabies symptoms surface, the animal would be released
to the owner.
Mrs. Woods said the monkey, named "Ted E. Bear,"
is perfectly healthy and was trying to protect her daughter
during a neighbor's visit.
"Everybody's been around him. I have a neighbor boy
who's bawling his eyes out because he'd play ball with him,"
she said.
Mrs. Woods, whose hands were weakened by a neck injury, said
she relies on the monkey to perform routine tasks at home.
"He opens Coke cans. He opens medicine bottles for me.
I taught him to turn on my lights, turn off my lights, turn
on the water, flush toilets," she said.
With the monkey locked up, Mrs. Woods said, friends and families
have had to fill in.
"Luckily, I've had a lot of people come in and help
with some of the things he does," she said.
San Angelo Health Department Director Mike Loving said the
only way to check for rabies is to examine the animal's brain.
The procedure was set for Wednesday but was postponed so
state District Judge Barbara Walther could hear Mrs. Woods'
protest Thursday, Mr. Loving said.
Eric Hernandez, 19, was visiting Mrs. Woods, her 17-year-old
daughter and 5-day-old granddaughter Jan. 9 when the monkey
lunged at him and bit him in the neck.
Animal bites involving dogs or cats usually require a 10-day
quarantine to see if rabies symptoms develop. Health officials
say that same procedure isn't a guarantee for monkeys.
"I don't really want to put the monkey down," Mr.
Loving said.
Mr. Loving said the city could consider other options if
the bite victim had agreed to immediately take the rabies
prevention shots. Mr. Hernandez declined to do so.
Ms. Woods said the incident occurred after the neighbor let
himself into her house, uninvited, and visited with her daughter.
"My daughter doesn't like him much," she said of
Mr. Hernandez. "He rubbed her on the stomach, and Bear
lunged at him."
San Angelo's exotic animal ordinance bars ownership of monkeys
in the city limits. Mr. Loving said his office probably will
not pursue charges.
"If the monkey is not killed, I think we will ask that
the monkey be removed from San Angelo unless the City Council
sees fit to change the ordinance," Mr. Loving said.
Emerging Infectious Diseases
United States Centers for Disease Control
January 1998
B-virus from Pet Macaque Monkeys: An Emerging Threat in the
United States?
Stephanie R. Ostrowski,* Mira J. Leslie, Terri Parrott,
Susan Abelt, and Patrick E. Piercy§ *Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Arizona
Department of Health Services, Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Pembroke
Park Animal Hospital, Pembroke Park, Florida, USA; Lake Superior
Zoological Gardens, Duluth, Minnesota, USA; and §Illinois
Department of Public Health, Springfield, Illinois, USA
Of primary concern when evaluating macaque bites are bacterial
and B-virus infections. B-virus infection is highly prevalent
(80% to 90%) in adult macaques and may cause a potentially
fatal meningoencephalitis in humans. We examined seven nonoccupational
exposure incidents involving 24 persons and eight macaques.
Six macaques were tested for herpes B; four (67%) were seropositive.
A common observation was that children were more than three
times as likely to be bitten than adults. The virus must be
assumed to be a potential health hazard in macaque bite wounds;
this risk makes macaques unsuitable as pets.
B-Virus in Nonhuman Primates
Cercopithecine herpesvirus 1 (Herpesvirus simiae or B-virus)
frequently infects Old World primates of the genus Macaca.
Of at least 19 species of macaques, rhesus, Japanese, cynomolgus,
pig-tailed, and stump-tailed macaques are the species most
commonly used in biomedical research (1). Seroprevalence of
neutralizing antibodies to B-virus in captive adult macaque
populations is 73% to 100% (1-3). Like Herpesvirus simplex
virus infection in humans, B-virus infection in monkeys is
characterized by lifelong infection with intermittent reactivation
and shedding of the virus in saliva or genital secretions,
particularly during periods of stress or immunosuppression
(4). B-virus infection is transmitted among free-ranging or
group-housed animals, primarily through sexual activity and
bites. In captivity, as well as in the wild, mature macaques
are more likely than immature animals to have been infected
with, and shed, the virus. Antibody titer to B-virus indicates
infection but can neither confirm nor eliminate actual viral
shedding at the time of the bite (4).
B-Virus in Humans
B-virus disease in humans usually results from macaque bites
or scratches (4). Incubation periods may be as short as 2
days, but more commonly are 2 to 5 weeks (1,3,5-7; Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], unpub. data). Most
documented infections have occurred among biomedical research
employees who had occupational exposure to macaques, although
transmission has also been documented among laboratory workers
handling infected central nervous system and kidney tissues
(1,5).
From 1990 to 1992, 28 U.S. residents reported nonoccupational
macaque bites to CDC (L. Chapman, pers. comm.). Since 1993,
additional nonoccupational exposure cases have been reported,
seven of which (involving 24 persons and eight macaques) are
listed in Table 1. Of the six macaques for which herpes B
serologic results were available, four (67%) were positive.
Two owners refused requests for testing. Four (44%) of nine
exposed children were bitten, versus only three (20%) of 12
adults. Children were 3.2 times more likely to be bitten than
adults; although a common observation, this association is
not statistically significant for this case series.
Table 1. Selected pet macaque bite casesa,b
Location Primate species, age, B-virus status Nature of exposure
Comments
Illinois Rhesus, 20+ yrs, B-virus positive Cynomolgus, 2-4
yrs, B-virus negative Household contact (2 adults/3 children),
bites, scratches (2 adults) Bought at auction, wife bitten
multiple sites, children hand-fed monkey
Florida Cynomolgus, 2 yrs, B-virus positive Household contact
(1 adult), bite (1 child) Kissed on lips, ate off owner's
plate, shared bed
Arizona Cynomolgus, 2 yrs, B-virus negative Bites on toe and
buttock (child) Unprovoked attack on neighbor, declared vicious
animal by judge, no. of household contacts (owner) unreported
Cynomolgus, 7 weeks, B-virus positive Household contact
(6 adults), bite on face (1 adult) Diapered, shared chewed
gum, oral ulcers noted by veterinarian, bite incident at neighborhood
bar
Macaque, (species undetermined), 2 yrs, B-virus status unknown
Bite on thigh (1 child) Unprovoked attack (climbed fence to
bite child)
Macaque, (species and age undetermined), B-virus status unknown
Severe bite (1 child) Injured child attended an unlicensed
day-care facility run by monkey owner, 7 other monkeys on
premises
Minnesota Rhesus, 2 yrs, B-virus positive Household contact,
owners' friend bitten Acquired as "child-substitute"
(full-time baby-sitters hired)
aCases referred to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
since 1993.
bAs of November 1997, no confirmed transmission of B-virus
in these persons has been documented.
Most free-ranging monkey populations are thought to be part
of the exotic fauna of distant tourist destinations and wild
animal parks; however, macaque species have established free-ranging
feral populations in Texas and Florida. In such settings,
contact between humans and macaques cannot be safely controlled
(8-10), and workers and visitors are at risk. Guidelines for
B-virus prevention and diagnosis have recently been published
(9-12).
Symptomatic human infection with B-virus is rare; fewer than
40 cases were reported from 1933 to 1994 (1,4-7,13-15; CDC,
unpub. data). However, the consequences of symptomatic infection
may be severe. Viral infection rapidly progresses to central
loci in the spinal cord and, eventually, the brain. Of 24
known symptomatic patients whose cases were reviewed in 1992,
19 (79%) died (CDC; unpub. data).
Before 1987, most surviving human patients had moderate to
severe neurologic impairment, sometimes requiring lifelong
institutionalization (1). Recently, acyclovir has prevented
progression of the disease in a limited number of patients.
In at least three patients, this treatment reversed the neurologic
symptoms and was life-saving (7,14,15). Rapid diagnosis and
initiation of therapy are of paramount importance in preventing
death or permanent disability in surviving patients.
Human and Macaque Interactions
Most owners form an emotional bond with infant primates. This
bond is probably strengthened by the neonatal monkey's physical
and behavioral resemblance to a human infant. Although physically
and emotionally dependent on their mothers (or human substitutes)
for up to 2 years of age, most macaques exhibit unpredictable
behavior as they mature. Males tend to become aggressive,
and both male and female macaques bite to defend themselves
and to establish dominance. Dominance within the social hierarchy
of macaques is established by aggression toward other monkeys,
generally the younger and smaller members of the group. Both
veterinary specialists and breeders of nonhuman primates agree
that as a rule, all these animals bite (16,17). Biting incidents
eventually bring the animals to the attention of animal control
authorities. Most state health departments can require that
any biting nondomestic animal be euthanized and the brain
be submitted for rabies testing.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Policies Regarding Nonhuman Primates
Table 2 lists the principal federal regulations affecting
the possession, distribution, and uses of nonhuman primates.
The United States is obligated under the Convention in International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to restrict and control
trafficking in exotic and endangered species.
Table 2. Federal regulations regarding nonhuman primates
Agency Statute Regulation Subjects
Departments of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Public Health Services Act, 42 USCS 201 42 CFR 71.53 Importation,
distribution, bona fide uses in the U.S., breeding colony
requirements, pet/avocationist uses
Department of Agriculture Animal Welfare Act, 7 USCS 2131-2159
9 CFR Subchapter A Licenses (breeders, dealers, laboratories,
exhibitors, auctions), interstate health certificates, humane
care and transport
Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Endangered Species Act, 16 USCS 1540 Lacey Act, 18 USCS 42
50 CFR 10, 11, 13, 14, 16 Endangered species, smuggling, interstate
sales
Since October 10, 1975, U.S. Public Health regulation 42 CFR
71.53(c) has prohibited the importation of nonhuman primates
into the United States as pets, and neither nonhuman primates
imported since that date nor their offspring may be legally
bred or distributed for any uses other than bona fide science,
university-level educational programs, or full-time zoologic
exhibition. Furthermore, the regulation states, "the
maintenance of nonhuman primates as pets, hobby, or an avocation
with occasional display to others is not a permissible use"
(18).
All states require their citizens to comply with applicable
federal regulations. Many state officials, however, may be
unaware of regulatory restrictions on the uses and distribution
of nonhuman primates and may be confused by the distinctions
among federal agencies regarding regulatory restrictions on
captive-bred animals. State wildlife authorities may not know
that a federal public health regulation prohibits the keeping
("maintenance") of nonhuman primates imported after
October 10, 1975, as pets, for a hobby, or as an avocation;
likewise, many do not know the compelling public health and
safety reasons for enforcement.
Captive-bred offspring of animals purported to have been
imported before October 10, 1975, are frequently offered for
sale. Without documentation it is very difficult to determine
whether this is the case. Depending on the specific circumstances,
it is possible for undocumented animals to be considered deliberately
misclassified (i.e., intentionally mislabeled), a violation
under the Lacey Act (18 USC 42) and under 16 USC 3373 (19).
In 1987 and 1988, occupational safety guidelines were published
based on evidence that all macaque species are inherently
dangerous to humans because of the risk for B-virus transmission,
as well as the likelihood of serious physical injury from
bite wounds (9-12,14,15). Several recent reviews of monkey-bite
injuries worldwide indicate that severe lacerations, wound
infections, and permanent sequelae (e.g., flexure contractures,
osteomyelitis) were present in 33% of cases (20,21).
In 1990, the American Veterinary Medical Association issued
a general policy statement opposing the keeping of wild animals
(especially those inherently dangerous to humans) as pets
and advising veterinarians to exert their influence to discourage
this practice (22). In 1995, updated guidelines for the prevention
and treatment of B-virus infections in exposed persons were
published (12). Despite these continuing public health educational
efforts, nonhuman primates (including macaques) continue to
be marketed and kept as pets in many states (16,17,23).
The Frequency of Exposure Resulting in Infection
Much remains to be learned about the pathogenesis of B-virus
infection in humans. In this very limited case series (Table
1), one family (two adults and two of three children) exposed
to a B-virus positive macaque had flulike symptoms. One of
the adults had additional symptoms related to the injury site,
which suggested B-virus infection. In the other six cases,
no suspect clinical symptoms were noted, and disease-specific
antiviral postexposure prophylaxis was not given. B-virus
is still rare, and diagnostic evaluation of clinical cases
of aseptic meningitis does not routinely include B-virus testing.
Owners of pet macaques are often reluctant to report bite
injuries from their pets, even to their medical care providers,
and may fail to appreciate that the premonitory headache and
flulike symptoms (which may lead them to seek medical attention)
could be associated with healed, often minor, bite wounds
dating back more than a month (23). The Southwest Foundation
for Biomedical Research, which is the designated National
Institutes of Health B-virus resource laboratory, reports
processing 2,000 to 3,000 human diagnostic specimens per year
between 1990 and 1994, or approximately 200 per month, most
of which reflect occupational exposure (8).
Some Public Health Consequences of the Nonhuman Primate Pet
Trade
The pet trade in a variety of nonhuman primate species, and
particularly the apparent increase in macaque species as part
of this trade, may constitute an emerging infectious disease
threat in the United States. Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service indicates that illegal traffic in nonhuman primates
is a significant aspect of the estimated $3 billion worth
of wildlife illegally traded in the United States annually,
more data are needed on the actual number of macaques in the
private sector and on trends in the population (24; U.S. Fish
and Wildlife special agents, pers. comm.). The public resources
deployed when a monkey-bite case is referred to public health
authorities are similar to those required for rabies investigations
(M. Leslie and T. Parrott, unpub. obs.). Persons bitten by
pet and feral macaques are more likely than persons bitten
in the workplace to require public resources, delay seeking
medical care, and have an initial medical evaluation by care
givers who are largely unfamiliar with the potentially serious
consequences of B-virus exposure (23). In contrast, occupational
exposure generally occurs within highly structured workplace
settings, where health professionals are prepared to provide
prompt, appropriate, and specific care at no public cost.
Ongoing efforts to establish B-virus-free macaque colonies
illustrate the difficulties of ascertaining B-virus-negative
status, even with a battery of sophisticated laboratory tests
and extended longitudinal follow-up of individual macaques
(25). The high percentage of death in known cases of human
B-virus disease underscores the potential seriousness of all
bite or scratch exposures from macaques.
The extremely high prevalence of B-virus along with their
behavioral characteristics make the macaque species unsuitable
as pets.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Drs. D. Manning, S. O' Marro, R. Montrey,
T. Burke, D. Morton, and J. Thulin; Mr. J. Francis, Mr. C.
Langkop; Drs. R. Martin, J. Hilliard, D. Watkins; Capt. J.
Thompson; Special Agents P. Bosco, D. Burleson, J. English,
S. Hamilton, T. Karabinoff, D. Kirkby, D. Manera, G. Phillips,
G. Phocas, T. Santelle, J. Sommers, C. Tabor; Dr. J. Cheek;
and the Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Animal
Resources Branch, and the Division of Quarantine, CDC.
References
1. Palmer AE. B virus, Herpesvirus simiae: historical perspective.
J Med Primatol 1987;16:99-130.
2. Shah KV, Morrison JA. Comparison of three rhesus groups
for antibody patterns to some viruses: absence of active simian
virus 40 transmission in the free-ranging rhesus of Cayo Santiago.
Am J Epidemiol 1972;99:308-15.
3. Orcutt RP, Pucak GJ, Foster HL, Kilcourse JY. Multiple
testing for the detection of B virus antibody in specially
handled rhesus monkeys after capture from virgin trapping
grounds. Lab Anim Sci 1976;26:70-4.
4. Weigler BJ. Biology of B Virus in macaque and human hosts:
review. Clin Infect Dis 1992;14:555-67.
5. Hummeler K, Davidson WL, Henle W, LaBoccetta AC, Ruch HG.
Encephalomyelitis due to infection with Herpesvirus simiae
(Herpes B virus): report of two fatal laboratory acquired
cases. N Engl J Med 1959;261:64-8.
6. Centers for Disease Control. B-virus infections in humans-Michigan.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1989;38:453-4.
7. Holmes GP, Hilliard JK, Klontz KC, Rupert AH, Schindler
CM, Parrish E, et al. B-virus (Herpesvirus simiae) infection
in humans: epidemiologic investigations of a cluster. Ann
Intern Med 1990;112:833-9.
8. Centers for Disease Control. Guidelines for prevention
of Herpesvirus simiae (B-virus) infection in monkey handlers.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1987;36:681-2, 687-9.
9. The B Virus working group. Guidelines from prevention of
Herpesvirus simiae (B virus) infection in monkey handlers.
J Med Primatol 1988;17:77-83.
10. Hilliard JK. 1990-1994 yearly comparisons; B-virus Resource
Laboratory. San Antonio (TX): Southwest Foundation for Biomedical
Research; 1995.
11. Wells DL, Lipper SL, Hilliard JK, Stewart JA, Holmes GP,
Herrmann KL, et al. Herpesvirus simiae contamination of primary
rhesus monkey kidney cell cultures. CDC recommendations to
minimize risks to laboratory personnel. Diagn Microbiol Infect
Dis 1989;12:333-6.
12. Holmes GP, Chapman LE, Stewart JA, Straus SE, Hilliard
JK, Davenport DS, et al. Guidelines for the prevention and
treatment of B-virus infections in exposed persons. Clin Infect
Dis 1995;20:421-39.
13. Artenstein AW, Hicks CB, Goodwin BS, Hilliard JK. Human
infection with B virus following a needlestick injury. Reviews
of Infectious Diseases 1991;13:288-91.
14. Centers for Disease Control. B-virus infection in humans-Pensacola,
Florida. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1987;36:289-90, 295-6.
15. Centers for Disease Control. B-virus infection in humans-Michigan.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1989;38:453-4.
16. Hoctor P. Short hints on raising exotics. Animal Finders
Guide 1995 Sep 1;12:44-5.
17. Johnson-Delaney CA. The pet monkey: health care and husbandry
guidelines. Journal of Small Exotic Animal Medicine 1991;1:32-7.
18. Centers for Disease Control. Import restrictions on nonhuman
primates. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control; 1982
Nov 17. DQ-CPS Advisory Memorandum No. 65.
19. Anderson RS. Lacey Act. Case law update and current issues
in federal wildlife prosecution. Washington: U.S. Department
of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division; 1993.
20. Goldstein EJC, Pryor EP, Citron DM. Simian bites and bacterial
infection. Clin Infect Dis 1995;20:1551-2.
21. Janda DH, Ringler DH, Hilliard JK, Hankin RC, Hankin FM.
Nonhuman primate bites. J Orthop Res 1990;8:146-50.
22. American Veterinary Medical Association. Policy Statement
on Wild Animals as Pets. In: 1995 AVMA Directory. Schaumburg
(IL): The Association; 1995.
23. Paulette J. "Yes, monkeys will bite!" The Simian
1996 Feb;6-8.
24. Webster D. The looting and smuggling and fencing and hoarding
of impossibly precious, feathered and scaly wild things: inside
the $10 billion black market in endangered animals. The New
York Times Magazine 1997 Feb 16: 27-33, 48-50.
25. Hilliard J. Managing macaques and herpes B. Presented
at 4th National Symposium on Biosafety: Working Safely with
Research Animals; 1997 Jan 27-31; Atlanta, Georgia.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
December 13, 1997, Saturday, ALL EDITIONS
Is the public in any danger?;
Monkeys, now illegal, a dwindling pet set in Georgia
BY: Patricia Guthrie; STAFF WRITER
While biologists well know the dangers of macaque monkeys
as carriers of the herpes B virus that killed Yerkes researcher
Elizabeth R. Griffin, the public seems unaware of the risks
posed by these primates that are often seen as cuddly, cute
creatures.
"All monkeys bite. They bite fast, they bite without
warning, and they bite hard," says Dr. Stephanie Ostrowski,
veterinary epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. "Monkeys don't make good pets. And macaque
monkeys that may be carrying the herpes B virus particularly
don't make good pets."
In Georgia, it is illegal to have any kind of monkey as a
pet under a 1994 amendment to the Georgia Wild Animal Law.
They are allowed into the state only for research or exhibition
purposes and are regulated under several state and federal
agencies.
"The permits we do give are closely regulated, and we
prohibit private ownership," said Ken Riddleberger, senior
wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources. However, people already owning pet monkeys prior
to the 1994 law change were allowed to keep them until the
animal died, but no numbers were immediately available.
People who keep monkeys at home under this exemption usually
own white-faced capuchin monkeys, which are not carriers of
herpes B.
Zoo Atlanta has no rhesus macaque monkeys on exhibit because
it specializes in gorillas, baboons and orangutans. If monkeys
are part of circus acts that travel through the state, they
must be caged and surrounded by barriers that prohibit people
from getting too close.
Despite many state and federal regulations, people may be
keeping monkeys illegally. Many states allow them as pets,
even though the importation of all primates as pets has been
illegal under federal law since 1975.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which enforces the law,
estimates there is an annual $ 3 billion market in illegal
exotic animals sales and their by-products, such as ivory.
"In many states, there are no regulations against owning
or selling monkeys," Ostrowski said. "It's very
difficult to ascertain how many are being kept as pets."
To warn the public about keeping macaque monkeys, Ostrowski
and others recently compiled the first data on the incidence
of bites by these monkeys in nonresearch settings.
Since 1990, 52 incidents of biting by pet macaques were reported
to the CDC from people around the country, according to an
agency study to be released in next month's Emerging Infectious
Diseases journal. There could be many more cases that went
unreported to local public health officials.
Reviewing 24 cases in four states, the CDC found that 24
people had been bitten by eight macaque monkeys since 1993.
Six of those eight monkeys were tested for herpes B; four
of them were found to have it. Children were 3.2 times more
likely to be bitten than adults.
None of the people bitten developed the virus, but an Illinois
family did exhibit its symptoms, Ostrowski said.
Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center of Emory University
is largest of eight institutions in Georgia holding a wild
animal permit that allows rhesus macaques or other primates
to be used as research animals. Native to Asia and Africa,
several species of macaque monkeys are known to be carriers
of herpes B. Experts say they believe the virus is spread
among monkeys in the wild as they grow up in colonies, or
groups, and by the time they reach adulthood, 90 percent of
them carry the virus.
Herpes B is similar to the herpes simplex virus that causes
periodic cold sores on the lips and genitals of humans. While
it does not sicken the primates, when transmitted to humans
it can be fatal. It's an extremely rare transmission, considering
that thousands of macaque monkeys are handled thousands of
times by researchers nationwide.
Every year, about 8,000 macaque monkeys are imported into
the United States for research purposes, the CDC reports.
Riddleberger said he receives inquiries weekly from people
wondering about pet monkey regulations. Public interest may
have peaked after a white-faced capuchin named "Marcel"
appeared on the sitcom, "Friends," several years
ago. In Atlanta, the monkey known as "Dr. Irving M.D.,"
a promotional primate for FM-radio station Star94, is a also
a white-faced capuchin owned by licensed trainer Bobby Manheim.
"I get calls every week of people wanting monkeys as
pets," Riddleberger said. "Besides the disease factor,
they're destructive. . . . After I explain to them it's like
having a 2-year-old around for 40 years needing diapers, that
usually does enough to discourage people."
Chicago Tribune
13 December 1997, Saturday
MONKEYS CAN POSE THREAT
By William Mullen, Tribune Staff Writer
A bizarre accident in a Georgia animal laboratory that seemed
unlikely to occur by ordinary laws of chance has killed a
22-year-old lab assistant exposed to a herpes virus in a rhesus
monkey.
Elizabeth R. Griffin, a worker at Yerkes Primate Research
Center at Emory University in Atlanta, became the first known
human to have contracted herpes B virus via the eye.
Carried only by macaque monkeys, which include rhesus monkeys,
herpes B is relatively harmless to the monkeys and is difficult
for them to transmit to other animals. In the United States,
the virus has been transmitted to humans only 40 times in
the last 64 years, but it has been fatal in 70 percent of
those cases.
Griffin, who recently graduated from college, died Wednesday
in Atlanta after a six-week, up-and-down struggle against
the disease.
Viral researchers said her death should serve as a warning
to be aware of risks when people handle monkeys of the macaque
species, especially people who have them as pets.
"People who keep them as pets are distressingly ignorant,"
said Dr. Louisa Chapman, an epidemiologist at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
"We are always getting calls from physicians treating
patients, especially children, bitten by pet monkeys. Fortunately,
even with bites and scratches, few of them become infected."
There is no way of determining how many macaques are kept
as pets. Thousands of the monkeys, however, are used in medical
research--especially rhesus monkeys. They are favored because
they are plentiful and breed easily in captivity.
Griffin was unknowingly exposed to the virus as she helped
move a cage containing a rhesus monkey at the Yerkes lab.
The lab, which uses primates in research on such human diseases
as AIDS and cancer orders employees to follow strict safety
protocols when working with animals. Griffin was following
those protocols, wearing a facial mask, clothing and gloves
to protect her from bites and scratches, when the accident
occurred.
As she helped move the cage, covered with a fine-mesh screen
as a further precaution, Griffin peeked into the cage to see
how the monkey was faring. The monkey apparently either spit
or flung bodily fluid at her as she peered in, striking her
eyeball.
"Because it was so minor an event, it was not even viewed
by (Griffin) as serious," said Dr. Tom Gordon, a Yerkes
spokesman.
"She didn't even see it as an accident or an injury."
Another Yerkes spokeswoman, Kate Egan, said that because
the virus isn't known to travel through the air, Griffin didn't
believe she had endangered herself by not wearing eye protection.
"In every other case we know of, the infection is from
a bite or a scratch or a needle stick," Egan said.
About 10 days after the accident, Griffin's eye became inflamed
and she was admitted to a hospital, where she responded well
to anti-viral medication.
Sent home after 10 days, she returned after complaining of
weakness in her legs. She died this week in the hospital.
Herpes B was first isolated and described by famed polio
researcher Dr. Albert Sabin, who eventually developed a live
polio vaccine by growing them on rhesus monkey cells.
There are a large number of herpes viruses that occur primarily
in monkeys. Because the monkeys are the natural hosts to the
viruses, they are relatively benign, much as human versions
of herpes are relatively benign in humans, occasionally causing
lesions and skin eruptions when the carrier is stressed or
ill.
Researchers say that in macaques the virus is active and
transmissible only 2 percent to 3 percent of the time. Even
when the virus is active and a monkey bites or scratches a
human, the virus rarely is transmitted. But when it is transmitted
to a human, it takes a devastating course.
"It attacks the central nervous system and causes severe
neurological damage," said Dr. Patricia Spear, chairwoman
of microbiology and immunology at Northwestern University.
Macaque monkeys in general and rhesus monkeys in particular
are not endangered, so most zoos do not keep or display them.
Neither Lincoln Park Zoo nor Brookfield Zoo has had any macaques
for more than a decade.
In zoos, they pose no risk to visitors because they are either
displayed behind glass walls or far from any possible public
contact.
Safety protocols have reduced chances of transmission of
the virus over the years. Griffin's death probably will make
those protocols even more stringent.
PHOTO: Elizabeth Griffin, a lab worker at Emory University,
died after contracting herpes B from a rhesus monkey despite
taking extensive precautionary measures. AP photo.
The Dayton Daily News
December 13, 1997, Saturday
PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE OF DANGERS OF HAVING MONKEYS AS PETS
Patricia Guthrie COX NEWS SERVICE
While biologists know well the dangers of macaque monkeys
as carriers of the herpes B virus that killed Yerkes researcher
Elizabeth R. Griffin, the public seems unaware of the risks
posed by these primates that are often seen as cuddly, cute
creatures.
''All monkeys bite. They bite fast, they bite without warning
and they bite hard,'' says Dr. Stephanie Ostrowski, veterinarian
epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
''Monkeys don't make good pets.
And macaque monkeys that may be carrying the herpes B virus
particularly don't make good pets.'' In Georgia, it is illegal
to have any kind of monkey as a pet under a 1994 amendment
to the Georgia Wild Animal Law.
They are allowed into the state only for research or exhibition
purposes and are regulated under several state and federal
agencies.
''The permits we do give are closely regulated and we prohibit
private ownership,'' said Ken Riddleberger, senior wildlife
biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
However, people already owning pet monkeys prior to the 1994
law change were allowed to keep them until the animal died.
Riddleberger said the state has no estimate on how many monkeys
may be pets.
People who do keep monkeys at home under this exemption usually
own white-faced capuchin monkeys which are not carriers of
herpes B. Zoo Atlanta has no rhesus macaque monkeys on exhibit
because it specialized instead in gorillas, baboons and orangutans.
If monkeys are part of circus acts that travel through the
state, they must caged and surrounded by barriers prohibiting
people from getting too close.
Despite numerous state and federal regulations, people may
also be keeping monkeys illegally. Many states allow them
as pets even though the importation of all primates has been
illegal under federal law since 1975.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which enforces the law,
estimates there is an annual $ 3 billion market in illegal
exotic animals sales and their by-products, such as ivory.
''In many states, there's no regulations against owning or
selling monkeys,'' Ostrowski said. ''It's very difficult to
ascertain how many are being kept as pets.''
In an attempt to warn the public about keeping macaque monkeys
in their homes, Ostrowski and others just compiled the first
data on the incidence of bites by these monkeys in non-research
settings.
Since 1990, 52 incidents of biting by pet macaques were reported
to the CDC from people around the country, according to an
agency study to be released in next month's Emerging Infectious
Diseases journal. There could be many more cases that went
unreported to local public health officials.
The study could not conclude how many of the animals carried
the potentially fatal virus. It did find, however, children
were 3.2 times more likely to be bitten than adults.
Reviewing 24 cases in four states, the CDC found 24 people
had been bitten by eight macaque monkeys since 1993. Six of
those eight monkeys were tested for the herpes B; four of
them were found to have it.
None of the people bitten developed the virus, but an Illinois
family did exhibit its symptoms, Ostrowski said.
''There was a lot of sleepless nights in all these cases,''
she said.
Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center of Emory University
is one of eight institutions in Georgia holding a wild animal
permit that allows rhesus macaques or other primates to be
used as research animals. Five of these eight permits are
for rhesus macaques only, Riddleberger said.
Native to Asia and Africa, macaque monkeys are known to be
carriers of herpes B. Experts believe the virus is spread
among monkeys in the wild as they grow up in colonies, or
groups, and by the time they reach adulthood, 90 percent of
them have the disease.
Herpes B is similar to the herpes simplex virus that causes
periodic cold sores on the lips and genitals of humans. While
it does not sicken the primates, when transmitted to humans
it can be fatal. It's an extremely rare transmission considering
that thousands of macaque monkeys are handled thousands of
times by researchers nationwide.
Is the public in any danger?: Monkeys, now illegal, a dwindling
pet set in Georgia
12-13-1997
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
By: Patricia Guthrie
While biologists well know the dangers of macaque monkeys
as carriers of the herpes B virus that killed Yerkes researcher
Elizabeth R. Griffin, the public seems unaware of the risks
posed by these primates that are often seen as cuddly, cute
creatures.
"All monkeys bite. They bite fast, they bite without
warning, and they bite hard," says Dr. Stephanie Ostrowski,
veterinary epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. "Monkeys don' t make good pets. And macaque
monkeys that may be carrying the herpes B virus particularly
don't make good pets."
In Georgia, it is illegal to have any kind of monkey as a
pet under a 1994 amendment to the Georgia Wild Animal Law.
They are allowed into the state only for research or exhibition
purposes and are regulated under several state and federal
agencies.
"The permits we do give are closely regulated, and we
prohibit private ownership," said Ken Riddleberger, senior
wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources. However, people already owning pet monkeys prior
to the 1994 law change were allowed to keep them until the
animal died, but no numbers were immediately available.
People who keep monkeys at home under this exemption usually
own white-faced capuchin monkeys, which are not carriers of
herpes B.
Zoo Atlanta has no rhesus macaque monkeys on exhibit because
it specializes in gorillas, baboons and orangutans. If monkeys
are part of circus acts that travel through the state, they
must be caged and surrounded by barriers that prohibit people
from getting too close.
Despite many state and federal regulations, people may be
keeping monkeys illegally. Many states allow them as pets,
even though the importation of all primates as pets has been
illegal under federal law since 1975.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which enforces the law,
estimates there is an annual $3 billion market in illegal
exotic animals sales and their by-products, such as ivory.
"In many states, there are no regulations against owning
or selling monkeys," Ostrowski said. "It's very
difficult to ascertain how many are being kept as pets."
To warn the public about keeping macaque monkeys, Ostrowski
and others recently compiled the first data on the incidence
of bites by these monkeys in nonresearch settings.
Since 1990, 52 incidents of biting by pet macaques were reported
to the CDC from people around the country, according to an
agency study to be released in next month's Emerging Infectious
Diseases journal. There could be many more cases that went
unreported to local public health officials.
Reviewing 24 cases in four states, the CDC found that 24
people had been bitten by eight macaque monkeys since 1993.
Six of those eight monkeys were tested for herpes B; four
of them were found to have it. Children were 3.2 times more
likely to be bitten than adults.
None of the people bitten developed the virus, but an Illinois
family did exhibit its symptoms, Ostrowski said.
Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center of Emory University
is largest of eight institutions in Georgia holding a wild
animal permit that allows rhesus macaques or other primates
to be used as research animals. Native to Asia and Africa,
several species of macaque monkeys are known to be carriers
of herpes B. Experts say they believe the virus is spread
among monkeys in the wild as they grow up in colonies, or
groups, and by the time they reach adulthood, 90 percent of
them carry the virus.
Herpes B is similar to the herpes simplex virus that causes
periodic cold sores on the lips and genitals of humans. While
it does not sicken the primates, when transmitted to humans
it can be fatal. It's an extremely rare transmission, considering
that thousands of macaque monkeys are handled thousands of
times by researchers nationwide.
Every year, about 8,000 macaque monkeys are imported into
the United States for research purposes, the CDC reports.
Riddleberger said he receives inquiries weekly from people
wondering about pet monkey regulations. Public interest may
have peaked after a white-faced capuchin named "Marcel"
appeared on the sitcom, "Friends, " several years
ago. In Atlanta, the monkey known as "Dr. Irving M.D.,
" a promotional primate for FM-radio station Star94,
is a also a white- faced capuchin owned by licensed trainer
Bobby Manheim.
"I get calls every week of people wanting monkeys as
pets," Riddleberger said. "Besides the disease factor,
they're destructive. . . . After I explain to them it's like
having a 2-year-old around for 40 years needing diapers, that
usually does enough to discourage people."
Palm Beach Post (Florida)
October 17, 1997, Friday, FINAL EDITION
MONKEY BITE LANDS OWNER IN COURT
BY: Christine Stapleton
WEST PALM BEACH - After debate about Ringo's health, Ringo's
bite and Ringo's lonesome owner, County Judge Nelson Bailey
scheduled a May 5 trial for Ringo's former master, James Beekman.
Beekman, 32, faces five misdemeanor charges stemming from
a close encounter between Ringo, his pigtailed macaque monkey,
and 4-year-old Catherine Brewster Sept. 22, 1996, outside
a Worth Avenue shop where the girl's mother works. Beekman
told the judge Thursday that the girl's mother "begged"
him to stop and let her daughter see Ringo.
Catherine's family reported the injury later, after Debra
Brewster noticed a mark on her daughter's arm. Ringo initially
tested positive for Herpesvirus simiae, a herpes B virus that
can kill people.
However, Gayle Martin, an investigator with the public defender's
office, told Bailey on Thursday that subsequent tests showed
the monkey did not have the virus. Beekman, a car detailer
who lives in Palm Beach, said reports that the monkey was
ill and publicity about the case have "just wrecked my
whole life."
Beekman, who said Ringo slept in his bed and ate off his
plate, faces charges of failing to control wildlife, possessing
wildlife without the proper permit and documentation and trying
to sell wildlife without the proper permit. The monkey was
captured and turned over to a veterinarian.
Assistant State Attorney Jason McGrath said he has not ruled
out asking for jail time if Beekman is convicted.
THE HARTFORD COURANT
August 8, 1997 Friday, 2 WEST CENTRAL
PET MONKEY BITES NEIGHBOR; WILL BE QUARANTINED, OBSERVED
FOR 14 DAYS
BY: KEN BYRON; Courant Correspondent
PLAINVILLE -- Jane Teffs had just handed her grandson back
to her son after babysitting him Wednesday afternoon when
another small creature jumped into her arms.
While the brown and gray Java monkey was cute, it was not
nearly as welcome as her grandson. After grabbing her hair
it bit Teffs' right arm, taking out a small bit of flesh,
police said. "I'm still in shock," said Teffs, of
7 Hollis Lane.
"He just came forward so fast and boom, he took a piece
out of my arm," she said.
The monkey, named Springer, is owned by Jason Bailey, 23,
of 38 Betsy Road, which is near Hollis Lane.
Bailey's sister Jennifer was taking Springer for a walk on
Hollis Lane that afternoon when he jumped out of her arms
and raced into Teffs' yard.
Teffs was standing in the yard with her husband, David. The
monkey jumped onto her head and she tried to pull it off.
After hopping to the ground, the monkey ran toward David Teffs.
But then he hesitated, jumped onto their car and from there
lunged at Jane Teffs. The monkey was not on a leash.
"I was trying to get the monkey out of my hair,"
she said. "I was screaming and screaming and people were
hollering."
If Teffs was scared, the feeling might have been mutual.
With people yelling and waving their arms, the monkey may
have bitten Teffs out of fear, said Gabriele Paciotti, the
town's animal control officer.
"I don't know why it would have jumped out of the girl's
arms and it may have just wanted to sit on the lady's head,"
Paciotti said.
State law requires any animal that has bitten someone be
quarantined for 14 days for observation. The incarcerated
monkey has been a docile guest at the town animal pound, Paciotti
said.
Teffs said she is taking antibiotics and will consult her
doctor today. Randall Nelson, a veterinarian and epidemiologist
for the state Department of Public Health, said it is unlikely
a domestic monkey would carry rabies.
"In most cases, pet monkeys live with the family and
are heavily supervised," he said. "Their exposure
to wildlife from which they could get rabies is minimal so
the risk that they would have the disease is very low in this
country."
Bailey could not be reached Thursday for comment. He has
owned the monkey about a year, Paciotti said.
The Jerusalem Post
July 29, 1997, Tuesday
Monkey business
By D'Vora Ben Shaul
I have never really understood the passion for keeping monkeys,
especially since it is rare to find one in a private home
that enjoys the proper facilities and care. But keep them
people do, and I have received a number of letters about the
problems of having monkeys as pets.
One couple writes that the young spider monkey they received
about six months ago doesn't seem particularly healthy. "Its
fur is scruffy although it grooms itself constantly and it
has a cough." The first problem here is the cough. Since
you know nothing about the conditions the monkey was kept
in before you got it, you should realize that captive primates
are very susceptible to tuberculosis, and you should have
it checked by your veterinarian at once. Tuberculosis is an
infectious disease, so do not delay.
The scruffy hair could be a result of diet or might indicate
lice or fleas. Check for fleas on the monkey's belly and thighs.
Nits - louse eggs that attach themselves to the fur like tiny
pearly droplets- are easy to spot.
As for diet, it is a rare domestic primate that gets a proper
diet. Most people think plenty of bananas is adequate fare.
The spider monkey should get a wide selection of fruits, vegetables
and nuts every day. Give it some hard-boiled eggs and a small
portion of cooked rice with bits of cooked chicken, sort of
a pilaf. And don't forget, if the monkey is still growing,
it is definitely a juvenile and needs vitamins A plus D and
some calcium. Both are available in pharmacies and pet shops.
Another reader has a vervet monkey and complains that it
bites and soils the house. As for the last complaint, monkeys
do not take easily to toilet training and a diaper is advisable
when they are out of their cage. As for biting, any monkey
will bite if frightened or annoyed. This is why they are such
undesirable pets, even for adults.
Most home-kept primates are not warm enough in winter. Their
body mass is extremely small in comparison with their body
surface and they give off excess heat rapidly. They do better
in summer, but need warm moist air, not hamsin conditions
with low humidity. They are, after all, tropical animals and
they need a controlled climate. Few people can provide this
in the home. Nor can most people, however well-intentioned,
provide a monkey with the
amount of living space it needs. Also, monkeys are curious
and need a constant supply of things to interest and entertain
them. They need to explore and investigate objects to be content,
particularly since most of them are like prisoners that have
been condemned to a lifetime of solitary confinement. My advice
to readers is to keep a domestic animal other than a monkey,
but if you do have one as a pet, then try at least to give
it what it needs to have a reasonably comfortable captivity.
GRAPHIC: Photo: While they may be lovable, primates require
conditions most people are unable to provide in their homes.
(Credit: Leora Cheshin)
The Times Union (Albany, NY)
July 22, 1997, Tuesday, THREE STAR EDITION
Pet monkey goes ape in Albany reptile store
BY: LARA JAKES AND BRUCE A. SCRUTON; Staff writers
Albany Owners left him alone while at funeral; animal rights
activists question conditions inside shop
Curious George he wasn't, but destructive Gus he became.
A pet capuchin monkey, left alone for the weekend inside
the Albany Reptiles store at 216 Central Ave., drew quite
a crowd Monday as he went on a rampage, downing potted plants,
pet supplies and at least one gumball machine in the shop.
Monday night, the store and Gus' owner returned to find people
still looking through the front window -- and a mess to clean
up.
''We usually take him home. He's the family pet,'' said Jeremy
Dufort. ''But we were going out of town (to a funeral) and
left him in his cage here.''
The cage could not contain Gus, who is now strong enough
to move the top boards and rock weights, although his owners
didn't know it. Once free, the monkey began to draw a crowd.
Dufort said Gus loves attention, often going to birthday parties,
and the crowd ''began to get him all worked up. He just loves
attention.''
Gus' antics may have delighted the ever-changing crowd of
passers-by, but animal rights activists questioned the conditions
inside the store. And there was some interest in a second
primate face peering from a second-floor window.
On May 6, Inspectors from the federal Department of Agriculture
found that the shop violated a slew of sanitary regulations
and let its pets live in too-crowded and dirty cages, said
Jim Ainscoe, peace officer of the Mohawk and Hudson River
Humane Society in Menands.
Moreover, Ainscoe said, the store at that time had applied
for, but not yet received a USDA permit to sell monkeys. After
the May inspection, the store owners had 30 days to apply
for a license to sell monkeys, Ainscoe said. The application
process can take up to six months.
Dufort said Monday night the monkey on the second floor was
a spider monkey that had remained locked in his room. ''He's
slated to go to a wildlife sanctuary,'' he said, but declined
to tell how he came to have possession of the animal.
Ellen Kiley, a federal Fish and Wildlife agent, and state
Department of Environmental Conservation wildlife pathologist
Ward Stone were at the store Monday night and confirmed the
upstairs ''tenant'' is a spider monkey.
They had a tour of the store with Dufort and came out to
say they saw no obvious violations of state or federal laws.
Stone said there were some items he needed to research and
confer with EnCon law enforcement officers.
''I do have some concerns about a couple of possums in a
cage,'' he said, adding that Dufort explained they were brought
to the store by neighbors.
''They appear to be old enough to live on their own,'' he
said.
''Sometimes you can go in there and find the conditions to
be fairly clean,'' Ainscoe said. ''But there are gaps of time
that exits between one cleaning and another. When you walk
in the store, the first thing that hits you is the odor of
fecal matter from the ferrets and rabbits.''
The Humane Society periodically conducts surprise inspections
of the store, about which they often receive complaints regarding
the crowded and dirty conditions of ferret and rabbit cages,
Ainscoe said. The last such inspection was July 14, which
the store passed, he said. USDA officials could not immediately
be reached Monday.
The exotic pet store sells several varieties of snakes, one
of which was apparently accidentally released by the monkey,
along with lizards, ferrets and rabbits. There also are at
least one chinchilla and some small mammals from Australia.
The store was bought by the Duforts less than two years ago,
according to former store owner Tom Hallenbeck.
The Capital (Annapolis, MD.)
July 21, 1997, Monday
Bite from monkey forces girl to receive rabies shots
BY: By PAUL STEPHENS Staff Writer
A 6-year-old Pasadena girl is undergoing a series of rabies
shots after she was bitten on the cheek by a pet monkey.
Samantha Shafer received a small puncture wound to her cheek
July 12 after a monkey the girl was standing next to apparently
panicked when it was startled at the Earleigh Heights Volunteer
Fire Department carnival in Severna Park.
The animal is owned by Steven Ritterspech of Pasadena, who
brought the monkey to the carnival. Samantha's mother, Michele
Schafer, said her daughter was originally taken to North Arundel
Hospital in Glen Burnie.
After the medical staff there applied ointment to the wound,
she was taken to Johns Hopkins Medical Center.
She received six shots during one visit to the hospital Tuesday.
The girl received one shot in her face, two in her right arm,
one in her left arm and one in each leg.
"She didn't cry once," Mrs. Schafer said.
Mrs. Schafer said Mr. Ritterspech has been apologetic and
has called the family frequently to check on the girl. He
couldn't be reached for comment.
The monkey, named Jamie, is being kept in quarantine by county
Animal Control officials.
Daniel Strickland, an Animal Control officer, said the monkey
was tested by a veterinarian at the Baltimore Zoo to make
sure it didn't infect the child with a virus. He said those
tests had come back negative for any viruses.
The girl will have to undergo additional shots if the monkey
is found to have a specific virus. The monkey will be kept
in quarantine until Aug. 14, Mr. Strickland said.
He said Mr. Ritterspech had the proper permits to possess
the animal. No action will be taken against the owner.
There are also no plans to destroy the monkey. Mr. Strickland
said the animal was under control at the time of the incident.
He described what happened as "purely an accident."
Officials at the Earleigh Heights fire company couldn't be
reached for comment.
Kennebec Journal (Augusta, ME)
July 11, 1997 Friday
Monkey Mookie in the slammer for biting woman
BY: By WILL BARTLETT Guy Gannett Service
BRIDGTON - For the past two years Mookie the monkey was Brid
gton's version of Curious George.
Like the storybook character, Mookie went everywhere with
his owner, Karen Hawkins. He went to restaurants and stores,
and into classrooms when Hawkins gave lectures on primates.
'He's with me 24 hours a day,' said Hawkins, a horse farmer
who also works as a state foster mother. 'I have never left
him, except to go outside in the winter to do chores on the
farm.'
But because of an incident in a supermarket check-out line,
Mookie was sent away Wednesday, leaving Hawkins distraught
over the loss of her beloved capuchin.
The Maine Warden Service confiscated Mookie, and a squirrel
monkey that was living with Hawkins, after Police Chief Robert
Bell reported that Mookie bit and scratched a woman July 3
in the check-out line at the AG Supermarket on Main Street.
Game Warden Neal Wykes said Hawkins lacked the necessary
state permits. Mookie's permit expired in March 1996, and
the other monkey, belonging to a Virginia man, had no permit.
Wykes said that even with permits, monkeys are not allowed
in stores or other public places.
'Our main purpose in jumping on this case is from a public
health standpoint,' Wykes said. 'These monkeys are being exposed
to the general public, and now we have an incident where it
bit somebody. (Monkeys) are known carriers of a couple of
types of (tuberculosis).'
Hawkins denies that Mookie bit the woman. She said she caught
the six-pound monkey the instant he jumped on the woman's
head.
She said Mookie did bite a child a year and a half ago, when
she was giving a presentation at Denmark Elementary School.
But she said he's had all his shots and she is always careful
to warn people not to come too close.
'It's like someone has taken my 2-year-old kid and locked
him up in a room somewhere,' Hawkins said.
She and her lawyer, Janice Sullivan, tried to get the monkey
back, promising to keep him away from the public.
But as far as the state is concerned, 'the case is pretty
much closed,' said Dale Clark of the Department of Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife. 'We don't usually even give people
permits for monkeys at all.'
Hawkins got her original permit because she said her monkey
was being trained to help handicapped people, through the
Helping Hands organization of Brookline, Mass. But Jean Amaral,
a spokeswoman for that group, said it is not working with
Hawkins.
'It appears it is more of a pet than any kind of medical
benefit,' Wykes said. 'She has no control over the monkey
and it jumps on people. If there is more than just this incident,
I would question its benefits as far as being a therapeutic
monkey.'
Hawkins, however, said she is an expert on primates, and
did research for two years before deciding to take in Mookie.
The monkey was taken from Hawkins on Monday and held at the
Bridgton Veterinary Hospital until Wednesday, when he was
sent to the Wise Monkey Sanctuary in New Port Richey, Fla.
The owner of the squirrel monkey is driving from Virginia
this week to reclaim his pet.
Hawkins said Wednesday afternoon that she is familiar with
the Wise Monkey Sanctuary, and that she feels Mookie will
be safe there.
But she is so angry with the way she was treated, she is
moving out of Maine. 'I hope to someday be near Mookie,' she
said. 'In the meantime, at least I know he's safe.'
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
July 10, 1997, Thursday
WOMAN UPSET AFTER STATE TAKES PET MONKEY;
OFFICIALS CONFISCATE 'MOOKIE' AFTER THE CAPUCHIN REPORTEDLY
BIT AND SCRATCHED A PERSON IN A SUPERMARKET.
BY: Will Bartlett News Assistant
For the past two years Mookie the monkey was Bridgton's version
of Curious George.
Like the storybook character, Mookie went everywhere with
his owner, Karen Hawkins. He went to restaurants and stores,
and into classrooms when Hawkins gave lectures on primates.
''He's with me 24 hours a day,'' said Hawkins, a horse farmer
who also works as a state foster mother. ''I have never left
him, except to go outside in the winter to do chores on the
farm.''
But because of an incident in a supermarket check-out line,
Mookie was sent away Wednesday, leaving Hawkins distraught
over the loss of her beloved capuchin.
The Maine Warden Service confiscated Mookie and a squirrel
monkey that was living with Hawkins after Police Chief Robert
Bell reported that Mookie bit and scratched a woman July 3
in the check-out line at the AG Supermarket on Main Street.
Game Warden Neal Wykes said Hawkins lacked the necessary
state permits. Mookie's permit expired in March 1996, and
the other monkey, belonging to a Virginia man, had no permit.
Wykes said that even with permits, monkeys are not allowed
in stores or other public places.
''Our main purpose in jumping on this case is from a public
health standpoint,'' Wykes said. ''These monkeys are being
exposed to the general public, and now we have an incident
where it bit somebody. (Monkeys) are known carriers of a couple
of types of (tuberculosis).''
Hawkins denies that Mookie bit the woman. She said she caught
the 6-pound monkey the instant he jumped on the woman's head.
She said Mookie did bite a child a year and a half ago, when
she was giving a presentation at Denmark Elementary School.
But she said he's had all his shots and she is always careful
to warn people not to come too close.
''It's like someone has taken my 2-year-old kid and locked
him up in a room somewhere,'' Hawkins said.
She and her lawyer, Janice Sullivan, tried to get the monkey
back, promising to keep him away from the public.
But as far as the state is concerned, ''the case is pretty
much closed,'' said Dale Clark of the Department of Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife. ''We don't usually even give people
permits for monkeys at all.''
Hawkins got her original permit because she said her monkey
was being trained to help handicapped people through the Helping
Hands organization of Brookline, Mass. But Jean Amaral, a
spokeswoman for that group, said it is not working with Hawkins.
''It appears it is more of a pet than any kind of medical
benefit,'' Wykes said. ''She has no control over the monkey
and it jumps on people. If there is more than just this incident,
I would question its benefits as far as being a therapeutic
monkey.''
Hawkins, however, said she is an expert on primates and did
research for two years before deciding to take in Mookie.
The monkey was taken from Hawkins on Monday and held at the
Bridgton Veterinary Hospital until Wednesday, when he was
sent to the Wise Monkey Sanctuary in New Port Richey, Fla.
The owner of the squirrel monkey is driving from Virginia
this week to reclaim his pet.
Hawkins said Wednesday afternoon that she is familiar with
the Wise Monkey Sanctuary, and that she feels Mookie will
be safe there.
But she is so angry with the way she was treated, she is
moving out of Maine. ''I hope to someday be near Mookie,''
she said. ''In the meantime, at least I know he's safe.''
The Houston Chronicle
June 22, 1997, Sunday 2 STAR EDITION
Darling - but dangerous;
Sales of wild animals flourish in Texas because high-powered
lobbyists and public interest in exotic 'pets' fuel the market
- despite dangers to humans and animals alike.
BY: JAMES PINKERTON, Houston Chronicle Rio Grande Valley
Bureau
BOERNE - All but concealed in a tangle of oak and cedar outside
this quaint Hill Country town, Lynn Cuny runs an orphanage
for cougars, bobcats and jaguars, wolves, alligators and a
host of other "pets" that their owners couldn't
handle.
"You show some unassuming, unaware member of the public
this little cub that is spotted, has blue eyes and chirps
like a bird, and they'll write a check easily," said
Cuny, who founded the nonprofit Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
Inc. 20 years ago.
"And they're told, 'Yes, they get a little larger, but
they stay very compatible with your family members. And they'll
like to play with the (other) pets. And if you don't treat
them rough, and spend a lot of time with them, they'll act
like a big dog.'
"Which is an absolute lie."
A hundred and fifty miles away, at Zutu Exotics, a three-acre
animal farm outside Hearne, Rudy Ryder sells cuddly black
panther cubs for $ 2,500 each.
"The main people who buy from us are people who have
a lot of money," Ryder said. "They have a lot of
money, they'll put some habitat around their home, and have
their friends come over to have a martini and watch the cats."
Ryder and Cuny are on opposite sides of a growing debate
over Texas' booming exotic animal trade. The rhetoric grows
more heated each time a child is mauled by an animal whose
owner couldn't control it.
"There is not hardly anything good that can happen from
having a big cat in private hands," said Jim Stinebaugh,
a longtime U.S. Fish and Wildlife agent stationed in San Antonio.
"Even if you don't care about the animals, it could end
up in a tragedy where a human gets hurt. With all the young'uns
around, they are going to get hurt."
In Austin this year, the influence of private animal owners
and breeders prevailed. Lobbyists blocked a legislative effort
to bring some regulation to the trade. The bill, unanimously
approved in the state Senate, was held up in a House committee
and never saw a vote.
Ryder and other breeders contend the industry is adequately
policed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"They're not going to tell me what I'm going to breed,
no, that's my constitutional right," he said. "Don't
tell me you're going to come in and take my animals because
I won't spay or neuter them.
"That's the state (of Texas) trying to do what the government
has been trying to do to us all along, and that's screw us."
Ryder also proudly noted his own screening of prospective
buyers. He tries to weed out drug dealers, who buy big cats
to protect their merchandise, and canned hunt promoters looking
for older animals. He also avoids adults in their 20s, who
tend to be impulse buyers likely to return the animal, and
won't sell a big cat to a family with children.
"Last night a man called me, an idiot from Houston,
who wants to get his daughter a unique gift, and the girl
is 4 years old," said Ryder. "So he wants a baby
African lion because he always wanted one as a child. I said,
'Where are you going to keep him?' And he said they were going
to keep it in the house and would that be a problem?
"I said 'Yes, he's going to eat her.' "
Ryder said he advised the man to buy his daughter a stuffed
toy.
The current state law requiring owners of exotic animals
to register with the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife
expires in September. After that, Texans living in unincorporated
areas or in cities without restrictive ordinances will be
free to purchase a lion, tiger - or, yes, even a bear - and
bring it home.
State Sen. Mike Moncrief, D-Fort Worth, who sponsored the
unsuccessful legislation, said that is what his proposal was
all about.
"Somehow the bill was misrepresented as a animal rights
bill. It wasn't; it was a public safety bill," Moncrief
said after the session. "We can always take the wildlife
out of the wild, but we can never take the wild out of the
wildlife."
The senator's staff has assembled details on recent maulings
by wild animals, including several that occurred while the
bill was being considered by the Legislature.
The list is long and grisly:
March 12: A 13-year-old boy was attacked by a tiger and lion
kept in a cage built onto the side of his grandfather's home
near Caldwell. "My son was not mauled," Jodie Grubbs
Jr. told the Bryan-College Station Eagle. "He was being
eaten alive." The boy spent a week in the hospital, but
did not suffer permanent damage.
April 3: Two-year-old James Ramos Austin was rushed to a
hospital after he was attacked by a male bobcat, one of two
in violation of city ordinance in the north Dallas home of
his mother's boyfriend. Animal control workers investigating
the attack said the boy - who was bitten on the cheek, finger
and heel - is recovering.
April 28: The mother of an animal care worker at a Luther,
Okla., cat breeding farm was killed and partially eaten by
a rare Persian leopard. The woman, who was visiting her son
and not a trained worker, was alone at the facility and was
attempting to feed the cat.
May 8: Big cat owner Gene Light of Lubbock was seriously
injured when he entered the cage to work with one of his tigers.
Light's son and a friend had to shoot the tiger - named Rufus
- while his owner's head was still in the big cat's jaws.
Law officers often first discover potentially dangerous animals
in their community when they arrive to answer an emergency
call.
Last year, Ellis County sheriff's deputies were called to
a private residence outside Midlothian after receiving a report
of a tiger attack. They found an unlicensed breeding farm
where a 6-year-old girl had been severely mauled by one of
seven big cats on the premises.
The girl, Katie Baxter, is recovering from severe injuries
to her neck and head, and a mauling of the arms, back and
legs, said investigator John Goss. The cat's owner, Robert
David McDonald, pleaded guilty to charges of endangerment
of a child and was placed on probation.
But during the investigation, Goss learned the same tigers
were responsible for three documented attacks on humans, including
a 1995 mauling of a Dallas model during a photo shoot and
the injury of a Houston man at a roadside exhibit. The two
African lions and five tigers were taken to an undisclosed
wildlife sanctuary, he said.
The story is all too familiar to Cuny, who opened one of
four wildlife sanctuaries that accepts big cats in Texas.
Spacious wire-mesh cages are home to four jaguars, 15 cougars,
23 bobcats, along with 70 monkeys, 27 iguanas, two alligators,
20 non-native birds, two wolves and nine hedgehogs.
"We'd have five times as many if we said yes and took
in every animal we were asked to take in," she said.
"The situation has already reached crisis proportions,
and the fact of the matter is there is a large and growing
trade in captive wildlife in the United States, and it is
a particularly lucrative business here in Texas."
Staffers and volunteers at the Boerne facility care for the
animals in large enclosures built around live oak trees and
foliage on a 21-acre track with native brush.
The big cats, even if they are not declawed or defanged,
cannot be returned to the wild because most were raised in
captivity, Cuny said. They have not been taught to hunt and
have been conditioned to seek out humans to provide food.
One of the oldest cats at Wildlife Rescue is a female jaguar
that escaped from a dog run behind a home in San Antonio.
The owner, at the recommendation of the breeder, beat the
cat on the nose with a rubber hose in an attempt to control
it.
At another cage, Cuny stood next to the wire enclosure but
warned a visitor not to venture too close. Inside a full-grown
spider monkey leapt from branch to branch, occasionally skirting
the wire mesh.
"He's here because he put enough bites in his owner's
face that required 16 stitches before he could talk and eat
again," she said.
Cuny is disappointed the animal bill failed and said she
hopes public awareness will grow and that another effort will
be made in 1999.
But she knows animal regulation has powerful foes.
"Texas is a hotbed of this activity, and there are people
here who are incredibly wealthy, and incredibly powerful in
the government of Texas, that do this and make a living off
this," Cuny said. "And between them and your average
breeders and dealers and your roadside zoo folks, they are
a very vocal lobby, a very powerful lobby."
Staff members of the bill's legislative sponsors - Moncrief
and state Rep. Toby Goodman, R-Arlington - said the measure
quickly ran afoul of some heavy political hitters.
First, they said, Fort Worth millionaire Lee Bass was concerned
the law could affect his ongoing efforts to shelter endangered
rhinoceroses on his South Texas ranch. As a result, rhinos
were removed from the list of exotic animals.
Then, two former speakers of the Texas House turned lobbyists
- Gib Lewis and Billy Clayton - worked to defeat the bill
on behalf of private ranchers who raise exotic species for
hunting purposes.
"And every time (the house committee) held a vote, they
(Clayton and Lewis) would be standing right there, and they
convinced five members not to vote to let the bill out of
committee," said Peg Henley, with Goodman's office.
The bill would have regulated 16 types of wild animals -
mostly big cats but including bears, elephants and great apes
- and would have given county officials the power to inspect
cages and set minimum standards for the strength, but not
the size, of the enclosures. It also would have required owners
of the 16 types of exotic animals to purchase a minimum of
$ 250,000 in liability insurance to cover injuries to humans.
Still, many wildlife breeders see themselves as the last
hope for many of the critically endangered big cats.
"People don't understand, especially these animal activists
who think they know everything, that in the wild, the life
expectancy of a big cat is five years," said Mickey Sapp,
a San Antonio-area animal breeder.
"They kill them for their hides and bones, and now (poachers
in Asia) have switched from the rhino horn to the tiger bones
- they grind up the tiger bones to make an aphrodisiac. Tigers
are about to be wiped off the face of the earth."
Sapp, who advertises big cats for sale in the newspaper,
can often be seen hawking tiger cubs alongside highways outside
of San Antonio.
"People like me, we are trying to conserve these animals,
and we're one of the last few states that are allowed to have
this," Sapp said. "I'd hate to see that right taken
away from us."
Kansas City Star (Kansas & Missouri)
June 20, 1997 Friday METROPOLITAN EDITION
Biting encounter
Independence is dealing with some monkey business.
A pet monkey bit a 7-year-old girl Tuesday afternoon. A neighbor
took the pet to Mahlon Newberg's home while his granddaughter
was visiting.
"It reached out and took a hold of her and nailed her
right on the cheek," Newberg said.
The girl, Jessica Smith, became ill later that night, Newberg
said, and is now on antibiotics.
The pet's owner has two weeks to get the 6-month-old monkey,
Sissy, out of town, said Jim Coe, an Independence animal control
supervisor. Monkeys are considered wild animals and are not
allowed as pets in Independence.
"Monkeys don't do well with people," Coe said.
AP Worldstream
June 05, 1997; Thursday 14:58 Eastern Time
Police kill pet monkey after it injures six people
BEIRUT, Lebanon - A pet monkey attacked and injured four
schoolchildren and two adults Thursday in a crowded Beirut
neighborhood before police shot and killed it, witnesses said.
The five kindergarten pupils suffered bites and scratches
and one remained hospitalized with facial injuries. The other
two victims were identified as a teacher and a passerby.
The monkey, Bob, had apparently unleashed itself and escaped
from its owner's house in the Christian neighborhood of Ashrafieh.
It ran amok through two adjacent schools before it was chased
into an abandoned building nearby, where civil defense workers
enticed it with bananas laced with tranquilizer pills, the
witnesses said.
But Bob took the pills out and ate the bananas.
After a three-hour standoff, the monkey climbed a pine tree.
An off-duty policeman shot and wounded it with a shotgun.
A second policeman then killed the monkey with his government
issue weapon.
The Denver Post, May 16, 1997 Friday
1997 The Denver Post Corporation
May 16, 1997 Friday
Selling primates as pets sparks animal-welfare concerns -
Summit to address issue next month
By Maryann Struman, Detroit News
YALE TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Christine Noble loves monkeys, so
becoming a local agent for a Florida company selling the exotic
animals by mail order seemed like a good deal.
What she ended up with is a dead baby capuchin monkey - still
in her freezer as "evidence" in an on-going federal
investigation - and about $ 5,000 in debt.
"I know I've made mistakes, but these people, they're
evil," said Noble, thumbing through pictures of her "babies"
- monkeys she bought as pets that all ended up with the Florida
dealers Trade mostly unregulated According to federal officials,
animal rights experts and scientists, Noble's case is symptomatic
of largely unregulated U.S. trade in pet primates - creating
problems with everything from smuggling to serious health
risks to the public, let alone to the animals. The issue is
so hot that in June experts from across the country will converge
in Detroit for a pet primate summit hosted by the Detroit
Zoo - one of the only U.S. zoos that will accept discarded
pet primates into their colonies of animals.
"At best we would like to make it illegal to own primates,"
said summit organizer Scott Carter, curator of mammals at
the Detroit Zoo.
"There are risks most people don't even understand that
some monkeys carry fatal disease. I am most concerned about
the damage they can do to a child. Almost every handler here
has been bitten; bites result in nasty infections."
Even one of the only groups in the country that serves as
a resource for pet monkey owners has reported the dangers
of private ownership. Animals can be dangerous. A cover story
in the Simian Society's March newsletter tells how an 8-year-old
capuchin monkey - the same species seen in movies like "Outbreak"
and on the television show "Friends" - turned on
its owner in suburban Houston and nearly killed her, severing
her thumb and part of her index finger and slicing her legs.
It is illegal to own a primate as a pet if imported after
Oct. 10, 1975, under an order issued by the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control.
Federal law allows the sale of domestically bred monkeys
if the breeder or broker is licensed with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. There are no federal regulations for pet owners
- which some experts say presents a big loophole for skirting
the U.S. Animal Welfare Act.
"One of the biggest problems is the definition of 'pet,"'
said Carter. "If a person owns 15 monkeys, some breeders,
are those 'pets?"' A lucrative business The illegal trade
in exotic animals is lucrative, an estimated $ 8 billion a
year, according to Interpol, the International Police Agency.
Monkeys, for example, start at $ 2,500 and go as high as $
75,000 or more.
Primates carry a host of diseases, such as tuberculosis,
that can be transmitted to humans. Macaques, one of the most
common monkeys for research and popular among pet owners,
carry the Herpes B virus, which is fatal to humans. Of three
dozen documented cases of humans catching Herpes B from monkeys,
23 resulted in death.
Still, few exotic animals capture people's hearts like monkeys.
Dealers advertise on supermarket bulletin boards, newspaper
classifieds and publications like the Animal Finder's Guide
- a sort of Trading Times for pets.
That's how Christine and Mike Noble got into the monkey business.
"We've always had monkeys. But Mike had a heart attack,"
said Christine Noble. "These were big monkeys, it got
to be too much."
After Mike Noble's heart attack, the couple decided to sell
or trade their pets and acquire a smaller species. Demand
is great Noble said the supplier of her monkeys, a woman in
Florida, then recruited them as local agents for her monkey
trade.
Everything started out fine. The Nobles quickly discovered
that there's a huge demand in Michigan for monkeys.
A newspaper ad generated a waiting list of more than 200
people. "That was almost a year ago and I still get people
calling me looking for monkeys," she said.
But as Noble found out, some monkeys are shipped tiny and
ill.
"Baby monkeys really are hard to get as a pet, unless
there is smuggling and illegal activities," said Dr.
Richard Dukelow, a primatologist and professor at Michigan
State University in East Lansing.
"There often are rare monkeys crammed into a small box,
maybe filled with snakes. With animals stuffed into a sack,
full of lice, not cleaned, no food and water."
Officials at U.S. Fish and Wildlife, which staffs 300 inspectors
for 300 U.S. ports of entry, estimate that they catch less
than 10 percent of wildlife smuggled illegally into the country.
But they try.
In one case, a federal agent posed in a gorilla suit to expose
smugglers trying to purchase one of the endangered animals.
In recent years, as little as 7 percent of wildlife shipments
were inspected, according to American Society of Primatologists.
Moreover, research labs and some groups purporting to be
primate sanctuaries all legally sell excess primates back
to the pet trade.
Michael Powell of Miami Reptiles in Palm City, Fla., a breeder
who supplies monkeys, said it is hypocritical for state or
federal regulators to require more stringent standards for
monkeys than for people.
"In Florida," he said, "the minimum cage requirement
to house a pair of capuchins is 8 by 8 by 12 (feet). I know
poor people with bedrooms that are 8 by 8 by 9. It's crazy.
Monkeys are here for our enjoyment."
"It's business and it has been that way for many years,"
said Powell, who is licensed. "If there are animal rights
people who have a problem, I just say buy me out. I'm always
for sale."
Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas)
May 4, 1997, Sunday NORTHEAST AM EDITION
Taming the streets; Animal control officers wrestle with
exotic, wild beasts
BY: MATT FRAZIER, Star-Telegram Writer
It was her first day patrolling the Bedford streets alone
when a call came in - a vicious dog was attacking another
animal.
An upset family was standing in the front yard when the young
blond-haired, blue-eyed animal control officer arrived. She
got out of her truck, walked to the corner of the house and
glanced into the back yard.
"At first it looked like a purebred wolf," animal
control officer Lacey Pope said. "He had attacked a pygmy
goat and gutted it. I looked at him, he had yellow eyes.
"I approached him with a restraining pole we normally
use for dogs. He stood on top of the goat and growled at me.
It was
protecting its prey. "
They used to be known as the town dog catchers, tracking
down stray puppies and hunting gangs of wild kittens. But
that was before exotic pets sprung into fashion and construction
sites became as common as bluebonnets, forcing wild animals
from their woodland homes.
A barking dog might be a change of pace for what are now
dubbed animal control officers. Alligators, surfing opossums,
ice-cream loving skunks, monkeys, hungry coyotes and wolf
hybrids are among their daily challenges.
"It hasn't been just dogs and cats for the last three
years,"
Euless animal control supervisor Kim Peckler said. "Exotic
pets have become fashionable. All the new construction is
driving wild animals into the city.
"People don't know how dangerous our job is now. We
are just as likely to get injured as firefighters and police.
"
Animal control officers ask that anyone considering buying
an exotic pet research his or her city's ordinance to see
which animals are allowed.
"Study the animal you want to be your pet so you know
what you are going to get into," Peckler said.
Bedford's Pope can attest to that. When she arrived April
15 at the home, whose address is kept private, she discovered
that the wolf hybrid was rail-thin.
The wolf hybrid's owner fed it dog food, which wasn't enough.
The huge animal needed meat to survive.
Pope backed up and called the office for help. When another
animal control officer arrived, the hybrid easily climbed
a chain-link fence and began a 20-minute chase through the
back yards of south Bedford.
The animal finally answered his owner's whistle and ran home.
The owner was fined, and the hybrid was confiscated.
And if it's not a wolf hybrid, it might be a tree-climbing
iguana.
Haltom City animal control officer Dee Sanders had to dangle
off the end of a fully extended firetruck ladder last year
to snatch a 3-foot-long iguana from a tree.
"The tail is what you have to watch out for," Sanders
said. "They can hit rather hard. You grab the tail and
the back of the head at the same time. "
Jan Buck, zoonosis control specialist with the Texas Department
of Health, said animal control officers are a "unique
bunch of people."
Zoonosis is the study of diseases that animals can transmit
to people.
"I admire them," Buck said. "There have been
a lot of changes.
People are not satisfied with a dog or cat anymore, they
have to have these strange exotic animals that they probably
don't know anything about, can't afford, or can't take the
commitment. "
Even though the work can be dangerous, sometimes brains are
better than brawn. In Hurst, animal control officers acting
on a tip decided it was better to let a resident help remove
rattlesnakes and copperheads from his home four months ago.
The snakes lived in an aquarium he used as a headboard for
his teen-age son's bed.
"He could handle them," animal control officer
Teresa Mills said.
"He just picked them up with his hands and put them
in a sack. "
Shocked Euless residents lit up the police station switchboard
four months ago with reports of two shotgun-wielding people
being chased by police across Texas 183. Most did not see
the monkey walking in front of them, nor the badges hooked
to the belts of the two animal control officers carrying the
tranquilizer guns.
The pet monkey made its way to Euless after escaping its
home in Fort Worth. Animal control officers tracked it for
two days over rooftops. After failing to tempt it with bananas,
they tranquilized it and turned it over to an international
wildlife park.
Then there was the alligator who was spotted sunning himself
in North Richland Hills. He was likely an exotic pet that
outgrew his cuteness, animal control officer Candi Henderson
said.
"Probably somebody saw how big it was getting and decided
to let it go in someone's back yard," she said. "We
put snake tongs beside its head and then grabbed his tail.
He would have bitten us if we had let him. "
They brought him back to the station, put him in a bathtub,
then gave him to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Exotic pets are not the only problem. As new apartment complexes,
shopping centers and superhighways invade greater Northeast
Tarrant County, wildlife is driven into the streets.
In an ironic act of defiance, wild coyotes killed several
goats owned by Grapevine/Southlake animal control officer
Lawrence Hopkins.
"The coyotes are coming out in packs," Hopkins
said. "There are three packs in Southlake and at least
one in Grapevine. They've been seen walking around in broad
daylight along Johnson Road looking for food. "
Coyote traps put out in Grapevine, Southlake and Keller are
often found turned over with the food eaten.
This is the beginning of coyote breeding season. Animal control
officers ask animal owners not to leave dog or cat food outside.
Sometimes an animal looking for food will even venture inside.
"I got a call to a Braum's Ice Cream & Dairy Store
and found a skunk under the front counter," Colleyville
animal control officer Debbie Wallis said. "They left
the back door open the night before, and it came in."
Because skunks are natural rabies carriers, Wallis used a
syringe at the end of a 3-foot pole to euthanize the skunk.
It did not spray.
And then there are animal water sports in Keller.
"This whole place is unusual," animal control officer
Jeff DeRosa said. "I got a call out to a man's house
and there was an opossum surfing on his pool skimmer. It was
just riding around the pool.
The man said he didn't want to tell me what the problem was
over the phone because he didn't think I would believe him."
National Mortgage News
April 14, 1997
The Pet Monkey Doesn't Come with the Mortgage
BY: By Lew Sichelman
Immediately after the new owners moved in, food mysteriously
began to disappear. But the way Ed Ferguson remembers it,
it
wasn't until several days later that they found out why --
the seller had left his pet monkey behind.
04-06-1997
Africa News Service
By: Paul Ejime
Postcard From West Africa Pet Monkey Attacks Case Files In
Nigeria Court
LAGOS, Nigeria (PANA, 04/06/97) - Monkeys belong to the group
of mammals that not only share similar physiological traits
but behave like man.
However, one pet monkey in northern Nigeria is reported to
have carried this subliminal likeness to a ridiculous level.
According to the Kaduna-based official New Nigerian newspaper
on Sunday, the primate in question escaped from its cage,
last week, and entered the Sabon Tasha Area Courtroom, a suburb
of Kaduna, in northern Nigeria.
Curiously, the monkey reportedly pounced on the court's register
of criminal cases and tore to shreds pages 30 to 60.
Apparently, the court was not in session and after wreaking
the havoc, the animal stole back to its cage through a broken
window.
The incident has raised several questions and left the entire
court staff, including Judge Yusuf Bamali in a fix.
To compound the problem, the monkey had been reportedly killed
by its owner, apparently worried by the pet's unusual behaviour.
The unnamed owner was also said to have reported himself
to the area court undertaking to bear the cost of the damage
caused by his monkey.
Bamali set him free on condition that he could be summoned
if the need arose.
Bamali was also quoted as saying the cases affected by the
monkey' s act would be started afresh.
However, the newspaper reported, some observers smell "foul
play." They are wondering how the monkey left intact
all other courtroom documents and made for the criminal cases
register.
Was this purely animal or human monkey business? This is
one riddle law enforcement agents must now crack.
Arizona health department seeks ban on pet monkeys
03-30-1997
The Dallas Morning News
TUCSON, Ariz. - Arizona health officials want to ban future
ownership of monkeys as pets because the animals can transmit
serious diseases, including a rare but frequently fatal form
of herpes.
The Arizona Department of Health Services has asked the Arizona
Game and Fish Commission to amend its rules to add monkeys
to the restricted wildlife list of prohibited pets.
The commission tabled the request at its meeting last week
so it can study federal regulations.
The health department proposal would grandfather in those
animals already owned but bar any future importation or transfer
of primates as pets. That would bring Arizona into compliance
with federal regulations in effect since 1975, and in line
with several other states, including California and Colorado.
"It's been 20 years that the feds have had the rule,
and I feel there really is a public health and safety issue,
with animals getting out in the public," state public
health veterinarian Dr. Mira Leslie said. "This is really
kind of a disaster waiting to happen."
Primates are considered important for biomedical research
because of their close genetic relationship to humans. But
they also have been able to transmit diseases through bites,
scratches, tears, airborne transmission, contact with bodily
fluids and wastes and other handling of the animals.
This story appeared in the March 1997 issue of The Simian
"Judy's Story"
By Vicky Ferrell Shoemaker as related by Judy Perkins
In my years of caring for monkeys and writing about my experiences
I have had quite a few "horror" stories to report.
In many of my personal cases I blamed my own stupidity for
injuries I sustained but in reality the main and most frequent
reason for primate to human injury is that "primates
are wild animals".
In my nine years around monkeys I have tried to find solutions
to problems that arise when caring for our primates. I have
tried to accept every view when it comes to how to prolong
the one-on-one contact with them and I have hoped we might
some day find a key to the dilemma. All I have seen at the
end of most every story is serious injury to people and relocation
for the primates they can no longer care for. I am saddened
that I cannot reach people ahead of time so these instances
are avoided.
The most recent case has really hit home for me even more
so than my own experiences. A very good friend who has had
monkeys for fifteen years and has been a member of the SSA
for many of those years has been seriously injured requiring
five hours of surgery to save her thumb, which was hanging
by the thin skin between thumb and index finger. This was
the worst of many injuries sustained during a one sided battle
with a tame 5 year old, seven pound weeper capuchin named
Scooter.
Last year Judy Perkins' oldest capuchin, an eight year old
weeper named Max, slashed the calf of her leg. Judy has always
taken her monkeys from indoor cages to outdoor enclosures
in the morning and back in the evenings. Though her outside
enclosures were extremely well equipped with heaters and fans
in the enclosed section, Judy strove to keep contact with
her monkeys as long as possible. She listened to warnings
and was very careful to allow all her monkeys to exhibit normal
monkey behavior as they matured. The only restraint the monkeys
ever endured was an occasional collar and leash. The day Max
bit her she was about to transport him. He escaped Judy's
grasp and began to threaten her. As she spoke to him soothingly
he ran past her quickly slashing her leg. The wound was substantial
but did not require stitches. Judy realized she could no longer
take chances with Max and began leaving him outside with his
female cage mate, Michelle, also a weeper. Judy continued
her vigilant care of Max without handling him.
Though Judy did purchase most of her monkeys many of them
have come out of situations where the owner no longer wanted
them. A few of them were left by their owners for Judy to
baby-sit with Judy never again hearing from the owners. Scooter
was one of these. Judy's husband has never liked the monkeys
mainly because he feared them and the damage they could do.
In spite of his dislike of them he had fabulous enclosures
built to fit the needs of all the monkeys Judy took in. The
final count was nine monkeys, two fifteen year old squirrel
monkeys and seven capuchins.
Even with warnings from others and with that inner instinct
that tells us different we tend to seize the moment with the
primates we love and feel we know so well. Judy continued
to transfer three of her capuchins in a regular routine. The
morning of November 25 was just another routine day as Judy
opened Scooter's inside cage to transfer him outside. Earlier
Amelia, a four year old weeper female, had escaped before
transfer but she was easily retrieved. Scooter had gotten
excited when Amelia escaped but he had calmed down before
Judy reached her hand out to transfer him. At least Judy thought
he had. Scooter immediately jumped on her in a rage slicing
her legs in five or six places. When Judy reached down and
grabbed him he bit into her hand severing her thumb and partially
severing her index finger of her left hand.
Judy's face was only inches away as Scooter jumped to her
back biting into her back and arms as she struggled to free
herself from his attack. Judy cannot remember the total episode
but once she was able to escape and close the door on Scooter
she realized she was bleeding profusely.
As is usually the case in such events, Judy was totally alone
when this happened. She realized the situation was serious
when she looked down and saw her thumb resting on the back
of her hand. Though her body wanted to pass out Judy knew
she must stay calm. She willed herself to keep her composure
as she traveled through the house to the phone where she called
her husband and fellow chapter member, Terry Minchew. Both
people were about thirty minutes away. After the phone calls
Judy passed out banging her head on the coffee table and breaking
a monkey statue. The statue was shattered but did not cut
her.
The scene Elton and Terry faced when they arrived was straight
out of a horror flick. There was blood everywhere from one
end of the house to the other. Judy looked like a slasher's
victim. Scooter peered from behind the glass door leading
to the monkey room showing his substantial canines daring
anyone to try to take his freedom from him. Terry said she
looked back as they left the driveway to take Judy to the
hospital. Scooter sat in the window continuing his threat.
Judy did not want to go to a hospital for fear of the ramifications
even though she was having to hold her thumb and index finger
on with the other hand while she kept them over her head to
stop some of the bleeding. She went to her doctor who immediately
decided this job would definitely call for a plastic surgeon.
They drove to the hospital where they waited hours for the
plastic surgeon to arrive. The surgeon was horrified when
he saw Judy's injuries but he said he would do all he could
for her.
The surgery lasted five hours. The surgeon had to cut into
Judy's wrist to pull the tendons back together. Scooter had
severed all tendons, nerves and bone. The thumb and index
finger were reattached and her leg wounds were stitched on
each end. Though each leg wound was about three inches or
longer Judy requested they be left open for drainage to deter
infection.
Judy's left thumb was severed hanging by a small section
of skin (notice the scar almost encirles her thumb) All tendons
and nerves were severed completely. The index finger was stitched
2/3 around (note scar at base). We all like to think we can
protect our monkey by hiding the fact that he has caused this
kind of damage but in such a serious case it is impossible
to hide the truth. The kind of damage inflicted by mature
canine teeth is akin to serious knife wounds so most stories
one could concoct would only lead to more investigation by
authorities. When Judy walked into the hospital holding her
thumb and finger on and bleeding from all parts of her body
the staff knew she had not just slipped on a banana peel.
I am sure the first impression was that someone had tried
to kill the woman with a butcher knife. Besides there being
no believable lie to tell, the injured must be sure the wounds
are treated properly to avoid deadly infection. It is understandable
that public and officials worry about these incidents. The
thought of a child sustaining such injury is a horrifying
thought to anyone.
If we do not teach and learn the extreme dangers of keeping
mature primates we will only dig the graves for the primates
who are in no way at fault for their actions. Keeping primates
is not a game we can personally win or lose.
We are all in this together. If we do not work together to
stop the delusions before we are hurt we will no longer ve
allowed to keep primates at all. If we promote primates as
anything other than the wild animals they are we only set
ourselves up for more of those dangerous and politically damaging
situations. Anyone taking a baby primate should only consider
the long term care required.
I am not only hurt by the toll this event will take on the
monkeys involved but I am frightened too. I have been severely
injured but I did not fear for my life. If Judy had not learned
how to handle the situation ahead of time she might have been
killed by her beloved juvenile pet. This is no exaggeration.
Had Scooter sliced her neck, wrist or other vital areas Judy
could never have saved herself in time. Had help been a little
further from her she might have bled to death before realizing
the severity of her injuries.
As far as I can see Judy was just about as careful as she
could possibly have been in relations with her monkeys. She
allowed them to be monkeys, kept them in pairs, stuck to a
routine, fed them a perfect diet and supplied clean and roomy
enclosures. She wanted to continue relations as long as possible
but she did not force relations in any way. Judy kept with
a daily routine rarely wavering. I venture to say she tried
to go by the book except for ignoring the cautions a few of
us gave her. Even with my warnings for her I admit I was also
hoping she might find a solution we could all benefit from.
Obviously nothing can alter nature. A mature monkey has an
instinct for survival that cannot be altered. A canine reduction
might have minimized the severity of Judy's injuries but Scooter's
dangerous instinct would still have been to attack with all
his being to get his way. When a monkey goes into this rage
he is one huge weapon from teeth to tail. To be bluntly graphic
I say you could alter a monkey down to an "earthworm"
and he will still fight when in one of these rages. The more
one is able to overpower him the more enraged he becomes.
Extreme alteration only makes a confused and neurotic puppet
that will still become enraged at you for forcing him to do
things he does not want to do.
We can safely reduce canines if we can find a trustworthy
veterinarian or dentist but the fee is too much for most monkey
owners and procedures such as this are no assurance that the
monkey will no longer injure us. A monkey with canines removed
can still inflict serious wounds. A monkey without canines
can remove large sections of wood, walls, table tops, light
fixtures, windows, carpets and door jams. I know this for
a fact.
We can speculate on the reasons for Scooter's attack on Judy.
He had been giving her small signals for months. He began
to look at her strangely making small gestures indicating
a change in temperament. Had Judy taken the cues and quit
taking chances this incident might have been avoided but our
maternal instinct is to hang on to a close relationship as
long as possible.
Besides, Scooter had never attacked before so Judy did not
fear such a severe attack.
Unfortunately, wounds heal leaving us with a faded memory.
We get the feeling we can handle the next situation better.
Monkeys do not grant us the luxury of working out our plans"
when the time comes. When these attacks happen we receive
no warning before we realize we are in trouble. If one has
never received more than a warning bite from a monkey one
cannot imagine the loss of control in such a situation. I
only wish I could impress upon people how there is no control
on the part of the injured. When these enraged monkeys attack
they hang on with arms, legs, and tails while they literally
"rip" at any part of the body they can reach. They
aim for places that might incapacitate their victim. If the
victim is able to overcome their strength by removing one
of their arms or legs they quickly grab elsewhere. There is
almost no escape. The small size is so deceiving of the strength
of a monkey. for those who feel their monkey is too tame and
loving to inflict such damage I have video footage showing
how tame, cooperative and loving my spider monkey, Kirsty,
was before she reached maturity.
What are the answers? I am still searching and will be searching
next year I am sure. I feel the SSA has come a long way in
their efforts to minimize the devastating affects of misinformation
and naivete. We learn from experience. Sadly we lose precious
ground each time these attacks involve public officials, an
unsympathetic public or others who cannot understand our plight.
In Judy's situation she was lucky. She is recovering nicely
from her wounds. Her thumb is stiff but usable. Though her
leg wounds did get infected they are healing now. The scars
will be bad on her legs but her hand scars are are thin and
hardly noticeable. When Judy asked the surgeon why her hand
had not become infected he told her he had spent 45 minutes
with a scrub brush and bleach sterilizing and removing all
flesh that Scooter's teeth might have touched.
Because of Judy's severe injuries and her personal situation
we have had to relocate all nine monkeys. We have been lucky
enough to find the most permanent places possible through
the Primate Placement Network. By Judy's choice some have
gone to Texas sanctuaries, some have changed states to live
with others of their own kind and two have taken residence
beside our spider monkeys in a brand new enclosure. Judy is
very saddened by the outcome of this traumatic experience
but she is happy with the homes we were able to provide.
I personally would ask that people do not take baby primates
unless they can care for an adult primate. The majority of
a primate's long life will be lived as an adult that requires
much more care than the baby he originally was. Alterations
are not the answer to the problems and should not be considered
to be the solution. More than likely the adult primate will
require a spacious outdoor enclosure sometime in his life.
One might be required to tend an animal that will not allow
close contact. To live with that situation is to be considered
a good monkey owner. Every year there are probably hundreds
of people taking on the responsibility of a primate never
understanding what he will become in a few short years. I
have met many new monkey owners only to lose track of them
when their primate matured. My own chapter, which I have been
involved with for nine years, had seen many monkeys change
hands when their maturity caused problems. In one distressing
instance the owners felt the best thing for their grown (but
young) male capuchins was to have them euthanized. We have
met many new and enthusiastic members who have come and gone.
When we were lucky the monkeys were left in the care of fellow
members.
I can only hope that people will begin to take primate maturity
seriously before having to confront it. I think we should
hear more "success" stories from those keeping adult
primates without extreme alterations or inhumane control methods.
I know there are successes because I am one of them. Having
to keep most of my adult spider monkeys behind bars has not
been all bad. We hug them every single day and we are able
to watch all the cute things we enjoy about monkeys. I am
sure most of us spent many childhood years staring into a
zoo cage being entertained by those whimsical creatures we
came to love so much. I am grateful that I am now allowed
to have that privilege in my own backyard. I hope conscientious
actions on the part of all of us who care will prolong my
right to do so.
There is much more to primate keeping than in raising that
precious little baby but it is not to be considered unfulfilling.
With the Simian Society's Primate Care Handbook, monthly publications
and video library we are one up on the problems for sure!
I hope to continue the story of Judy's monkeys in future
issues with updates. So far all monkeys are adapting well
in their new environments. Judy is handling the huge loss
as well as can be expected. Skin wounds heal much easier than
heart wounds.
Concord Monitor
Nov. 19, 1996
By: SCOTT CALVERT
Penacook: State claims pet monkey is a menace Owner says
'Angel' is harmless
Angel Hope Green, a spunky little monkey with an apparent
penchant for biting humans, may not be long for its Penacook
home.
The state Department of Fish and Game wants to get the 3-pound
animal out of the neighborhood, out of the city and out of
the state.
The department has taken Angel and its owner, Debra Green,
to
Merrimack County Superior Court. Angel is listed as a co-defendant:
''One Capuchin Monkey,'' the court papers say.
The state alleges Green illegally imported Angel into the
state and lacks the necessary permit to keep her simian companion
in her Hobart Street home, near Thirty Pines.
A hearing on the state's attempt to seize year-and-ahalf-old
Angel has not been scheduled yet. For now, both sides have
agreed to a temporary restraining order that requires Green
to keep Angel in her home and enclosed in a carrier whenever
outside.
For Angel, this means no more running around the front yard,
tethered to a leash long enough to permit climbing on everything,
including the house. No more dips in the backyard swimming
pool, and definitely, no more trips to the store atop Green's
head.
But it could get worse for Angel. Fish and Game calls Angel
a public health ''menace'' because the monkey has bitten at
least five people, including a boy who lives in the neighborhood.
In court papers, the department requests permission ''to
take custody of the monkey and to remove it permanently from
the state, or otherwise to dispose of the monkey in a manner
which will protect the public from further bites.''
Harsh words for playful little Angel, a male monkey whose
"mother" dresses it in pink clothes and insists
on calling him a "she." Green denies Angel is a
public health risk. In a court filing, her lawyer, John Vanacore,
notes Angel's teeth have been removed to prevent any further
bites.
And Vanacore said Green keeps Angel confined these days.
Before the legal trouble, Green took Angel almost everywhere
with her, even inside supermarkets - until Angel was banned
from the premises.
Green bought Angel from a Florida dealer for $3,500, not long
after a motorcycle accident in which Green lost a leg and
was left with limited use of one arm. She claims the dealer
assured her New Hampshire law allowed her to import and keep
a Capuchin monkey, considered by some experts to be the smartest
type of monkey.
Green maintains Angel provides her with emotional therapy
and may be trained in the future to perform certain tasks
made difficult by her disability, such as reaching the top
shelves in cabinets.
"The defendant has become strongly, emotionally attached
to Angel, who provides the defendant with needed companionship,"
Vanacore wrote.
"The defendant's mental health will be severely jeopardized
if, in fact, she is forced to separate from her monkey."
In an interview yesterday, Vanacore made the same point:
"It would be another great loss for Debra Green if she
were forced to give up Angel."
State law, however, is clear, department officials say: A
permit is required to import monkeys into New Hampshire. Another
permit is required to possess or exhibit monkeys. Green has
never had either one.
Regardless, the permits are available only to people who
want to
exhibit their monkey, whether for free or for money. They
don't allow people to keep monkeys as pets, whether the animals
have teeth or not.
"The policy of the department is monkeys are not pets,"
said Fish
and Game attorney Nancy Girard.
The state would have tried to accommodate Angel if Green
had proof Angel was being trained to be a service animal,
similar to a seeing-eye dog. But Green had no such proof.
Since a Monitor article about Angel appeared in mid-August,
Fish and Game has heard from 10 or 15 other monkey owners
around the state. All say they want to be in compliance with
state law - without losing their primates.
"There are a lot more monkeys in the state than we thought,"
Girard said. "The people we've talked to ... say, 'This
monkey stays at home all the time, it doesn't go out with
us.'"
Because the law changed in 1992, people who bought their
monkeys
before then will be allowed to keep them. All but one of the
people who called the department said they can prove ownership
prior to 1992, Girard said. The other owner has agreed to
get an exhibition permit, which carries with it a number of
requirements to keep pet monkey owners from using it as a
convenient loophole.
Green bought Angel well after 1992.
Trouble began surfacing for Angel last spring. In March,
a Market
Basket customer complained to Concord's health services director,
Eugene Blake. The customer said Angel was "running all
over the store and jumping on people," Blake wrote in
a memo to the city council.
Before long Angel was banned from all grocery stores for health
reasons.
Then in August, Angel's devilish ways seemed to reach a crescendo.
On Aug. 5, Blake learned Angel had bitten 11-year-old Tyler
Marston, one of many neighborhood boys who liked to play with
Angel in the front yard of Green's home. Tyler said the attack
was unprovoked; Green said Tyler incited Angel by playing
a game of "Monster" in which someone yells "RAAAAAH!"
and Angel goes wild.
Fortunately, a checkup found Angel healthy; the animal tested
negative for a host of communicable diseases, including AIDS
and hepatitis B.
On Aug. 7, Blake reported, Angel was banned from Wal-Mart
and Sam's Club following complaints from both stores.
On Aug. 14, Blake got a call from a woman named Cathy Cooper.
Cooper said she had been bitten by the monkey in March at
the Lahey-Hitchcock Clinic in Concord after Angel climbed
onto her husband.
The next day Fish and Game learned about Angel from the Monitor
article, and in September the department initiated legal action.
By then Angel had reportedly bitten two more people, two
children from Maine who met up with Angel at a campground
in New Hampton.
(Scott Calvert can be reached at 224-5301, ext. 304 or by
e-mail at scalvert@cmonitor.com)
THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
November 5, 1996 Tuesday, METRO
NICARAGUAN OFFICIALS KILL MONKEY THAT MAULED BABY
Nicaraguan health authorities have put to death a pet monkey
that savagely attacked and disfigured a 6-month-old child,
a newspaper reported Monday. Juvelca Yaosca Triguero was in
stable condition in a Managua hospital after her grandmother's
monkey freed itself from its leash late Friday and attacked
the child with its teeth and claws, mutilating her face and
leaving her unconscious, El Nuevo Diario said.
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)
October 17, 1996, Thursday, PALM BEACH EDITION
WILDLIFE OFFICERS FILE FIVE CHARGES; MONKEY'S OWNER MAY FACE
FINE, JAIL
BY: GLENN SINGER; Staff Writer
State wildlife officers filed five misdemeanor charges on
Wednesday against the owner of a macaque monkey that bit a
4-year-old girl on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach last month and
later tested positive for the herpes-B virus.
The girl who was bitten shows no signs of the disease, which
can cause severe neurological damage and result in death.
She is under observation, health officials said. James G.
Beekman, 31, of the 400 block of Brazilian Ave., Palm Beach,
was charged with failure to protect the public from injury
by wildlife, possession of wildlife without a permit and failure
to maintain documentation of the source of wildlife.
Beekman also was charged with two counts of offering to sell
primates without a permit - something he allegedly did after
the biting incident, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
investigators said.
"He placed calls out of state to sell the animal at
dirt-cheap prices, but apparently was turned down, wildlife
inspector Lt. John West said at agency offices near West Palm
Beach.
Beekman, an auto detailer, will be mailed a notice to appear
in court, said Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for Palm Beach
County State Attorney Barry Krischer. If convicted, the monkey
owner faces a maximum of 60 days in jail and a $ 500 fine
on each count.
Beekman had been walking with the monkey, Ringo, on Sept.
22 along Worth Avenue. Debra Brewster was at work with her
daughter, Catherine, and they came outside to briefly play
with the monkey. Several minutes after Beekman left with the
animal, Brewster noticed a bite on her daughter's arm, according
to police reports.
Debra Brewster found the monkey through the town's Fire-Rescue
department, whose paramedics remembered an emergency call
a year ago about a monkey having seizures at a Brazilian Avenue
apartment. That spider monkey had been bitten by a dog and
later died, wildlife officials said.
The man who sold the macaque to Beekman in September 1995,
James Anderson of Fort Lauderdale, said on Wednesday he does
not think there is any danger the girl will contract the herpes
virus.
"There is not one known case of a macaque monkey transmitting
the virus to a human being in the public sector. The people
who did get sick and die were lab workers where monkeys are
put under terrible stress and the virus in them becomes active,"
Anderson said.
"The Health Department, game commission and the media
have exaggerated this story, manipulated the facts and created
an unnecessary scare," he said. "They allowed those
parents to believe their child was at risk. The risk was zero."
The macaque came from a breeder in Miami, who has moved to
Palm City in Martin County. About a dozen other monkeys are
in the same breeding colony and may be checked by health officials
for herpes-B, wildlife officials said.
Beekman has not been charged previously with violating animal
regulations, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
lists 12 other previous arrests, beginning in 1986 when he
was 20.
Palm Beach Post (Florida)
October 17, 1996 MONKEY'S OWNER FACES FIVE CHARGES
BY: STEPHANIE ARTERO
WEST PALM BEACH -- Prosecutors filed misdemeanor charges
Wednesday against a Palm Beach man who didn't have a permit
for a monkey that has a potentially deadly virus and allegedly
bit a child last month.
James Beekman, 31, will receive a mailed notice to appear
in court on the five charges concerning Ringo, his pigtailed
macaque monkey. Beekman, an auto detailer who lives at 446
Brazilian Ave., could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
However, Beekman said previously that he didn't believe his
monkey had hurt Catherine Brewster, a 4-year-old who played
with Ringo on Sept. 22.
Catherine's family reported the injury later after Debra
Brewster noticed a mark on her daughter's arm. The monkey
was captured and turned over to a Broward County veterinarian.
Tests show it is carrying Herpesvirus simiae, a herpes B virus
that can kill people.
Catherine has not shown any signs of illness so far, officials
say.
Beekman faces a maximum penalty of a $ 500 fine and 60 days
in jail for each charge, said Lt. John West of the Florida
Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. The charges include
failing to keep captive wildlife under control to prevent
injury, having a macaque monkey without proper documentation
or a state permit and selling or trying to sell wildlife without
a permit.
Game officials said Beekman had tried to sell Ringo at low
cost to potential buyers in Alabama and a midwestern state
after the monkey bit Catherine.
The demand for macaques, which originate in Asia and sell
for $ 2,000 to $ 5,000 apiece, has led to the formation of
a black market, officials said. In this country, the monkeys
may be sold as pets only if they are born in breeding colonies
here and the owners obtain a permit showing they have experience
with the animals and an appropriate place to keep them.
Ringo was born in Dade County on Aug. 26, 1995, in a colony
owned by Mike Powell of Miami Reptiles, game officials said.
That colony, which included 11 macaques, is probably where
Ringo became infected with the herpes B virus, officials said.
Powell has since moved to Palm City, officials said. Game
officials said they do not know if any of Powell's animals
are infected with the virus, but added that Powell isn't trying
to sell the monkeys and is keeping them in cages.
Powell didn't sell Ringo directly to Beekman: The monkey
was bought by James Anderson, a Fort Lauderdale wholesaler,
on Sept. 15 and then sold to Beekman one or two days later,
officials said.
Both Powell and Anderson have the proper permits, but Anderson
could face charges because he sold Ringo to a person who didn't
have a permit, officials said.
Beekman has a criminal record dating back to 1986, according
to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He has been
convicted of resisting an officer, burglary and shoplifting,
state records show.
In 1994, Palm Beach police arrested Beekman after finding
138 marijuana plants in his apartment, arrest reports say.
The charge was dropped after Beekman signed an agreement requiring
him to submit to drug testing and to perform 100 hours of
community service, court records show.
SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE
September 20, 1996, Friday, INDIANA
COUPLE STRIVES TO KEEP MONKEY
BY: ANN JACOBSON Tribune Correspondent
ELKHART - An Elkhart family is worried it may lose its treasured
pet monkey "Andy."
The family discovered this week that city ordinances regarding
pets don't provide for monkeys within the city limits - actually,
the ordinance does not mention monkeys at all. Andy was featured
in a Tribune story called "Monkeying Around" on
Tuesday. Elkhart City Attorney Paul Eash said Wednesday that
he was contacted Wednesday by Herb and Danette Wallace, who
own a Japanese Snow Macaque monkey, asking for his help in
being able to keep Andy as a pet in their north-side Elkhart
home.
After the couple went to the city controller's office earlier
this week to obtain a permit for having the pet monkey, they
were told a few days later that there was no such license
available, as monkeys are not allowed as pets within the city,
Eash said.
The current ordinance states that "no person shall possess
more than three domesticated non-exotic farm animals that
are not horses, dogs, or cats, and no more than two of such
domesticated farm animals may be of the same species,"
according to Larry White, associate director of the Elkhart
County Humane society. He said Wednesday that the ordinance
is difficult to interpret, making it difficult to enforce.
Eash said the definition of an exotic animal "is a poisonous
snake, or a member of the crocodile family, or any mammal
that is not a farm mammal that is not a horse, dog or cat."
The question of such common pets as hamsters, gerbils, birds,
fish, and, yes, monkeys are not specifically referred to in
the ordinance.
"Birds are not defined as exotic animals," Eash
said.
Eash said that after hearing the couple's story about not
wanting to give up the pet they have had for nearly a year,
"I felt compassion about (their) monkey, so I said the
best thing to do is to amend the ordinance."
The Wallaces are waiting to comment until the issue is settled.
Eash referred the couple to Ellen Krulewitch, council member
at-large, who after hearing the Wallaces' story agreed to
introduce an amendment to the city council at its Oct. 7 meeting.
If the amendment passes by council vote, it would allow for
pet monkeys that are properly vaccinated, are non-threatening
to others, and are confined as pets, to be allowed within
the city limits, Krulewitch said. A second and third reading
of the proposed amendment and a public hearing will follow
at an Oct. 21 meeting of the council, she added.
Tulsa World
August 16, 1996 Friday FINAL HOME EDITION
Pet Owners Take Their Monkey Business Seriously
BY: P.J. Lassek
SAND SPRINGS -- Patricia Shaver is not blinded by fear.
The 51-year-old woman, visually impaired from birth, has
spent the past decade surrounded by a species of primates
that can carry a virus that is potentially fatal to humans.
Her monkeys have been her companions and have acted as her
eyes.
They give her more joy and amusement than any other exotic
or domestic pet she has owned. Because of their likeness to
humans, dexterity and intelligence, primates are growing in
popularity as pets, educational and counseling tools and aides
for the disabled, she said. Some monkeys can even be taught
sign language, she said.
But as with most anything, including owning primates, there
is a health risk, said Shaver, a former Tulsa Public Schools
elementary music teacher.
"The only way to lower that health risk is to educate
yourself and act responsible," she said. "It is
so important that the public be educated on exotics, because
more people are owning them. " Shaver, who lives in Tulsa
County near Sand Springs, is preparing to open the School
of Exotic Animals in October. The school will teach people
about the kind of investment they are making when they take
on a monkey as a pet, she said.
Shaver has many years of practical experience caring for
exotic pets, including monkeys. At one time, she owned a menagerie
and operated Party Safari in Skiatook. Since then she has
moved, and because of the lack of outdoor space her menagerie
has dwindled to only a few animals.
Shaver said she is concerned about the recent "hysteria"
developing around the possibility of humans contracting viruses
from primates.
Earlier this year, health officials discovered the simian
B virus in a male Celebes macaque, which allegedly bit a woman.
The find has triggered a health alert across the state and
spurred controversy over the public health risk of owning
a pet primate.
The infected Celebes is suspected of biting a Creek County
woman in February at an exotic animal farm in Bristow. The
woman tested negative for the virus.
The virus is most commonly found in the macaque species,
health officials say. There are numerous varieties of macaques.
The Celebes is one of the larger, more aggressive macaques,
said Pat Murphy, primate curator for the Tulsa Zoo.
Shaver, however, owns three long-tailed African Java macaque
monkeys -- Shenanigans, 3 months old; Sarsaparilla, a 4-year-old;
and Mr. Monopoly, an 8-year-old. She has owned a rhesus macaque
monkey, which died.
Shaver's Javas are not professionally trained to aid the
disabled, but she said they do help her.
Being blind, Shaver often forgets where she sets objects.
And when her human said leaves in the evening, she leans on
the monkeys for help.
"I can't look around the room to see where I placed
the object. So sometimes I can tell one of my monkeys to find
it for me. And they do," she said.
"Unlike a dog, monkeys can pick up anything a human
can because of the fingers."
The Javas are left uncaged in the home when strangers are
not around. Otherwise, they are confined in a cage inside
the house that has a chute into a 14-foot-by-20-foot cage
outdoors.
Both the Java and rhesus breeds are much smaller than the
Celebes, but they are still macaques and susceptible to contracting
the virus.
Although the risk of a human contracting the simian B virus
is "extremely low," state epidemiologist Mike Crutcher
contends that the seriousness is real.
Crutcher suggests that the best solution to resolve the public
health risk to humans is to ban the sale of primates to the
public.
Primate owners and a Tulsa veterinarian who treats exotic
animals say the proposal is "ludicrous" because
a ban would only bolster smuggling and black-market sales.
Veterinarian Dan Danner said that once primates are banned,
health officials will no longer be able to control the potential
health problems.
Danner, who helped create an internship at the Oklahoma City
Zoo and worked for a private practice that treated exotic
animals at Lion Country Safari in Dallas, said the issue of
humans contracting the simian B virus from a monkey has been
blown out of proportion.
Only a few cases of it have been reported in the U.S. private
sector, he added.
The biggest problem with primates, Danner said, is not viral
infection. It is trauma from bite wounds and the risk of bacterial
infection, he said.
Monkeys are strong and have large canine teeth, he said.
Like any animal, a monkey will bite, especially if frightened,
he said.
Because of the biting, many primate owners, like Shaver,
either remove the front and canine teeth of the primate or
have the canine teeth ground down.
Danner said it is important to educate monkey owners on the
proper medical screening to ensure that the primate is disease
free.
Danner tests his primate clients for all potential viruses,
including HIV 2 -- found in African monkeys and suspected
of mutating into the African population as the AIDS virus.
"Eighty-five percent of the people who get monkeys as
pets have no concept of what they are getting into,"
Danner said. "One needs to be prepared educationally
and financially. Then you have to spend time with them. The
more you spend, the better your return is. They can be wonderful
pets."
Mary Myrick, an owner of an 11-month-old capuchin monkey
and founder of the newly established Oklahoma Simian Society,
said one of the biggest problems for primate owners is the
frustration of caring for one -- not the health risk.
"There is no support system to help primate owners cope
with raising a highly intelligent animal whose curiosity and
behavior equals that of a 2- or 3-year-old child," she
said.
August 3, 1996 Saturday FINAL HOME EDITION
Don't Monkey Around Viruses From Exotic Pets May Pose Threat
By: P.J. Lassek
Monkey business is bad for your health.
That's what state officials say when it comes to keeping
monkeys as pets. As the market -- legal and otherwise -- for
exotic animals grows, so does the danger of humans contracting
viruses from their simian counterparts.
Earlier this year in Creek County, state health officials
discovered a pet monkey infected with a virus potentially
fatal to humans. The simian B virus, a herpes-like virus,
was detected in a male Celebes macaque monkey after a Creek
County woman claimed in February she was bitten by one of
four monkeys at an exotic animal farm in Bristow. The woman
tested negative for the virus.
The discovery of the infected monkey, however, has sparked
concern over whether primates should be sold as pets to private
individuals because of the public health risk. State epidemiologist
Mike Crutcher said the virus can be transmitted to humans
and is fatal in about 75 percent of the cases.
Exotic animal breeder Larry Armer, also owner of the infected
monkey, contends Crutcher is just trying to get publicity
by unnecessarily scaring the public.
"You are more likely to die from an airplane crash than
from owning a macaque monkey that carries the virus,"
Armer said.
Armer's monkey is the first in Oklahoma living outside of
a research facility or zoo to test positive for the virus,
Crutcher said. That monkey is currently quarantined and not
a threat to the public, he said.
The concern over the public health risk helped spur recent
state legislation that strengthens the state's power over
the prevention and control of animal diseases transmitted
to humans, Crutcher said.
Health officials also have alerted veterinarians across the
state to the existence of the virus and the health risks.
Crutcher thinks the best way to resolve the public health
risk is to establish a law banning the sale of all primates,
especially the macaque, outside of sales to research facilities
and zoos.
Armer argues there is a health risk with just about every
animal humans come in contact with.
"If we ban the sale of primates then we should ban the
sale of other animals like dogs, which carry rabies,"
Armer said. "What about mad cow disease? It kills. "
Armer said the chances of contracting the virus from the macaque
is "extremely minute. If the truth be known, a human
is more likely to transmit something to a monkey than the
monkey transmitting something to the human. " Crutcher
agrees the risk of humans contracting the virus is low.
In the past 50 years, the U.S. has only had 40 cases where
the virus was found in humans, he said.
"Obviously there are a lot of monkeys out there with
a lot of human contact with little transmission of the virus.
But the concern is that if a human does contract the virus
the consequences can be severe, " Crutcher said.
The macaque monkey, one of the more popular primates sold
to the public, is the only primate to carry the simian B virus,
Crutcher said.
The virus reacts in the monkey the same as herpes reacts
in humans, he said. The monkeys have a chronic infection that
does not kill them. But when the virus is active, it has the
potential to be transmitted to humans, he added.
Armer said the monkey can also carry the virus for its lifetime
-- 20 to 40 years -- and it never become active. Stressful
situations such as transporting or being moved to a different
environment can activate the virus, he said, although exotic
breeders are aware of the virus and take every precaution
to prevent stressful situations.
Armer said primates are popular because they are like humans.
Crutcher argues that the biological likeness between humans
and primates is what makes the risk of contracting diseases
so great.
Several illnesses such as tuberculosis and several intestinal
parasites can be transmitted from primates to humans, he added.
"Primates are wild animals. They are not domesticated,"
Crutcher said.
Armer, 49, has been in the exotic animal breeding and sales
for 10 years. He owned his first monkey at age 11. He has
one of the largest exotic farms in the state mostly consisting
of primates. He has 145 primates of different breeds, ranging
in price from $ 1,000 to $ 30,000. Armer also conducts educational
seminars across the country.
"In all the years that I have had contact with macaque
monkeys the only case I know of where a human died of the
virus was a veterinarian in Texas," he said.
Armer does not believe in research facilities and does not
sell to zoos. All sales are to private individuals who are
carefully screened, he said.
The primates sold are mostly used for educational and therapeutic
purposes, he said. A spider monkey named Charlie, who gained
national attention for helping children of victims in the
Oklahoma City bombing, came from Armer's farm.
Armer said there is a blind woman in the Tulsa area who owns
three macaques that aid her and she has never had a problem.
The woman could not be reached for comment.
Crutcher contends the monkey business is lucrative and that
a lot of primates are being sold to individuals who cannot
properly care for them. Those situations create stress for
the monkeys and health risks to owners.
Tulsa Zoo primate curator Pat Murphy said he is constantly
getting calls from individuals who can no longer handle a
pet monkey.
"It's a time-consuming, life-long commitment. Monkeys
are wild; they aren't like dogs," Murphy said. "People
should not own them. " The Tulsa Zoo has a Celebes macaque
on display. Murphy said males in that breed have large canine
teeth and are aggressive. Males can get as large as 30 pounds
and females as large as 20 pounds.
Murphy said the macaque are real social animals and if raised
alone by a human can develop neurotic behavior.
Marti Ayres, who alleges she was bitten by Armer's monkey,
has filed a civil lawsuit in Creek County District Court against
Armer.
Armer said he questions the validity of Ayres' bite claim.
Armer said there was a dispute brewing over a propane bill
Ayres owned him when she went to the farm and claimed she
was bitten by one of four macaque monkeys. Of the four monkeys,
one tested positive for the virus.
Kansas City Star
August 1, 1996 Thursday JOHNSON COUNTY EDITION
Man charged with abusing pet monkey; Gardner man, who once
owned a cougar, denies the allegations.
BY: TONY RIZZO, Staff Writer
A Johnson County man who fought with Olathe officials several
years ago over a cougar he owned has now been charged with
abusing a pet monkey.
But Rheuben C. Johnson said that his monkey, Sadie, was treated
well and that the false abuse allegations were brought by
disgruntled former employees.
"She gets a lot of love and affection," he said.
"She's spoiled here, more than most people spoil their
own child." Johnson, 34, of Gardner, was charged in Johnson
County District Court with three misdemeanor counts of cruelty
to animals.
He turned himself in at the courthouse Tuesday night and
was released after posting a $ 200 bond.
All three charges involve Sadie, an 18-month-old macaque.
Each charge alleges different instances of abuse between May
and July.
The charges do not specify how the animal was injured, and
prosecutors said they could not comment on evidence in the
case.
The veterinarian who treated the monkey could not be reached
for comment Wednesday. Sadie is being kept under the vet's
care.
Johnson said Sadie had a few minor cuts and bruises that
were normal for such an active animal.
Macaques are native to Indonesia and can grow to up to 30
pounds.
They are fairly common in the pet trade, said Kirk Suedmeyer,
senior staff veterinarian for the Kansas City Zoo.
But they almost always end up overwhelming private people
who try to keep them, Suedmeyer said.
"These are not pets," he said. "They are not
domesticated."
He estimated that the zoo receives an average of one to two
calls a month from people having behavioral problems with
pet monkeys.
Cute when they are young, the animals become aggressive and
troublesome for owners when they reach sexual maturity. Suedmeyer
said people will try to have the animals' teeth pulled or
have them spayed or castrated in an effort to keep them as
pets.
"It almost always ends up with the animals being euthanized
or abused," he said.
In 1992, Johnson was cited by Olathe officials for keeping
a 200-pound cougar named Kiki in violation of a city ordinance
controlling dangerous animals.
He fought the citation, but a judge ordered him to remove
the animal from the city limits. He no longer owns the cougar,
but he has other animals including dogs, potbellied pigs and
a horse.
Each cruelty charge carries a maximum sentence of six months
in the county jail.
Johnson's first court appearance is scheduled for next Thursday.
Daily News (New York)
May 18, 1996, Saturday
S.I. PRIMATE MAKES MONKEY OUT OF COPS
BY: By JOHN MARZULLI
A quiet Staten Island neighborhood awoke yesterday to a wild
chase through backyards and over fences with heavily armed
Emergency Service cops trying to corner a potentially dangerous
fugitive.
But the monkey got away.
The ape antics started about 7:45 a.m. on Rockne St. in Heartland
Village. "It looked exactly like the monkey on the show
'Friends,' " said Todd Rosenbluth, 21, who watched the
action from his window. "It was small and cute and hopping
around on the grass."
Rosenbluth noted that it also resembled the plague-carrying
monkey from the movie, "Outbreak," but he tried
to keep that bit of information to himself so as not to alarm
anyone.
Four Emergency Service cops tried repeatedly over 45 minutes
to corner the monkey, but every time they got close with a
tranquilizer gun, the little fellow would take off. Finally
it fled into some woods near the Staten Island mall.
"We never got closer than 25 feet to him," Kenneth
Van Cott, an Emergency Service cop, said. "He was traveling
really fast. He probably climbed a tree and we'll never see
him again."
While police described the black-and-white creature as a
spider monkey, Staten Island Zoo curator Mark Rich said the
description sounds like a Capuchin monkey of the organ grinder
variety.
"We have three spider monkeys at the zoo and no one
has snuck out," the curator, Mark Rich, said.
San Antonio Express-News (Texas)
May 7, 1996, Tuesday
Monkeys to get homes in S. Texas - To be sent from Iowa months
after seizure
BY: Tom Bower Express-News Staff Writer
Authorities in Iowa and Texas aren't monkeying around when
it comes to the rescue of 50 South American primates that
were seized in December from a Johnson County, Iowa, home.
Nineteen of the monkeys are scheduled to arrive in San Antonio
at 2 p.m. today on their way to a permanent new home at Wildlife
Rescue and Rehabilitation Inc. outside Boerne, sanctuary officials
said Monday.
Sheriff's deputies removed the 50 monkeys Dec. 16 from the
home of a woman in Swisher, Iowa, about 10 miles south of
Cedar Rapids.
The woman, identified by authorities in court documents as
Sue Kriz, had a reputation among locals as a person who would
take in any unwanted animal.
"When the county officials arrived at her place, most
of the monkeys were malnourished and dehydrated," said
Grace Trifaro, co-founder and spokeswoman for the University
of Iowa Animal Coalition.
"The place was just a mess. It was just - you couldn't
live there. There was feces and urine all over the place,"
she said.
According to news reports, three of the monkeys later died
and one gave birth, putting the current total at 48. After
they were seized, the monkeys were taken to the University
of Iowa's Oakdale campus Animal Care Unit.
A legal battle followed in which Kriz was joined by her half-sister,
who owns a Guthrie, Iowa, pet shop, in an attempt to recover
the animals.
On Feb. 1, Johnson County District Court Judge Larry Conmey
ruled that the 48 primates had been neglected severely and
should be placed in animal sanctuaries or zoos.
The ruling sparked a nationwide effort to find homes for
the monkeys. Anne Lahey, assistant Johnson County attorney,
proposed they be turned over to the Association of Sanctuaries,
headquartered in San Antonio and Sacramento, Calif.
Lynn Cuny, Wildlife Rescue executive director and president
of the association, said arrangements are still being made
for new homes, but it is hoped that some of the animals can
go to the Performing Animal Welfare Society in California
and to the Detroit Zoo.
Cuny said Wildlife Rescue is taking six squirrel monkeys,
five owl monkeys and eight capuchins. They will join 37 primates
already at the facility.
USA TODAY
March 25, 1996, Monday, FINAL EDITION
Gainesville, Florida -- A rhesus monkey infected with the
herpes B virus was recaptured Saturday, two days after escaping
from the University of Florida's research farm. The virus
can be fatal to humans.
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
February 28, 1996 Wednesday, KENNER
METAIRIE MONKEY FINDS NEW HOME AT ALABAMA ZOO
BY: By BOB ROSS East Jefferson bureau
Ajax, the vervet monkey who was impounded after biting an
animal control officer at a Metairie man's home, escaped a
possible death sentence and will live out his life at a north
Alabama zoo, an official said Tuesday.
Animal control officers were dispatched in January when Kain
Groue requested a permit to house an exotic animal. During
the inspection of his home, Ajax bit one of the officers and
the 2-foot-tall monkey was seized to be checked for rabies.
Blood tests confirmed that Ajax is disease-free, and a brief
custody battle between Jefferson Parish and Groue ended quietly,
said Bert Smith, head of the animal shelter.
Parish officials were concerned not only for the health of
the animal control officer but also for Groue and his 2-year-old
son, who both had been scratched by the monkey. Officials
said Groue must either undergo a series of shots to protect
himself and his son from rabies, or Ajax would be euthanized
so that conclusive rabies tests could be performed.
Groue at first resisted, saying he was assured by the monkey's
previous owner that it was almost impossible for Ajax to have
rabies. But eventually he agreed to drop a threatened legal
fight if the monkey could be returned to the zoo where he
was born. Groue has begun receiving rabies shots, and his
son has been seen by doctors, Smith said.
Smith said he checked out Animal House Zoological Park in
Moulton, Ala., and was impressed with its credentials. Ajax
was flown out Tuesday afternoon and should be at the zoo by
today or Thursday.
"This really is a story with a happy ending because
it really is best for that monkey to be with other monkeys,"
Smith said.
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
February 9, 1996 Friday, KENNER
BITING MONKEY PITS OWNER AGAINST PARISH
BY: By BOB ROSS East Jefferson bureau
The center of a bitter ownership fight in Jefferson Parish
is about 2 feet tall, with reddish hair on his head and back
and a long tail.
His name is Ajax, and he is a vervet monkey. Until last week,
Ajax lived with Kain Groue in Metairie.
But when Groue contacted parish officials for a permit to
house an exotic animal, that's when all the monkey business
started.
Ajax, who has scratched both Groue and his 2-year-old son
and bitten an animal control officers, was seized by the parish
and is at the east bank animal shelter, said Bert Smith, head
of the shelter.
After checking with a host of veterinarians and Dr. Louise
McFarland, the state's epidemiologist, and consulting officials
at an animal rights group, Smith came up with this ultimatum
to Groue: He and his son must undergo a series of shots over
a month to prevent them from getting rabies, and Ajax must
go to a primate center in San Antonio to live out his life.
Decline the tests and Ajax will be euthanized to be tested
for rabies and other diseases.
But Groue said he was told by the woman who originally owned
Ajax that the chances of a monkey getting rabies are rare.
He believes parish officials simply do not want him to have
the monkey.
Smith said that's true - but only after concluding the monkey
is a nuisance and a health threat.
And Smith said he talked to Carolyn Atchison, who owns the
Animal House Zoological Park in Moulton, Ala.
She said the monkey might be one she sold to an Indiana zoo
in 1994. But she also said it is impossible to tell whether
Ajax came from her compound or somewhere else.
However, Atchison disagreed that the monkey might need to
be euthanized and tested. She said monkeys rarely get rabies,
and a blood test can confirm whether Ajax has rabies.
But Smith said he is relying on the expert advice of veterinarians
he consulted. Atchison is not a veterinarian.
Neither Atchison, Smith nor animal rights officials disagreed
on whether the monkey should live outside the wild. All said
monkeys are social animals, not pets, who should be with other
monkeys.
"Monkeys are not diaper-wearing critters," Atchison
said. "Eventually, he may do this (bite and scratch humans)
again."
For his part, Groue said he loves the monkey and has developed
a rapport with Ajax. And Groue said he has no intention of
taking the monthlong series of shots for rabies.
Instead, Groue said he intends to hire an attorney and fight
Smith's decision.
"I'm going to do whatever it takes. This is just wrong."
Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
January 31, 1996 Wednesday, 4 EASTERN
VERNON TO HONOR MAN WHO ENDED MONKEY'S RAMPAGE
BY: GARY GENTILE; Courant Staff Writer
Matt Riley, the good Samaritan who two weeks ago corralled
Coco, an out-of-control Capuchin monkey, will be honored at
Tuesday's town council meeting for his actions.
Mayor Tony Muro will present a certificate of commendation
to Riley, a Manchester resident, to thank him for capturing
the precocious pet, who was on the lam from authorities after
severely biting his keeper and escaping from the back of the
animal control officer's van.
But to hear Riley tell it, he's no hero -- just someone who
stopped to help what he thought was an injured cat.
On Jan. 16, Coco, a 10-pound monkey that resembles Marcel
on the television show "Friends," went berserk and
bit 18-year-old Pedro Arroyo of 23 Talcott Ave., who was caring
for the monkey for his brother. Animal Control Officer Craig
Segar and three police officers struggled to capture the monkey,
finally catching him in a net and placing him in the back
of Segar's van.
But Coco refused to be held and chewed his way out of the
net, then escaped from the van despite having been nearly
bathed in eye-stinging pepper spray by police officers.
Later in the day, Riley, vice-president and general manager
of Dillon Ford on Route 83, was driving on Welles Road when
he pulled up behind a stopped car. In his headlights, he saw
a blur pass by and assumed the motorists ahead had struck
a cat.
Being an animal owner, Riley opened his driver's side door
to check on the injured pet.
"The next thing I know, the monkey went underneath the
door and climbed into my lap," Riley said. "We were
both startled. He put his hands on the steering wheel and
one of his hands touched my hand. As I pulled my hand away,
a natural reaction, he bit my thumb."
Riley yelled at Coco, who retreated to the passenger seat.
"He was shaking, like a little child," Riley said.
Afraid the monkey might be rabid, Riley drove back to Dillon
Ford, about half a mile, and called police.
Despite his wound, Riley tried to calm the animal and fed
it crackers. Soon, however, Segar, police and the media arrived,
sending Coco back into a frenzy.
Riley shooed everyone out, took a cage and gently coaxed
Coco back into captivity.
"I was basically being calm with the monkey, as if it
were a child," Riley said. "You've got to feel a
little bit of compassion for [it]."
Riley said the publicity has resulted in co-workers dubbing
him "monkeyman" and other good-natured monikers.
He said he is honored that the town will recognize him for
his actions, but does not think he did anything special.
"I'm honored, but I'm sure there are other people out
there more deserving than I for trying to help the animal,"
he said. "It's just a humane thing to do."
Although he has yet to be contacted by the producers of "Friends"
for a guest spot, he did see Sunday's post- Superbowl episode
that featured the return of Marcel.
The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, MA)
January 20, 1996 Saturday ROP Edition
Pet monkey escapes, bites truck driver
MANCHESTER -- A pet monkey led animal control officials on
a chase from Vernon into Manchester after it bit its owner
and escaped. Vernon Animal Control Officer Craig Seger said
the monkey escaped from its home Wednesday morning and was
captured for just a short time before tearing through Seger's
net. A passing motorist saw the runaway pet and let it jump
in his truck. Matt Riley said the monkey hopped onto his lap
and then bit him on the hand. "I was scared, it was scared,"
Riley said. "I yelled at it. It got out of my lap, sat
in the passenger front seat." The monkey was eventually
recaptured and likely will be given to the Beardsley Zoo in
Bridgeport, Seger said.
Kansas City Star (Kansas & Missouri)
September 12, 1995 Tuesday METROPOLITAN EDITION
Dangerous chimp released to owner;
City and zoo say decision was the least regrettable of options
such as euthanasia.
BY: MATT CAMPBELL, Staff Writer
A dangerous chimpanzee - confiscated by the city and caged
at the Kansas City Zoo because its owner could not control
it - has been returned despite the reluctance of the zoo and
the city's animal control director.
Sueko, a 6-year-old female, has a history of getting loose
and biting people. Officials say her owner also has a history
of using an electrical collar as a punitive device, which
left scars on Sueko's neck.
Given a better option, "I wouldn't have done it because
I think clearly he (the owner) has demonstrated he cannot
keep the animal under control," Janice Gordon, animal
control director, said of the decision to release the animal.
Zoo officials said a ruling by the city's Law Department
made the release the least regrettable of three options, which
included euthanasia.
"It was a very difficult decision and one that really
tears at the heartstrings of our staff," said Mark Wourms,
zoo director.
"But when legalities get in the way of common sense,
we have no choice."
Bob Mohart, director of the Neighborhood and Community Services
Department, which oversees the Animal Control Division, said
city lawyers "thought under the circumstances under which
we got it, we probably should give it back and have him sign
a release form."
The animal was released Thursday to owner Mark Archigo, whom
police escorted to the city limits. He could not be reached
Monday.
Shane Archigo said his brother does not have a telephone.
Shane Archigo said Sueko is outside the city, but he did
not know where.
Gordon said Animal Control first became aware of Sueko in
February 1994, when it received a report that she jumped on
and bit a man, who required medical treatment.
Because city ordinances forbid private individuals from owning
any primate, officials gave Archigo two days to remove Sueko
from the city.
In January, Animal Control received a report that Sueko had
bitten a 7-year-old girl in Kansas City. Because the chimp's
whereabouts were unknown, the girl underwent rabies treatments.
Archigo contacted Animal Control about a month later and
promised to keep the animal outside Kansas City. But in March
officials received reports that Sueko was running loose near
77th Street and Prospect Avenue.
A 6-year-old chimpanzee has the strength of three to five
humans and is extremely quick and agile. Gordon told Archigo
he would have to relinquish the animal.
"It's abusive to try to habituate them into human society,"
Gordon said.
Gordon said Archigo agreed to turn Sueko over. Faced with
the alternative of putting her to death, Animal Control approached
the zoo.
Wourms said the zoo normally does not accept wild animals
from the public but agreed to take Sueko out of compassion.
Sueko arrived at the zoo crying like a human infant and knowing
none of the natural behaviors of chimps.
"We thought we could take this pet and convert it from
its infantile behavior to behave wild again or more naturally
again,"
Wourms said.
After a 90-day quarantine, she was introduced to a young
male chimp and was showing significant progress.
But Archigo sought to reclaim the animal, arguing that he
did not authorize the confiscation. City Attorney Kathy Hauser
declined comment Monday, citing the potential for litigation.
But other city officials said they had three options:
Keep Sueko at the zoo and let Archigo sue the city. But if
he won in six months or a year, Sueko would have been even
more deeply integrated into natural chimpanzee behavior. That
would have made her more of a threat and forced her owner
to use even more extreme methods of discipline.
Put Sueko to death now so that even if Archigo won in court
he could not reclaim the animal.
Release Sueko in the hope that Archigo would leave town and
take care of her as well as possible.
Mohart said Archigo promised to keep Sueko out of the city
but refused to sign a document.
"I wrote telling him if we find it anywhere in the city
limits again we would euthanize it immediately," Mohart
said. "And I mean it."
PR Newswire
September 8, 1995, Friday
DETROIT ZOO WARNS AGAINST KEEPING MONKEYS AS PETS
Pet owners may be bananas about primates, but the Detroit
Zoological Institute (DZI) warns people to consider the risks
involved with owning monkeys.
"People don't realize that pet monkeys are a health
hazard. For example, macaques may carry the herpes B virus
and monkey bites can lead to serious infection and scarring,"
said Scott Carter, DZI mammal curator.
Recently the DZI helped rescue a three-year-old spider monkey
from an "enlightened" owner. The owner, Bob Dedic
of Owosso, cared for "Magilica" since he was three
months old. Dedic showered Magilica with attention and took
him to the veterinarian for regular check ups.
"He was so cute and affectionate as a baby. But as he
got older, a jealous streak emerged, and he started to bite,"
said 32-year-old Dedic.
Dedic, who thought it would be fun to own a monkey, recently
received 17 stitches in his lower lip when Magilica attacked
him.
"I tell anyone who wants a monkey to think twice. Monkeys
may resemble humans, but they are animals with inherent behaviors
that can't be controlled," continued Dedic.
According to Carter, not all zoos help pet owners find good
homes for their primates. But the DZI is strongly committed
to animal welfare, and was able to place Magilica with a Wildlife
Rescue Sanctuary in Boerne, Texas. Over the years, the DZI
has helped several exotic pet owners from Southeastern Michigan
find proper homes for their primates.
Private ownership of a primate can be hazardous to the animal
as well.
"Owners usually keep a single monkey which is eventually
relegated to a small cage. But monkeys are social animals
that live in groups in the wild. Also, many owners feed monkeys
junk food. Nonhuman primates, like children, need to be fed
what is good for them, not what they like to eat," Carter
said.
According to Carter, keeping most nonhuman primates as pets
does not break federal or state regulations. However, some
cities and counties have ordinances against such pets. Carter
cites circuses, exotic animal trade shows and exotic animal
dealers for supplying the primates.
Carter is a member of American Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA) and serves on the Pet Primate Sub-Committee of the Old
World Monkey Taxon Advisory Group. Currently, the group is
working to restrict trade and
ownership of pet primates.
CONTACT: Lisa Viselli or Michele Scott of Hermanoff &
Associates, 313-964-6644
Miami New Times (Florida)
August 10 ,1995
Monkey See, Monkey Do, Monkey Sue
How does a primate end up at the center of a courtroom battle?
When animal dealer Matthew Block is involved, it's not so
difficult
BY: By Kathy Glasgow
She is an ordinary three-pound monkey, a brown Java macaque
(also known as a crab-eating macaque), languishing in a cage
at a veterinary clinic just over the Dade County line in Pembroke
Park. She arrived in mid-July after Pedro Diaz, who had stopped
with his wife and daughter in Homestead to change a flat tire,
spotted the monkey in a tree and coaxed her down with crackers.
Diaz says he decided to call authorities to have the monkey
taken away because he didn't have the required permit to keep
her.
So here she is at the Pembroke Park Animal Clinic, which
the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission uses almost
exclusively as a holding facility for primates confiscated
in South Florida. Like thousands of other macaques sold each
year in the U.S. for use in medical research, this monkey
carries identification: a microchip embedded in her upper
body and a hole in her right ear from a now-missing metal
tag. But she has acquired an added distinction: During the
past three weeks, she has become the object of an odd legal
skirmish between the clinic owner and controversial Miami
animal trader Matthew Block.
The primate dealer, who gained notoriety in the early Nineties
for his confessed role in an unrelated orangutan-smuggling
plot dubbed the Bangkok Six case, claims the macaque at the
clinic is his. He says he's certain she is one of 33 females
stolen a year ago from his South Dade breeding facility, Worldwide
Primates. Soon after a professional acquaintance informed
him of the monkey's presence at the Pembroke Park clinic,
Block and his insurance broker went to Broward Circuit Court
and obtained a temporary injunction against the clinic's owner,
veterinarian Terri Parrott. The court order prohibits Parrott
from moving, selling, or "performing any surgical procedure"
on the monkey, and allows Block to confirm the animal's identity
through an electronic scan of the microchip, which he says
is broken and will have to be surgically removed before it
can be read. (The microchip was extracted from the monkey
this past Friday and shipped to the manufacturer to see if
it can be deciphered.)
But this fight is about more than a single $1500 monkey.
Block has discovered that in the past four months, two other
macaques he had reported as escaped or stolen also have been
taken in by Parrott and later disposed of without anyone informing
him. His insurance broker, Mitchell Kalmanson, who says he
has paid Block thousands of dollars for lost or stolen monkeys,
is furious. "There may have been another five or ten
or whatever for all we know, who have been stolen and gone
to her facility that she has sold and we never had access
to," complains Kalmanson, president of the Lester Kalmanson
Agency in Maitland, near Orlando.
Last week Block himself began inspecting files on primate
confiscations at the regional Game and Fresh Water Fish office
in West Palm Beach in an effort to determine if other seizures
of his animals have occurred without his knowledge. As for
getting back this particular monkey, Block says, she now legally
belongs to his insurance company, and returning her to his
breeding colony after a year would be very difficult anyway.
"I don't want the monkey," he asserts. "Our
principal goal in this matter is to work out a policy with
game and fish officials so this won't happen again."
Maj. Kyle Hill of the state commission's law enforcement
division in Tallahassee acknowledges that the agency's policy
on animal confiscations is being reviewed in the wake of Block's
vociferous complaints, which have been echoed by other South
Florida primate specialists. Hill says "minor changes"
may be forthcoming. In addition, the commission's chief of
internal affairs says he recently launched an investigation
into the current dispute over the macaque in Parrott's clinic
and of the two earlier confiscations Block says took place
without his knowledge.
But Dr. Parrott and Lt. Patrick Reynolds, the sole Game and
Fresh Water Fish inspector for Dade and Monroe counties, say
Block just wants special treatment. They point out he has
an unusually high number of thefts and escapes from his facility
(for which he is rarely cited, Reynolds adds), but just because
he loses a lot of macaques doesn't mean every one running
free or that shows up illegally in a pet store or a private
home is his. Parrott, in fact, isn't convinced the macaque
now sitting in her office is Block's. " We see a lot
of monkeys that come in from other places that have been microchipped,"
she says. "Once state game inspectors release them to
me, I assume they've done their investigation to try to find
where they came from. And believe me, the ones who come in
are not all Mr. Block's." In any case, Parrott says,
"He has to show it's his. The burden of proof is on him."
Reynolds, the commission inspector who brought the macaque
to Parrott's clinic in the first place, isn't willing to concede
the monkey to Block, either. "His opinion is, 'Any animal
that's loose is mine,'" Reynolds says with some irritation.
"Any Java we come across he wants us to run it by him.
We don't run a service just for him."
But Block and other South Florida primate handlers and veterinarians
find it incredible in this case that Reynolds -- who in the
past has searched for and returned dozens of lost monkeys
to Block -- didn't immediately suspect it could be a Worldwide
Primates escapee. "Anybody in this area who knows anything
about primates would know if they had a macaque, they should
call Matt Block," remarks Robert Cooper, a primate veterinarian
and adviser to the DuMond Conservancy for Primates and Tropical
Forests at Monkey Jungle in South Dade. (Block claims that
Worldwide Primates is one of the nation's largest breeders
of macaques, though he will not say how many of the monkeys
he houses.)
The controversy began this past April when Parrott euthanized
a macaque brought to her clinic after it was cornered in a
tree less than a mile from Worldwide Primates. When Parrott
ran blood tests on the monkey (her routine procedure), she
found it tested positive for the herpes B virus. While 70
to 90 percent of all adult macaques carry herpes B, according
to the Centers for Disease Control, the virus can be transmitted
to humans only when it is in an active state in the monkey,
and then only by contact with blood or other bodily fluids.
But once contracted by humans, the virus is almost always
fatal; those who survive suffer permanent neurological impairment.
Parrott says she felt her only alternative was to euthanize
the infected monkey. "I don't have an isolation facility,"
the veterinarian explains. "And here's this animal right
in my office, right next to my staff. I don't need that risk."
Macaques, according to primate experts, are strong, usually
ill-tempered, and surprisingly adept with their teeth. Parrott
checked with HRS in Tallahassee and was informed of a state
law allowing diseased animals to be put to death for the public
safety. "So I put it down," she says. "No one
told me I had to tell Matt Block. As far as I knew this monkey
did not have an owner." Then Parrott had the carcass
incinerated. (Volunteers who keep seized animals for Game
and Fresh Water Fish aren't required to obtain commission
approval before carrying out medical procedures, according
to Maj. Kyle Hill; they're generally allowed to operate according
to their professional judgment. If an animal is not returned
to an owner, it becomes the property of the commission, which
then normally signs it over to the volunteer in lieu of monetary
compensation.)
Block says he learned of the death after an unidentified
caller left a message on his answering machine. When he contacted
inspector Reynolds, he was given the tattoo number of a monkey
Reynolds said was at Parrott's clinic. Block identified the
number as that of a macaque he had reported as having escaped
this past April 3. Reynolds then told him the animal had been
killed several days earlier. Block complained to Parrott and
fired off letters to Game and Fresh Water Fish officials calling
for a review of commission policy on seizures.
The incident quickly caught the attention of South Florida's
small community of primate breeders and specialists. Many
of them have a low opinion of Block because of his involvement
in the Bangkok Six affair (he has been sentenced to thirteen
months in federal prison but is currently free on bond while
awaiting the outcome of his appeals) and because of past citations
from state and federal inspectors for wretched conditions
within his holding compounds. But this time Block got support
from his peers.
Dr. Joseph Wagner, director of the University of Miami's
division of veterinary resources and medical director at the
Mannheimer Foundation, a local biomedical research facility
that also breeds primates, joined Block's calls for clarification
of the state's policy on confiscations. "If such an incident
had happened with a University owned animal, I would be most
unhappy, " Wagner wrote on June 9 to Allan Egbert, the
commission's executive director. "Since the animal killed
was reported to FGFWFC as being escaped and displayed a tattoo
ID on the chest, it would seem reasonable that the animal
be returned to the owner or at least they be contacted."
Later in June, Block got a call from a South Florida primate
collector who had just bought a macaque from Parrott. Reynolds
had confiscated the monkey from an elderly woman in Key West,
along with other wildlife she possessed. (Eventually she was
charged with three violations of wildlife laws.) Reynolds
says he found no identifying signs on the animal, so he took
it to Parrott's clinic, his usual practice when he doesn't
know the legitimate owner. After a month, Parrott asked Reynolds
for permission to place the monkey with a private owner; Reynolds
says he gave her the go-ahead after being told -- incorrectly,
it turns out -- the case against the Key West woman had been
resolved.
Parrott then called Christine Scott, the collector who owns
several macaques, two of which she had bought earlier from
the veterinarian. Scott's husband drove up from their home
on Grassy Key, paid Parrott $650, and took the monkey home.
The $650 price tag, Parrott explains, was no more than the
amount she had spent to keep the animal at her clinic. She
never "sells" the confiscated animals, she says;
they are "placed."
In any case, when Scott's husband arrived with the monkey,
she saw, among the papers Parrott had provided, information
that the monkey had tested positive for the hepatitis A virus
(also common in macaques and dangerous to humans). Parrott's
clinic was closed by then, Scott says, so she called Matthew
Block for advice on handling the animal. Later she took the
monkey to Block's facility, she says, after he offered to
run another blood test. When Block examined the monkey, he
found an ID-tag hole in its right ear, and when he scanned
it, he discovered a microchip identifying the macaque as one
of the 33 females stolen from him in July of last year.
Both Reynolds and Parrott insist they saw no hole in the
monkey's ear and felt no microchip under its skin.
The macaque remains with Scott while Game and Fresh Water
Fish investigates. Mitchell Kalmanson, Block's insurance broker,
thinks the commission is dragging its feet. "We've caught
Dr. Parrott with a smoking gun -- selling a stolen animal,"
fumes Kalmanson. "We're out a lot of money, he's out
a lot of money, and our question is: Why did the damn Florida
Game and Fish Commission not even say where our monkey was?"
The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC)
July 14, 1995 Friday
Monkey continues evading capture
PITTSBORO -- ``No, not yet,'' Sharon Allen, animal control
officer, told reporters late Thursday afternoon calling about
Chatham County's escaped spider monkey.
Thursday marked Day 5 of the county's attempt to capture
the animal, believed to be an escaped pet, since a Siler City
woman spotted it in fruit trees behind her house.
``We just want to be left alone,'' Allen said. ``As soon
as we get it, you can have as many pictures as you want.''
Allen said she didn't see any danger to the monkey, at least
not until winter, and added that the department hoped to catch
the pesky primate well before then.
``Hopefully, it won't be that long,'' she said. ``We're not
actually trained in monkey chases.''
Newsday (New York)
July 10, 1995, Monday, HOME EDITION
Pair Were More Than Monkeying Around
BY: Liam Pleven and Phil Mintz
The crime spree of Jenny and Clyde started out yesterday
morning as routine monkey business, but it ended up with the
primate equivalent of attempted breaking and entering, resisting
arrest and assault.
The culprits were first spotted by Anna Gursky, 66, of Hoffman
Lane in Hauppauge, who was waiting for a ride to church yesterday
at 7:20 a.m. when two rhesus monkeys began ringing her doorbell,
knocking on her door and trying to turn the doorknob.
"I looked out through my curtains and there's two monkeys
sitting on my railing," Gursky said last night. "They
were looking right back at me."
Gursky, who said she was scared, dialed 911. "I was
hoping they'd believe me. After all, who calls up and says,
'There's monkeys sitting on my deck ringing my bell?' "
When Steven Columbell, an animal control officer with the
Town of Islip, tried to take the pair into custody, Jenny
and Clyde bit him several times, according to the Suffolk
County Police 4th Precinct.
Only with the help of Jenny's owner, Dominick Motta, were
authorities able to coax them back into their cage. Motta,
38, who lives up the block, was served with a town summons
for creating a nuisance or health hazard. Motta said he has
owned Jenny for three years and has been hosting Clyde, who
belongs to a Queens pet shop owner, for about two months in
an attempt to breed them. He said the monkeys are "for
the most part, tame" and Clyde may have bitten the officer
because he was worked up by the hubbub and the crowd.
Clyde and Jenny, who is pregnant, wound up last night at
the Islip Town Animal Shelter on Denver Road in Bay Shore.
But police did not announce any charges against the animals.
The Tampa Tribune
June 23, 1995, Friday, METRO EDITION
Baboon accused in banana theft; Family says pet primate was
locked up in his cage
BY: STEPHEN THOMPSON; Tribune Staff Writer
There's some monkey business going on here.
A man says a baboon attacked him early Thursday as he was
walking down a street eating a banana, police say.
Normally, such a report would seem preposterous. But a primate
matching the general description of the suspect lives at a
nearby house. The owners have an alibi for their pet, a 16-year-old
Celebes ape named Jesse. They say he
was locked inside his cage with a padlock and chain.
And, they say, Jesse is not smart enough or strong enough
to unlock his cage, steal a banana, and return to lock himself
back in, said Madeira Beach Police Chief Bert Hatcher.
The story begins with Joseph Napolitiano, 26, of East Meadow,
N.Y., who told police he had just bought a banana at a 7-Eleven
convenience store.
Napolitiano told police he was walking in the 400 block of
140th Avenue at about 2:20 a.m. when, "out of the dark"
a simian assailant appeared and attacked him, ripping his
shirt as it yanked the banana out of his hand.
A description of the suspect, according to Chief Hatcher:
black with a white rear end, knee-high when on all fours,
three to four feet tall when on its two hind legs. The "baboon"
also was said to have a large head and big teeth.
Napolitiano said he "flipped out" and punched the
animal to fend him off, the chief said. The primate then scampered
into some bushes.
As it turned out, a couple on the same block owns five primates
- three Capuchins, one squirrel monkey and Jesse.
Authorities awoke Laurelle Balog and her husband, Wayne Garner,
at 3 a.m. to discuss their ape. Napolitiano was there, and
identified Jesse as his attacker, the couple said.
They don't believe him.
Aside from Jesse's inability to escape, there were problems
with Napolitiano's description of the attacker, Balog said.
Jesse is only about two feet tall. And his bottom is red
- pink when he sits in wet grass - but never white. As for
those teeth, almost all of Jesse's have been pulled in case
he bit someone, Balog said.
Jesse's owners said their pet did escape about four years
ago, from Garner's mechanic's shop in St. Petersburg.
He turned up at a stranger's house a half-hour later, Balog
said. Jesse had helped himself to a Coke, she said, and was
watching "The Jetsons" on television with some children.
United Press International
June 2, 1995, Friday, BC cycle
Knife-wielding monkey 'goes bananas'
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. - A monkey ''went ape'' in central Pennsylvania,
holding two women, a policeman and an animal control officer
at bay with a paring knife before dropping dead, police said
Friday.
The 2-foot-tall monkey died Thursday, possibly of a heart
attack, after rampaging through the home of Liz Battisti and
Becky Kelly in Hollidaysburg.
The monkey upset furniture, gobbled food and wielded the
knife from a kitchen counter. ''This monkey just sort of went
ape,'' said Hollidaysburg Police Chief David Shiffler.
''It was knocking furniture over, upsetting anything standing
and nobody could get close to it.''
''When they finally caught it, the monkey was just a wreck
emotionally,'' said Battisti, 34.
The monkey, a male capuchin, had escaped from the home of
Richard Greubel, who lives about a mile from Battisti and
Kelly, Shiffler said. When it showed up in a nearby orchard
Wednesday night, Kelly, 34, took a box and caught the monkey
and brought it home, Battisti said.
''He was really friendly,'' said Battisti.
''He was sitting in our laps. I was tickling him, and he
was laughing. He ate peas and apples and peanuts, but he didn't
like carrots and broccoli.''
The monkey apparently didn't like adult males, either. When
a police officer from neighboring Duncansville showed up Thursday
morning to have a look, ''The monkey was watching out the
window, saw him and went nuts, '' Battisti said. The monkey
bit both women but did not break the skin. The women then
called police, who arrived with John Iorio, the Altoona aniamal
law officer. The rampage continued. The monkey made a 5-foot
standing leap at Iorio, began flicking a cigarette lighter
and stood on the kitchen counter for three minutes, flailing
away with the paring knife.
''It was holding it by the handle, making stabbing motions,''
said Battisti. ''He stabbed the bread, and he stabbed a bag
of brown sugar, he stabbed the kitchen screen, and he dropped
the knife in the kitchen wastebasket.'' Iorio finally caught
the exhausted monkey with a stick that had a small loop on
the end, which normally is used to capture dogs. Altoona police
Sgt. John Carnicella said the monkey appeared to have suffered
a heart attack after it was captured. Shiffler said the monkey
probably will be tested for disease.
Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
May 12, 1995, Friday
Quarantined monkey shows no sign of deadly virus
BY: Bill Scanlon; Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
A rhesus monkey seized in Denver for fear it carried the
Ebola virus has tested clean so far.
''He's doing better than you and me,'' said veterinarian
Ron Banks of the Animal Research Center at the University
of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.
The 3-year-old rhesus monkey doesn't have herpes B virus
or simian retrovirus - similar to the Ebola virus and sometimes
called monkey AIDS. Neither does it have measles.
Two tests have found no tuberculosis, but the monkey will
have two more TB tests before his 31-day quarantine ends May
25.
U.S. Customs officers seized the monkey April 19 from the
home of Denver resident Howard Lee Stitt, after neighbors
telephoned to say it appeared to be the same type of animal
that carried the virus in the fictional film Outbreak.
An outbreak of Ebola virus in Zaire, resulting this week
in the quarantining of the city of Kikwit, has fueled concern.
Stitt, who apparently kept it as a pet, won't get the monkey
back.
The incubation period for many diseases isn't known, and
vaccines aren't available to keep the monkey clean, Banks
cautioned. ''Because he's clean today doesn't mean he'll be
clean next year.''
There is more good news for the monkey, if its final tests
come back clean.
United Airlines has agreed to fly the monkey to Texas, where
it will be released into a wildlife rehabilitation facility
in the hill country.
Denver Rocky Mountain News
April 20, 1995, Thursday
Neighbor's tip leads agents to pet monkey
Medical lab to test animal for viruses fatal to people
BY: Bill Scanlon; Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
U.S. Customs officers Wednesday seized a monkey in Denver
that could carry a killer virus.
The rhesus monkey - the species that stars in the new medical
thriller Outbreak - is in quarantine at the Animal Resource
Center at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
It will be tested for tuberculosis and various viruses and
parasites, Dr. Ron Banks said.
An out-of-state lab will determine if the monkey, allegedly
smuggled from the Philippines, carries the Herpesvirus simiae
or the Ebola virus, both fatal to humans.
Denver resident Howard Lee Stitt surrendered the monkey after
customs officers and Denver police officers knocked on his
door Wednesday morning, said Special Agent Gary Hillberry.
Stitt reportedly had kept the monkey as a pet for several
years. The tip came from a neighbor.
In the film Outbreak, a California town is threatened with
annihilation because a macaque spreads Ebola virus to humans.
In the movie, so many people die so quickly that drastic measures
must be taken to prevent the virus from spreading throughout
the nation.
Authorities did the right thing seizing the monkey, said
Dr. Robert Schooley, head of infectious diseases at CU. But
the danger to the public isn't as great as the movie Outbreak
would have us believe, he said.
''I suspect that if Outbreak hadn't come out six weeks ago,
the Customs Office would have ho-hummed this,'' Schooley said.
''And I doubt if the neighbors would have made the call.''
The Independent (London)
April 4, 1995, Tuesday
Egypt bans pet monkey imports
Cairo - The city airport has banned people bringing monkeys
into Egypt as part of an anti-Aids campaign. Two infected
pets were found on a flight from New York last Wednesday.
AP
Agence France Presse
April 03, 1995 08:48 Eastern Time
Egypt bans monkeys in anti-AIDS campaign
The authorities at Cairo airport have banned passengers from
bringing monkeys into Egypt as part of an anti-AIDS campaign,
the daily al-Ahram newspaper said Monday.
They new restrictions, which also cover animals accompanying
transit passengers, were introduced after the authorities
destroyed two AIDS-infected pet monkeys on a flight from New
York on March 29.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
March 4, 1995, Saturday, FIVE STAR Edition
WILD THINGS; EXOTIC ANIMALS MAKE INTRIGUING, SOMETIMES ILLEGAL
PETS
BY: Patricia Corrigan Of the Post-Dispatch Staff
Any mountain lions live near you?
Are you sure?
Not everybody favors domestic animals as pets. Some animal
lovers in the St. Louis area prefer pythons, monkeys or hybrid
wolves to dogs, cats and canaries.
Consider the lion cub found Feb. 23 tied at the Zoo's front
gate. The 40-pound cub, about 6 months old, had been declawed
and was wearing a collar. Zoo officials suspect it was someone's
pet - someone who may have decided the king of the jungle
was a tad more pet than they wanted.
Four cougar cubs now live in St. Clair County. A 30-year-old
monkey in St. Charles County has pets of its own: For a while,
it served as a surrogate mother for a kitten. Now it spends
time with a guinea pig.
Laws regarding exotic pets vary greatly in Missouri and Illinois.
Some counties prohibit or restrict the keeping of exotic animals.
In Missouri, some counties look to the state to regulate the
animals.
Neither state requires people who keep wild animals to notify
the neighbors. And no one really is certain how many people
in Missouri or Illinois keep exotic pets without benefit of
a license.
For instance, the city of St. Louis has no record of anyone
owning an exotic pet. Rich Stevson, with the department of
health and hospitals, said several people had called over
the years to ask about the city's wild animal ordinance, but
no one had actually applied for a permit.
Those in charge of licensing venomous snakes, bears, big
cats and primates express some reluctance about keeping them.
"Wild animals are not, as a general rule, trustworthy,"
said Dr. Dan Knox, manager of animal control in St. Louis
County and a veterinarian. "For the welfare of the animals
and the safety of our citizens, we do not recommend wild animals
as pets."
Having said that, Knox then said that some people did well
as owners of exotic pets. But others can't provide the food,
the room for the cage and the exercise the animals require.
In St. Louis County, owners of exotic pets must buy a license
for a one-time fee of $ 25 and $ 100,000 in liability insurance
and they must allow an annual inspection of the animal's quarters.
Getting Out Of Hand
Some owners can't keep track of their exotic pets.
In mid-February, a hybrid wolf - part wolf and part dog -
and a 3-foot-long boa constrictor turned up, independently,
at the St. Louis County Animal Shelter. Both were pets, and
both eventually were returned to their owners.
Last year, two pet snow monkeys got loose in Alton. One was
captured quickly; one made its way to Florissant.
A python living with its owner in an apartment in South County
slithered into a heating duct last month and emerged in another
apartment. And Knox said he had been called to remove large
snakes from under trailer homes, where they sometimes settle
after escaping.
"The problem, of course, is if one attacks a child.
Usually, snakes won't attack unless they feel cornered,"
he said.
Pet snakes have killed people, Knox said.
Tom Amlung, an animal services administrator in St. Clair
County, said he recently learned of a pet wolf kept on a rope
in a front yard. St. Clair County prohibits exotic pets, but
Amlung said some people who wanted to keep wild animals applied
to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a Class C exhibitors
license, thus circumventing the county's law.
"That's a federal license, and the way our laws are
written, there is nothing we can do," Amlung said.
Owners of exotic pets in Illinois are not required to have
any special liability insurance. That in mind, Amlung said
a wolf on a rope in a front yard sounded risky to him.
John Carpenter concurs.
Carpenter, director of St. Charles County Humane and Environmental
Services, points out that wolves are predators.
"If a small animal or a child runs from a wolf, its
spontaneous reaction would be to chase the prey," Carpenter
said.
Another big concern is the health of the pets.
Remember those two snow monkeys who ran away in Alton? When
caught, both tested positive for the herpes B virus. They
were euthanized.
"Herpes B is normally fatal to humans," Carpenter
said. "If either of those monkeys had bitten someone.
. . ." A Big Commitment
Another concern about keeping wild animals as pets, Carpenter
said, is the level of commitment required.
"Many people don't understand it's a long-term commitment,
and they don't accept responsibility for the animal. That's
a big problem," he said.
He knows firsthand. For more than three years, Carpenter
kept a seven-foot-long boa constrictor.
"I found it. Someone had turned it loose in the city
of St. Charles," Carpenter said.
Last year, Carpenter learned of a pet lion living in St.
Charles County. He visited with the lion's owner and explained
that keeping lions was against county law.
"I asked this man just what he was going to do when
the lion reached its full weight," Carpenter said. A
male lion can weigh as much as 400 pounds.
"He said he would shoot it when it got too big, and
have it mounted."
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
January 8, 1995, Sunday, BULLDOG EDITION
Neighbors want N.C. man and menagerie to move Safety, health
risks from tigers and monkeys cited; owner calls flap overreaction
BY: Jeffrey Ball, Charlotte Observer
HEMBY BRIDGE, N.C. - Steve Maca-luso's neighbors weren't
pleased last winter when they saw exotic birds in his garage
and diapered monkeys climbing the trees beside his driveway.
But it wasn't until this fall, when Mr. Maca-luso acquired
two tigers, that his fellow suburbanites really began to growl.
Now, petitions and legal threats are souring relations in
Country Woods East, a subdivision in northwest Union County,
N.C.
Young couples worried for their children's safety want Mr.
Maca-luso to remove the menagerie in the chain-link cages
behind his house. Mr. Maca-luso says his pets are too small
to endanger neighbors and that he'll move them before they
grow big enough to pose a threat.
North Carolina Zoological Park officials, however, said the
tigers represent a bite risk and that the monkeys could spread
disease. Union County's health board will make a decision
soon on what to do.
"The tiger's four months old, and it already weighs
more than my boy," Dan Piterski said of Teka, Mr. Maca-luso's
18-week-old feline.
Mr. Piterski is one of 20 homeowners in Country Woods East
who signed a petition asking the county to force Mr. Maca-luso
to get rid of his peculiar pets.
"I'm a big nature guy. But cats are unpredictable,"
said Mr. Piterski, whose children are 3 and 6. He also worries
that property values will drop when prospective buyers learn
that "we have a zoo here."
Mr. Macaluso protests that Teka is merely "an overgrown
kitten," and that she and Puffer, a 10-week-old tiger
that lives in Mr. Maca-luso's house, have been de-clawed.
As for his macaque monkeys, Mr. Maca-luso notes his house
purchase contract stipulated that he be allowed to keep two
primates on his property.
Mr. Macaluso, 36, said he has "always been different."
He owns S-M Amusements, which rents video games to area bars.
Part of the reason he moved from New Jersey to Union County
was that his macaques were illegal where he was living, he
said.
Now he plans to move again. He wants to buy a bigger Charlotte-area
homestead within a year - before his tigers grow up.
Until then, he hopes to stay in his subdivision, where he
sleeps on a water bed with his tigers and monkeys. He'll also
keep shopping for a black panther.
"I should not be living in this development, and that
is why I'm moving," he said. "I want to go live
on 20 acres where I don't have neighbors who will complain."
But neighbors want his critters out now, and they said they're
consulting a lawyer. They point to a county ordinance barring
"wild animals" heavier than 50 pounds - a weight
the 44-pound Teka is fast approaching.
They also note that their subdivision's covenant bans chain-link
fences and all animals except household pets such as dogs
and cats.
Mr. Macaluso isn't cowed.
"I have cages, not a fence," he said. "If
you really want to push the issue, a tiger is a cat. In my
eyes, it is a household pet."
Not quite, said Lorraine Meller, curator of mammals for the
North Carolina Zoological Park.
Tigers can bite unpredictably, said Ms. Meller, whom Mr.
Maca-luso's neighbors contacted with their concerns. And macaques
can carry diseases spread through waste or other body fluids,
she said.
It is due to such concerns that Charlotte and Meck-lenburg
County bar residents from keeping wild animals, including
monkeys and tigers, in their homes, officials said.
Ms. Meller, though noting she hasn't seen Mr. Maca-luso's
pets, said she also would worry about the animals' welfare.
"Our philosophical position would be that we don't support
pet ownership of exotic animals," she said.
The squabble began last year, when Mr. Maca-luso phoned from
New Jersey to ask Union County officials whether he could
move his monkeys and birds - as well as several dogs and cats
- to the county.
Officials consulted the county's animal ordinance and said
his feathered and furry friends would be welcomed, according
to Mr. Maca-luso and Union County Health Director Lorey White.
Within a week of his arrival, however, neighbors began grousing
about his monkeys. Mr. Maca-luso kept the primates leashed
to trees, he said, letting them climb and fetch tools while
he fixed his car in the driveway.
But Mickey, a macaque, escaped into the neighborhood twice.
Lori Kissinger, Mr. Maca-luso's next-door neighbor, said
that one evening several months ago, some neighbors were sitting
on their deck with an out-of-town relative when the monkey
jumped onto the wooden railing "and about scared her
to death."
"It was a mistake on my part," Mr. Maca-luso said,
adding that he no longer lets his macaques outside unleashed.
Then, about three months ago, Teka arrived.
The tiger, Mr. Piterski said, was "the last straw."
In mid-October, Mr. Piterski and owners of 19 other houses
sent the subdivision's developer, Carlton Tyson, a letter
requesting enforcement of the development's covenant.
Mr. Tyson referred the matter to Mr. White, the county health
director.
Union County officials took another look at the animal-control
ordinance. They discovered they neglected to tell Mr. Maca-luso
that the ordinance bars wild animals heavier than 50 pounds,
Mr. White said.
Mr. Macaluso noted that ostriches are raised on farms in
the county. And he contends that because officials made a
mistake last year, they should waive Union County's 50-pound
rule for his animals until he moves them next year.
Mr. White disagrees. "Two wrongs don't make a right,"
he said.
All the sniping perplexes Mr. Tyson, the developer, who doesn't
live in Country Woods East.
"People keep pigs and snakes and alligators and everything
else in their houses," he said. "A household pet
in the last 10 years has changed a lot."
Herald Sun
January 4, 1995 Wednesday
MONKEY SALES WARNING
CONCERNS are growing about monkeys as pets after a pet shop
advertised three for sale.
On December 24, Kellyville Pets in Sydney's north-west advertised
three monkeys for sale. Proprietor John Grimar is selling
a female 14-month-old rhesus monkey for $10,000, a three-and-a-half-year-old
male monkey for $9000 and a 20-month-old male monkey for $8000,
all bred in Australia.
"They aren't a very popular pet, it's not something
for everybody," he said.
"They can be very destructive, they can be very dominant
and they're not good for children to be around."
The RSPCA warned of legal difficulties even though the monkeys
were bred in Australia from animals passed by quarantine.
Worries included their effect on agriculture, the prospect
of feral monkeys if breeding got out of control and monkeys
passing
on herpes, tuberculosis and the flu virus to humans.
New South Wales legislation to control exotic animals was
passed in October but it was still legal to keep monkeys as
pets, Graeme Eggleston, agriculture protection officer with
the Department of Agriculture, said yesterday.An RSPCA spokeswoman
predicted it would be "almost impossible" in future
to get a licence from the Department of Agriculture to keep
a monkey as a pet.
"Unless you're a park, or a zoo or if you have a private
zoo, it's going to be against the law," she said.
Taronga Zoo's Life Sciences manager Will Meikle advised against
keeping a pet monkey. "They can transmit diseases such
as herpes, tuberculosis and the flu to humans and vice versa."
He said primates were also prone to stress and it was very
difficult for a "humanised" monkey to return to
primate society. "And they breed willy nilly, they in-breed
with brothers and sisters and if breeding got out of control
it could be a
problem," he said.
Philadelphia Daily News
November 30, 1994 Wednesday PM EDITION
MONKEY BITES DINER CARRIED IN PURSE
BY: Reuters
BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Police were on the lookout yesterday
for an unidentified woman whose pet monkey jumped out of her
purse and bit the ear of a man dining at a local restaurant.
Sigmund Rosenbaum was having dinner and drinks at the bar
of Georgio's, a local Italian restaurant, late Saturday afternoon
when he felt something on top of his head and then felt a
pinch on his left ear, a police spokeswoman said.
He told police he put his hand to his ear and noticed a small
amount of blood.
The restaurant's manager told police the man apparently had
been bitten by a small monkey that jumped out of its owner's
purse and onto Rosenbaum's head.
By the time Rosenbaum contacted police, after returning home
five hours later, the woman - and monkey - were gone.
Boca Raton police were not sure what charges - if any - the
woman or monkey would face if they were located.
Denver Rocky Mountain News
November 30, 1994, Wednesday
Monkey in Florida restaurant exhibits a taste for human ears
Police in Boca Raton, Fla., were on the lookout Tuesday for
an unidentified woman whose pet monkey jumped out of her purse
and bit the ear of a man dining at a local restaurant.
Sigmund Rosenbaum was having dinner and drinks at the bar
of Georgio's, a local Italian restaurant, late Saturday afternoon
when he felt something on top of his head and then felt a
pinch on his left ear, a police spokeswoman said. He told
police he put his hand to his ear and noticed a small amount
of blood. The restaurant's manager told police the man apparently
had been bitten by a small monkey that jumped out of its owner's
purse and onto Rosenbaum's head. By the time Rosenbaum contacted
police, after returning home five hours later, the woman -
and monkey - were gone.
Boca Raton police were not sure what charges, if any, the
woman or monkey would face if they were located. ''We looked
through our city ordinance and there isn't anything in there.
. . . We couldn't find anything on monkeys.
Only dogs, cats or livestock,'' said officer Lori Croy.
The Record
September 30, 1994; FRIDAY
MONKEY ON THE RUN AFTER PET-STORE ESCAPE
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, NJ -- A monkey named Freddie who escaped
from a pet-store zoo was spotted Thursday, but the animal
remained on the loose.
The monkey, a Japanese Snow Macaque, was spotted twice at
the Animal Kingdom Pet Store and Zoo, said employee Brandi
Schroder. But the 2 1/2-foot-tall male monkey got away, she
said.
Freddie escaped Saturday from a cage that was accidentally
left unlocked after a feeding, Schroder said. She said the
monkey is harmless.
The red-faced animal has been spotted several times, making
stops at a restaurant, a horse farm, and a home, where he
swiped a pumpkin.
"Every time we get calls, we go out there," Schroder
said. "But he's fast."
Police also are on the lookout for Freddie, said Chief Ken
Gerber.
Residents are aware that the monkey is on the loose.
Gerber said police are hoping to capture Freddie before deer
hunting season begins Saturday. Schroder said the zoo curator
may use a tranquilizer if the monkey returns.
"I don't want to bring any harm to the animal,"
Gerber said.
Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
August 5, 1994, Friday
HERPES IN 4-YEAR-OLD LINKED TO MONKEY BITES
SURPRISE, Ariz. - Efforts here by a woman to rescue two snow
monkeys from "squalor" may have endangered her 4-year-old
son.
Deborah Kahler blames the monkeys for painful herpes sores
that have infected her son's eye. Ryan Kahler's doctor is
concerned the boy may have been exposed to herpes B, a life-threatening
virus normally not found in humans.
Ryan was diagnosed with herpes simplex in his eye in late
July, about three weeks after he had been bitten and scratched
while playing with the two Japanese macaques.
Ira Goodman, an ophthalmologist, said he cannot prove the
virus that caused the boy's painful eye ulcer was transmitted
by the monkeys, but he said it is "very suspicious."
Goodman is worried that the boy may have the herpes B virus,
which is present in more than 80 percent of adult macaques.
Officials at the Arizona Department of Health Services, the
state Veterinarian's Office, and the USDA say they cannot
require that monkeys be tested for the diseases they can pass
on to humans, such as tuberculosis and herpes.
Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee)
August 2, 1994, Tuesday
PET SPIDER MONKEY LOOSE IN NATIONAL PARK
A pet spider monkey is loose in the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park, spokesman Bob Miller said Monday.
Pansy escaped from her owner Friday near the second tunnel
on U.S. 441, or about 10 miles from Sugarlands Visitor Center.
Wearing a bright neon collar, the monkey is described as
about the size of a cat and weighing six or seven pounds,
Miller said.
"We don't have anyone searching for her. We're hoping
Pansy will turn herself in," he joked.
"We don't know if the monkey will make herself scarce
and try to live on berries or roots or if she'll approach
park visitors."
Miller warned that spider monkeys can bite. He asked anyone
seeing the monkey to call park dispatchers at 436-1230, "and
we'll try to reunite Pansy with her family."
Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK)
June 17, 1994, Friday CITY EDITION
Park Chimp Gone, But Trouble Looms Two Lawsuits Claim He Bit
BY: Mark A. Hutchison, Staff Writer
SULPHUR, OK -- SULPHUR - He may be 2,000 miles away, but
Murray the chimp can't seem to stay out of legal trouble in
Oklahoma.
A lawsuit filed May 6 in Murray County District Court alleges
the 2-year-old former star attraction of Arbuckle Wilderness
bit an infant child on the head June 12, 1993.
The lawsuit was filed against the Murray County Industrial
Authority on behalf of James and Linda Aynes, parents of Jason
Aynes.
Arbuckle Wilderness was purchased by the industrial authority
in 1992.
The suit says the "chimpanzee was under the direct supervision
of an employee of the defendant and negligently allowed the
chimpanzee to bite the minor plaintiff."
Also, the defendants "harbored a wild animal" and
are therefore liable for damages, according to the suit.
As a result of the bite, the boy suffered mental and physical
pain and suffering, and emotional distress. A second complaint
in the lawsuit alleges the boy's parents also suffered emotional
distress; loss of companionship and affections of their child
and incurred medical expenses.
The Aynes' are seeking in excess of $ 10,000 on each cause
of action.
James Aynes told The Oklahoman in a July 1993 interview that
his then 3-month-old son had been posing for a picture with
the chimp when the female chimp handler slapped the animal
on the arm.
Agitated, the chimp bit the boy on the nose, mouth and head,
Aynes said.
Ron Armitage, executive director of the Murray County Industrial
Authority, said Thursday that if the incident did occur, the
Aynes'should have immediately contacted park officials.
"If there was an incident and it was reported to us,
we'd certainly act in the best interest of anyone injured,"
Armitage said. "When you don't know about these things,
it creates a problem. "
The alleged bite of Jason Aynes occurred eight days prior
to another child allegedly being bitten. The parents of 3-year-old
Matthew Luna said the same chimp nipped their son while posing
for a picture in the park's gift shop.
The Lunas in August 1993 filed a claim against the park seeking
$ 100,000. Armitage said the claim is pending.
After the Luna report, state health officials issued an execution
order for the chimp to test it for rabies. Arbuckle Wilderness
officials refused to surrender him.
Finally, an agreement was made whereby Murray was quarantined
for two weeks, and could no longer have contact with park
patrons.
The chimp was sold for $ 15,000 to a New York production
company early this year, and recently appeared in a "Saturday
Night Live" skit.
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
January 26, 1994 WEDNESDAY, PALM BEACH EDITION
2 MONKEYS TAKE SWING THROUGH AREA ONE FUGITIVE CAPUCHIN APPARENTLY
ELECTROCUTED BY POWER TRANSFORMER
BY: NEIL SANTANIELLO; Staff Writer
One woman found the two visitors in her back yard one evening,
jumping all over her porch. Another woman, a neighbor, came
home to find the pair swinging from powerlines next to her
driveway.
For 11 days, monkey sightings have been part of the day-to-day
routine for residents along Palmway and Canal Drive, two tree-studded
streets west of Boynton Beach and the latest hangout for two
capuchin monkeys on the lam.
The brown five-pound monkeys, a male named Joe and a female
named Baby, escaped from their owner, Melvin Lowe, a roofer
living in the same neighborhood, Biltmore Terrace, on Jan.
15.
The monkeys, natives of Central America, thwarted attempts
to capture them and made the most of their newfound freedom,
but their fondness for powerline acrobatics apparently cost
one of the monkeys, Baby, her life on Tuesday. Lowe's son,
Ricky, 16, and a group of friends found Baby's body on the
ground in the early evening near a power transformer. The
monkey apparently had been electrocuted, the boy said.
Melvin Lowe said he had a license to raise exotic animals,
and kept Baby and Joe - along with a third capuchin - as pets
at his six-acre home on Hilltop Drive.
The capuchins lived at the Lowe home along with six squirrel
monkeys and one owl monkey. All were kept in chain-link cages.
Other exotic and tamed wild animals reside on the property,
including a baby buffalo, antelope, deer, snakes and pigs.
"It's something to keep your mind occupied," Melvin
Lowe, 55, said of the exotic animal collection. He said all
three capuchins, brought to the United States from Panama,
escaped when his son did not properly lock the door on their
cage.
He managed to capture one, but Baby and Joe, he said, made
a beeline for the towering pines around his home.
Capuchins are a particularly intelligent species of monkey,
and "once they get out, they go," said Lowe, who
owns M & L Roofing in Boynton Beach. "In 20 minutes,
they were already a half-mile away."
Both monkeys cost him about $ 3,000, he said. He said he
posted several signs with his phone number around the neighborhood
asking people to call him to report the whereabouts of Baby
and Joe and set out traps baited with corn to try to snag
them. But the two monkeys, who had recently mated, evaded
capture, he said.
Since the escape, he said he's gotten periodic calls from
people reporting encounters with the capuchins. He said Baby
and Joe had been living on grapefruit and carambola plucked
from trees in the neighborhood.
Cristy Archie saw both monkeys for the first time on Tuesday
afternoon, before Baby died. She was pulling into her driveway
in the 5100 block of Palmway and saw the the pair prancing
around on a powerline stretching from the street to her garage.
"They were running back and forth and swinging back
and forth and being really cute," she said. "I knew
they were domesticated because when we pulled up, they just
stayed there and watched us."
She said her cat, Sugar, took an interest in one of the monkeys
and chased it away.
The New York Times
January 3, 1994
Zoo Housed Monkey With a Deadly Disease
PITTSBURGH -- A monkey with a contagious disease fatal to
humans was housed in the children's section of the Pittsburgh
Zoo for nearly three years after the illness was diagnosed,
a newspaper reported this weekend.
The monkey, a Japanese macaque named Alphie who became something
of a folk hero after a six-month escape from the zoo in 1987,
is now quarantined with five other infected monkeys, all his
progeny.
Zoo documents show that three weeks after the macaque was
recaptured on Jan. 27, 1988, he tested positive for Simian
B virus, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Saturday.
The newspaper made no mention of injuries from the monkeys,
and zoo officials were not available for comment today.
Simian B can be transmitted to humans through bites or scratches.
It is incurable in primates but not fatal. In humans, however,
it is deadly in 70 percent of cases.
The zoo's director, Barbara Baker, had Alphie quarantined
in January 1991, months after she was hired. "He was
in the middle of the children's zoo," she told the newspaper.
"It horrified me."
The Toronto Star
December 14, 1993, Tuesday, METRO EDITION
Monkey with virus recaptured on roof
BELLEVILLE, Ont. (CP) - A Japanese snow monkey that's carrying
a virus that could harm humans has been found after it escaped
from a nearby animal shelter 10 days ago.
The monkey, which could have passed the virus to humans had
the animal bit or scratched anyone, was found on the roof
of a farm building east of this eastern Ontario city on Sunday.
Ontario Provincial police believe the monkey survived by
eating apples, nuts and wild growth.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
December 22, 1993, WEDNESDAY, ILLINOIS FIVE STAR Edition
BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS - The Lam Split Up At Parkway
The search for two escaped pet monkeys in Alton has become
tougher after they were separated while trying to cross a
highway, authorities said.
A spokeswoman for the local animal control department said
the two macaques escaped Dec. 15 and have eluded the police
and animal control officers trying to tranquilize them. They
have been reported in several wooded locations in Alton since
then.
The older monkey is about 4 1/2-feet tall; the younger one
is half that size. They are dangerous only if cornered and
should be left alone, officials said. Anyone who sees them
should call the police at 463-3505 or the animal control department
at 463-3553.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
December 22, 1993, WEDNESDAY
The search for two escaped pet monkeys in Alton has become
tougher after they were separated while trying to cross a
highway, authorities said.
A spokeswoman for the local animal control department said
the two macaques escaped Dec. 15 and have eluded the police
and animal control officers trying to tranquilize them. They
have been reported in several wooded locations in Alton since
then.
The older monkey is about 4 1/2-feet tall; the younger one
is half that size. They are dangerous only if cornered and
should be left alone, officials said. Anyone who sees them
should call the police at 463-3505 or the animal control department
at 463-3553.
Mainichi Daily News
November 3, 1993, Wednesday
Imported monkey infects four with dysentery
CHIGASAKI, Kanagawa - A pet monkey has infected four people
in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture with dysentery, Health and
Welfare Ministry sources said Tuesday.
Authorities are trying to determine if the monkey, which
came from Ghana, had the dysentery bacteria when it was brought
into the country or whether it contracted it here. The sources
said a 30-year-old man, diagnosed with the infection on Oct.
26, bought the monkey at a pet shop in Yokohama on Oct.14.
Tests showed that both the man and the monkey had the same
type of dysentery bacteria. The monkey contracted diarrhea
on Oct. 16 and died last Wednesday.
Health authorities suspect that the man was infected with
dysentery by mouth-to-mouth feeding of the monkey.
The man's parents and a 28-year-old woman colleague who had
kept the monkey one day at her house all showed traces of
the bacteria in tests. Health authorities also found the same
bacteria present in tests on another monkey from the same
pet shop.
The infected monkey was one of 22 such animals imported from
Ghana on Sept. 22. A pet trader from Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture,
bought the monkeys and sold them to pet shops in 7 prefectures.
The monkeys have health certificates issued by the Ghana government.
The only other recent cases of diarrhea contracted from monkeys
were in 1974 in Gumma and Kanagawa prefectures, and in Tokyo.
According to the health authorities, a medical inspection
is not required for imported animals but a trader has to wait
two weeks before selling animals to retail shops.
Orlando Sentinel (Florida)
October 17, 1993 Sunday, 3 STAR
4 PET MONKEYS DIE IN FIRE AT A HOUSE IN LONGWOOD
LONGWOOD, FL -
Four pet monkeys died after being caught in a house fire near
the intersection of U.S. Highway 17-92 and Shepard Road Friday
night, a spokesman for the Seminole County Public Safety Department
said.
The occupants of the house at 975 U.S. 17-92 operated a pet
shop there several years ago. Rescue workers plucked five
animals from the blaze, then used advanced life-support equipment
in an attempt to keep them alive.
Three of the animals died Friday night, but two were transported
to Seminole County Animal Control for further treatment. A
fourth monkey died Saturday.
Residents Hal and Ruth Granberry were not injured in the
fire.
Chicago Tribune
July 17, 1993
Girl knows what guenon is, has stitches to prove it
BY: Mark Shuman
This fall, when her teachers at Carl Sandburg School in Rolling
Meadows ask 11-year-old Mindy Medley what she learned on her
summer vacation, she'll have a rare chance to hand out some
advice - stay away from guenons!
A guenon is a species of monkey - the type that bit Mindy
last Sunday, requiring several stitches to close the wounds.
Mindy was walking back to her condominium from the pool area
of the complex where she lives with her family, when Yondi,
the Kenyan-born primate, strayed from its owner and pounced
on the youngster.
"I was about five feet away from a woman sitting on
a chair," said Mindy, "all of a sudden, this thing
ran up to me and grabbed my leg and wouldn't let go.
"I was screaming so hard I couldn't hear if it was making
any noise or even figure out what it was," she said.
Finally, the monkey's owner, Audrey Kyle, 52, who had the
animal on a leash, managed to put the eight-pound creature
in a cage, police said.
Mindy required five stitches for three wounds,, police said,
adding that Kyle would pay Mindy's medical bills.
The unusual pet, specifically, is a 23-year-old Lesser Spotted
White-Nosed Guenon. It was known to police long before Sunday,
according to Rolling Meadows Animal Control Officer Al Jurs.
The monkey was given to Kyle and her husband Earl by a game
preserve veterinarian when the couple lived in Kenya, according
to their attorney, Ken Ross.
In 1986, Ross said, Yondi's mother died giving birth in captivity,
and Audrey Kyle fed the tiny monkey, which is protected under
the Endangered Species Act, with an eyedropper.
Long-tailed and lightning quick, guenons are better off in
Kenya than in suburban Chicago, say to Rolling Meadows police.
Rolling Meadows, in fact, took Kyle and her husband to court
in the 1980s to force them to give Yondi up, after police
alleged that several people had been bitten by the animal.
A local ordinance at the time banned residents from keeping
bees, goats and other animals but did not mention monkeys.
But Illinois Appellate Court Justice Dom Rizzi ultimately
ruled in the Kyles' favor in June, 1986. Although Rolling
Meadows then passed an ordinance banning the keeping of a
variety of animals, including monkeys, Yondi was allowed to
live out her days with the couple, Jurs said.
Despite the attack on Mindy, the youngster said Yondi should
be allowed to remain with the Kyles.
On Thursday, Jurs said the village had no plans to reopen
its bid to oust Yondi.
Buffalo News (New York)
July 9, 1993
NIAGARA MAN BITTEN ON HANDS BY PET MONKEY
NIAGARA, NY -- A Hyde Park Boulevard man was injured at 9:20
p.m. Thursday when his pet monkey bit him on both hands, Officer
Jim Tobey said.
Franklin Acevedo, 25, of Hyde Park Boulevard said he was
training the Patas monkey in his apartment when it began to
bite him, lacerating both hands, Tobey said.
Acevedo was taken to Mount St. Mary's Hospital, Lewiston,
by ambulance where he received stitches to close the wounds,
Tobey said.
Tobey said the 7-year-old monkey, which was caged when he
arrived at the scene, is about the size of a 2-year-old baby.
He said Acevedo has owned the animal for nine months.
The Herald (Glasgow)
July 8, 1993
Check on monkey link with dead girl
BY: Alan Macdermid, Medical Correspondent
TESTS at the Government's germ research unit at Porton Down
are expected to show over the next two days whether a Glasgow
family's pet monkeys are linked to the death of a four-year-old
girl.
The girl was taken from her home in Castlemilk to the Victoria
Infirmary on Monday night but was dead on arrival.
Specialists from the Communicable Diseases Unit at Ruchill
Hospital were called in after it emerged the girl's family
had kept two pet monkeys at home.
One of the monkeys died three weeks ago and the other was
put down on Tuesday for analysis.
A spokesman for Greater Glasgow Health Board said last night
that results were expected within 48 hours.
Blood samples from the girl, her parents, and a second child
are believed to have been sent to Porton Down, where reference
samples for exotic diseases like Simian B virus are held,
though the board would not confirm or deny this.
Samples are also being checked at Ruchill and at the Glasgow
Vet School for other organisms.
It is understood, however, that doctors believe the child
may have had a respiratory problem.
Police in the south of England have also begun inquiries
into the source of the monkeys -- the family are believed
to have bought them as a birthday present in March through
a magazine advertisement.
THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
July 5, 1993 Monday, 3 STAR
ACTIVISTS PEEVED BY PET PRIMATES; SOME WHO ARE AGAINST THE
DOMESTICATION OF THE WILD ANIMALS LIKEN THE PRACTICE TO KEEPING
A CHILD ON A LEASH.
BY: By Kevin Spear
Melissa Karron fed and diapered her pet monkey for four years,
loving it as a child.
But then the African monkey, known as a guenon, began the
passage to adulthood. "Chucky," as she called him,
became too wild to control. "At that point there was
no going back," the Arkansas health-care executive said.
"He
was biting everybody in the neighborhood."
Instead of having the guenon's canine teeth pulled to prevent
it from hurting someone, Karron gave it to a special primate
refuge in San Antonio. She flies to the refuge regularly to
help care for her monkey and 300 other former pets.
"It's sad," she said. "Chucky will be in his
cage for 40 years."
An experience that Karron now regrets is at the heart of
an issue that has set primate breeders and some owners on
a collision course with animal-rights advocates, who view
the domestication of such wild animals as similar to keeping
a child on a leash.
"It is a tragedy for the animals," said Shirley
McGreal, chairwoman of the International Primate Protection
League in Summerville, S.C. "They belong in the wild."
McGreal and others say primates raised by breeders are traumatized
because they are taken from their mothers soon after birth
to bond with their human owners.
Justin and Yvonne Finser, owners of a breeding ranch in south
Marion County, say such criticism is unfounded.
Primates, they say, are not as sensitive as animal-rights
advocates would like to think and adjust well to life with
humans.
Beverly Kough of Mount Dora said she has been richly rewarded
by her 3-year-old pet ape, which she got from the Finsers.
The small ape, named Mary, does a fair job of flossing her
own teeth, but when it comes to brushing she seems mostly
interested in the flavor of toothpaste. She is also diapered,
fed and loved - and her canine teeth have been pulled.
"A primate is not a pet for everybody," Kough said.
Nobody knows for sure how many primates are kept as pets.
They certainly are harder to get than when they were available
by mail order decades ago.
Since 1975, federal law has banned imports of wild primates
as pets to help slow their disappearance from native habitats.
Another hurdle is finding and affording a primate. Some,
such as Mary, cost as much as some new economy cars.
Apart from smugglers, about the only source now is a breeder,
such as Finser Exotics, possibly the nation's largest, which
legally may sell the offspring of primates imported before
1975.
This past spring, the breeding ranch turned into a nursery.
Among the newborn were ruffed lemurs who nibbled on grapes.
Nearby a spider monkey that refused to eat hovered near death.
Finser's wife, Yvonne, mothered the animals, making frequent
calls to a veterinarian for advice.
Like many zoos, the Finsers are rearing primates that are
disappearing from their native lands in Asia, Africa and South
America.
Yvonne Finser said they sell at least 50 animals a year.
Getting a permit to have a pet primate in Florida requires
1,000 hours of experience over a 12-month period in caring
for the animals. Rules vary; California's are stringent, there
are almost none elsewhere.
"It's almost like an adoption. There are diapers and
feeding, and they throw tantrums," she said. "There
has to be a commitment that goes beyond what most people think."
Longtime owners of pet primates agree.
To encourage them to bond with humans, baby primates are
taken from their parents soon after they are born. Finser
Exotics must tranquilize some of the more fiercely defensive
mothers.
Yvonne Finser said primate mothers cry after losing their
young but soon resume a normal life.
However, others who work with primates believe infants and
mothers are deeply traumatized by separation.
Fred Antonio, curator of the Central Florida Zoological Park
near Sanford, said "Their psychological needs are just
not met by human contact alone."
Jane Paulette, secretary of the international Simian Society
- a club of primate owners - said many first-time pet buyers
are unaware of the commitment needed because the breeders
do not inform them.
Paulette, who lives in St. Louis, Mo., learned the hard way
about the difficulties and even dangers of owning primates.
She has scars from bad bites received during the past 30 years.
Still, she can't envision living without her pet monkeys.
"I hope I die soon after my last monkey dies,"
she said.
Animal-rights advocates say there is little likelihood that
even the most committed owners will want to keep their primates
into adulthood. Though the first years can be pleasurable,
once a monkey or ape reaches sexual maturity within 2 years
to 4 years, they can become unmanageable.
Antonio said real problems begin when primate teen-agers
begin to feel their oats, the wildness of sexual maturity.
Wallace Swett, director of the Primarily Primates refuge
in San Antonio, Texas, said mature primates constantly strive
for dominance, mark themselves by washing in urine, and display
explicit sexual behavior.
"If it were true that monkeys and apes made good pets,
that would be great, but they can't be held to domestic animal
standards," he said. "It's unethical to ruin an
animal for life just to have it for a few years."
Press Association
June 7, 1993, Monday
'PAY UP THOUSANDS OR LOSE PET MONKEY', COUPLE TOLD
Animal lovers John and Veronica Jones have been told they
must spend several thousand pounds double-glazing their house
- or get rid of Margo, their 23-year-old pet monkey. Environmental
health chiefs say Margo, who has lived with the couple in
Kirkby, Merseyside, for more than 20 years, is a danger to
the public. "Margo and has never hurt a child or anyone
else to my knowledge," said Mr Jones, a 49-year-old car
worker. "We originally thought she was a Marmoset, which
is a tiny breed you don't need a licence for. "We found
out recently she is a Macaque, which is officially classed
as a dangerous wild animal. That is what has caused all the
fuss. "It is ludicrous because Margo has been out of
the wild for so long she doesn't know the meaning of the word
dangerous. "She is absolutely beautiful, with big blue
eyes and a cheeky grin. She likes nothing better than to sit
in front of the telly with a plate of curry and chips. "We
are broken hearted at the prospect of losing her. We can't
afford to double glaze the house. It will cost thousands."
A spokeswoman for Knowsley Council said they were acting on
the advice of a vet who had confirmed Margo was classed as
a dangerous wild animal. Mr Jones had been told he must reinforce
his home with toughened glass to obtain a licence to keep
Margo.
The Associated Press
June 4, 1993, Friday, AM cycle
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend's
pet monkey out of jealousy was acquitted of animal cruelty
and burglary charges.
James Mardis, 21, was found innocent Thursday by a Superior
Court jury in Van Nuys after a four-day trial. He could have
faced up to nine years in prison.
Victoria Walker, a 26-year-old exotic dancer, claimed that
Mardis beat to death her 7-month-old Capuchin monkey, Amanda,
at her apartment in 1992.
Walker, who said she diapered the animal and bottle-fed it,
testified that Mardis was jealous because she gave the pet
more attention than him.
Mardis, however, accused Walker of mistreating the animal
by giving it vodka and drugs.
A neighbor testified to seeing a frightened-looking Mardis
leaving the apartment's back door the night that the 2 -pound
monkey was found with a crushed skull.
Another witness said Mardis had what appeared to be monkey
bites on his hand.
Mardis denied killing the pet.
"I've always been an animal lover," Mardis said
after the verdict.
The Boston Globe
May 1, 1993, Saturday, City Edition
How much is that lion in the window?
ANIMAL BEAT
BY: By Vicki Croke, Globe Staff
Larry Wallach of Long Island has a 4-year-old cougar named
Mugsy. Wallach says that though the cat is in heat and "driving
me crazy," she has never bitten him and she is "the
best pet" he has ever owned.
Kathi Travers, the exotic animal expert for the ASPCA, and
a friend of Wallach's, has a different story. Travers says
Mugsy has bitten Wallach at least six times and that while
playing the animal goes for the back of his neck. Travers
calls the situation "an accident waiting to happen."
Wallach has the means to give the 150-pound cougar good food,
great health care and a decent enclosure, but Travers says
if the cat gets too rough and animal control is called in,
the cougar could end up being killed. "I fear getting
that phone call that something has happened," Travers
says. "Larry can be replaced, but I'm worried Mugsy will
be shot."
So why do people buy exotic pets - chimpanzees, tigers, lions,
bears, monkeys, birds - if they're so much trouble? Because
they "love" animals. The impulse is one many animal
lovers can understand - after all, we saw "Born Free"
and read "Ring of Bright Water." But while exotics
start off cute and cuddly, by sexual maturity, most of them
become dangerous. Our pets and farm animals have been domesticated
over thousands of years, and it appears they have a certain
affinity for domestication (unlike the zebra, for instance,
which despite all efforts insists on staying wild).
An adorable chimpanzee can weigh about 100 pounds and be
three times as strong as Arnold Schwarzenegger (but unlike
the actor, the chimp cannot be housebroken). The lion cub
once bottle-fed, as an adult, kill in a single swat.
A National Geographic producer who filmed the documentary
"Born Wild" says, "The stories of wild animals
kept as pets very rarely have happy endings." These animals
often have their teeth pulled and claws yanked out; chimps
may have their thumbs amputated; they are castrated, chained
and finally abandoned. They are often lame from poor diet
and bald not only from nutritional problems, but because they
often neurotically pluck their own hair. Some are sold to
hunting parks and shot for trophies.
Travers tries to be there to pick up the pieces. She has
rescued an African lion named Stanley from a transmission
shop in Yonkers (he's at Tippi Hedren's Shambala preserve
now), a capuchin monkey named Bubbles from a dumpster. And
the ASPCA took a caiman (from the Crocodilia family) out of
a catering hall in Astoria. Travers says that "when New
Yorkers say it's a jungle out there - it really is."
There's a reason we don't have these stories in Massachusetts.
Laws regulating exotics vary by state, and ours are among
the strictest. But Massachusetts is small potatoes. According
to the Humane Society of the United States, the exotic pet
trade is a huge and lucrative one. Man's Best Friends, a well-known
exotic animal business in Fort Lauderdale, will quote you
prices on just about anything that moves. An African elephant
is about $ 17,000 (shipping is extra), a cougar is $ 1,800
to $ 2,000, a pair of baby buffaloes is $ 2,500 ($ 800 delivery
charge) and a squirrel monkey is $ 1,600.
It is mostly monkeys Travers ends up rescuing. Cute little
squirrel monkeys, vervets and capuchins. Cute little monkeys
with lightning-fast reflexes and sharp teeth. "Jack Hanna
and Jim Fowler won't show you their scars," Travers says,
referring to the TV naturalists who often appear on camera
cuddling baby exotics, "but this Irish broad from Boston
will. I'd be the last person to tell you monkeys aren't cute,
but they will bite the hell out of you." One woman asked
Travers why her monkey was biting her - did it mean the animal
didn't love her? "Monkeys bite," Travers says; "they
don't need a reason to do it."
Travers is fascinated by monkeys and cares for a number of
those that are hard to place. "But people are shocked,"
Travers says, "that my mutt Diamond is my favorite animal.
I wouldn't trade that dog for a barrelful of monkeys. I have
developed a real fondness for monkeys, a respect for primates,
but we have to know the difference between love and respect."
When Travers receives an animal that is bald and paralyzed
from poor nutrition, that has been castrated and therefore
cannot be placed within a social group, that has been defanged
or declawed, she gets angry. "There has to be a limit
to our love. If you really love animals, learn about them
and work toward protecting their habitat."
And if being bitten or getting feces all over your furniture
doesn't get to you, there's something even scarier about getting
a pet monkey - according to the Centers for Disease Control,
they can carry viruses that are dangerous to humans. Kathi
Travers is alive despite what is thought to have been a nasty
brush with the Ebola virus.
If you have questions, you can contact Travers at the ASPCA,
424 East 92d St., New York, NY 10128, or call (212) 876-7700.
Legal beagle: A burglar tiptoes in through your kitchen window
and your dog makes burgoo out of him. The good news is that
it's not a recipe for disaster. According to animal rights
lawyer Steven Wise, you are not liable for damage your dog
does to someone who is committing trespass or "other
tort." So what's the other tort? Slandering you? "Well,
yes," Wise says, "if your dog took exception to
that, you wouldn't be held liable." Basically, it's OK
with the law for your dog to defend you during a robbery,
carjacking or assault (as long as you're not the one committing
the crime).
This rule - Chapter 140, Section 155, of the Massachusetts
General Law - goes on to say that you're also not liable for
damage sustained when someone is "teasing, tormenting
or abusing" your dog. So, teasers and tormenters, go
ahead, make Fifi's day.
The Jerusalem Post
November 15, 1992, Sunday
REAL MONKEY BUSINESS
BY: D'vora Ben Shaul
THE recent attack on a child in Eilat by an escaped pet monkey
reinforces my opinion that monkeys do not make good pets.
People are fascinated by monkeys; they are so human-like.
Most people are greatly disappointed by pet monkeys. But with
proper facilities, these pets can be a joy.
THE recent attack on a child in Eilat by an escaped pet monkey
reinforces my opinion that monkeys do not make good pets.
People are fascinated by monkeys; they are so human-like.
Most people are greatly disappointed by pet monkeys. But with
proper facilities, these pets can be a joy.
I don't recommend them as pets because of the special conditions
they require; in captivity, their place is in a zoo. But people
who want to keep them should know their needs. Over the years
I have kept pet vervets, baboons, squirrel monkeys, spider
monkeys, chimpanzees and orangutans. To stay in good health,
they require similar conditions.
However charming a pet monkey is running free in the house,
it usually takes about 10 minutes for an owner to decide to
limit the animal's freedom somewhat; that is about the time
it takes one scampering monkey to wreck a room. A monkey needs
a stout cage, roomy enough for the owner to get into with
ease. When the pet is taken out to play, a waist belt (never
a collar) and a good leather leash are essential.
A MONKEY'S cage should be on a balcony or patio, protected
from wind, completely dry, and with an option of sun and shade.
Even in Jerusalem, a monkey does well outside - except for
the tiny squirrel monkeys and animals less than a year old
- if the cage is in a wind-free corner and the sleeping box
double-walled, insulated and not too large, so the monkey's
body heats the space.
The box should have a fairly small door, just big enough
to get in and out of, and a hinged top for cleaning and to
allow access to the animal in all circumstances.
The cage need not take up too much floor space since the
monkey prefers vertical space, but should not be too high
for the owner to have access to the top if the monkey does
not want to come down. (This can happen when it isn't feeling
well but doesn't want to be given medicine or be examined
by the vet. )
As for diet, all monkeys love fresh vegetables, fruit, hard-boiled
eggs, porridge with milk, milk drinks and sweets, as well
as nuts and seeds (the latter preferably unsalted).
But monkeys are not total vegetarians; in the wild, they
eat insects, like grasshoppers and locusts, and small birds;
larger apes even eat small mammals. In zoos, they are given
a bit of boiled chicken or even meat patties, and many zoos
raise locusts for them.
The problem with monkeys, however, is that they tend to bite;
even the tamest monkey will bite if annoyed. That is its natural
way of expressing anger or frustration.
Monkeys should never be trusted with young children. Older
owners may want to risk a monkey bite, but should never let
a toddler approach an uncaged monkey or put fingers in a cage
even if the monkey is the sweetest little darling.
Monkeys suffer from most human diseases and can get anything
from the common cold to mumps. They should always be under
the care of a reliable vet, preferably one with solid experience
of zoo practice.
They need vaccinations just like children, and should be
checked at least twice a year by the doctor.
SINCE KEEPING the greater apes such as chimps and gorillas
is out of the question for most people, the popular pets are
spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, vervets, capuchins and rhesus,
usually bought in a pet shop. Make sure the dealer gives you
a written undertaking to take back the animal within three
days if the vet certifies it is not well. Insist on the three
days (not on a weekend) so that the vet can have blood tests
and feces examinations made if he sees fit. If a dealer will
not do this, don't buy from him.
Never allow anyone to persuade you to take a baboon. Few
creatures are sweeter than a baby baboon, but there are few
more vicious than an adult one. When it is about a year old,
you will be forced to get rid of it, for it will be truly
dangerous. And with zoos often overstocked with baboons, your
pet may have to be destroyed.
The Houston Chronicle
October 18, 1992
Wayward chimp returns
The owner of a chimpanzee that escaped, bit a 15-year-old
boy and threw his 77-year-old grandmother to the ground says
there will be no more monkey business from the animal.
Sydney, a 180-pound chimp who escaped Monday, is back in
his cage to stay, says Karen Glass, who with her husband owns
the Sunrise Ranch at Dripping Springs where the chimp has
lived for about a year.
""Everything is just under control now. Everyone
is doing fine and it won't happen again,'' Glass said Tuesday.
""He just bent the bars and got out, and there weren't
any major injuries. ''
The boy was treated for a bite to the hand at a minor emergency
clinic, and his grandmother received facial injuries from
being pushed to the ground.
Sheriff's deputies and an animal control officer were able
to get the animal back to the ranch, where it went back into
the cage on its own.
""He didn't really like being out all that much
either,'' Glass said.
USA TODAY
September 24, 1992, Thursday, FINAL EDITION
BRENTWOOD, TENNESSEE - Mack and Jean Roberts have 40 days
to get rid of some of their 11 pets - including cougars, monkeys
and a zebra. A judge gave the order because of neighbors'
complaints. Neighbor Hazel Hamlett said she's been attacked
3 times by monkeys.
Orange County Register (California)
July 23, 1992 Thursday MORNING EDITION
Bengal tiger cubs confiscated;
Police arrest man with exotic cats at mall (Head varies in
PM)
BY: Donna Davis, The Orange County Register
NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- Eric Martin Jarvies looked like he belonged
at Fashion Island: His sunglasses rested atop his head. And
he was sitting outside the mall in his black BMW convertible
with the top down.
Then somebody looked in the back seat and called police.
Nestled on the leather upholstery were two Bengal tiger cubs
that investigators say Jarvies was hawking for $ 10,000 a
piece.
The cubs _ 15 pounds each, taffy-colored and in poor health
_ were taken into protective custody at a Newport Beach shelter.
Jarvies, 23, of Pahrump, Nevada, was arrested Tuesday night
_ his third citation on charges of illegally selling or possessing
exotic animals. It was the second time he was busted at Fashion
Island.
"You'd think the guy would get the message," said
Newport Beach police Sgt. Andy Gonis. "He's been run
out of town before. "
Two months ago, he was escorted with seven African lion cubs
to the Arizona state line by state Department of Fish and
Game authorities, who have jurisdiction over exotic animals.
He said at the time that he and colleague Bruce Miller, 26,
of Newport Beach owned the seven de-clawed lion cubs, ages
4 to 15 months. He told police he bought them in Kansas.
Jarvies and Miller were cited for possessing, transporting
and attempting to sell the lion cubs from Miller's now-closed
San
Clemente health food store without city, state and federal
permits.
Jarvies also had an outstanding warrant stemming from a February
incident at Fashion Island in which a monkey in Jarvies' possession
bit a woman, police said.
He was cited again Tuesday on charges of possessing exotic
animals without a permit, a violation of state law. Police
said
they did not know where Jarvies got the cubs.
He posted $ 11,040 bail and was out of custody by midnight
and nowhere to be found on Wednesday.
"Good day. Eric and his band of crazy cats deeply regret
that the Phone Mate is not working and will not accept messages,"
he said in a recorded message on his answering machine at
his home.
Jarvies is scheduled to appear Sept. 1 in Orange County Harbor
Municipal Court in Newport Beach.
The cubs were taken to the Dover Shores Pet Care Center in
Costa Mesa. They will remain at the center, an animal halfway
house, as evidence in the case, police said.
Bruce Bauersfeld, center director, said the striped cubs,
who still have their kitten fur, are in poor health.
"They're adorable," he said. "They're fluffy
and friendly and cute as can be. They screech loud like a
combination of an
elehant's trumpet and a lion's roar.
"They're also in serious need of nutrition. They've
been eating nothing but hamburger meatballs. "
One of the cubs has the sniffles, he said. The other has
parasites. The cubs were not de-clawed.
The state no longer issues permits for individual ownership
of lions, tigers and other wild animals as pets, said Capt.
Jack
Edwards of the California Department of Fish and Game in Sacramento.
"The only people who are authorized to possess any of
those kinds of species are zoos, scientific organizations
and educational organizations," he said.
Persons who acquired permits before the law changed several
years ago are allowed to keep their pets until the animals
die,
Edwards said.
USA TODAY
July 16, 1992, Thursday, FINAL EDITION
ALBANY, NEW YORK - Transit Authority clerk Kevin Brown was
given a tetanus shot after the pet monkey of a man he had
just asked to leave a downtown subway station because the
animal wasn't caged slapped him on the head. The man was complying
with Brown's request Tuesday when the animal reacted.
The Associated Press
July 15, 1992
New York Subway Clerk Slapped by Pesky Pet
The law of the jungle briefly ruled in a subway station when
a token clerk was slapped in the head by a pet monkey, an
official said Wednesday.
Kevin Brown was scratched three times after he told the monkey's
owner he could not bring the leased simian into the station,
said Charles Seaton, Transit Authority spokesman.
"It's possible the monkey was being playful or it could've
been out of anger," Seaton said. The owner did not sic
the monkey on Brown, Seaton said.
Brown was inspecting a turnstile Tuesday evening when the
man and his monkey, named Cheetah, entered the station at
34th Street and Seventh Avenue.
When asked to leave, the man agreed but Cheetah suddenly
scratched Brown, who received a tetanus shot at a hospital.
"You don't expect to see this happen to you every day,"
Seaton said.
United Press International
July 6, 1992, Monday, BC cycle
Marauding monkeys plague Miami
MIAMI, FL -- Rogue monkeys with bad tempers have bitten a
toddler, attacked a policeman and terrorized a suburban parking
lot in recent weeks, animal control officers said.
The monkeys are rhesus and Java macaques, types too rare
and dangerous to be loose on the streets, said Monkey Jungle
veterinarian Thomas Goldsmith.
They are extremely aggressive and may carry the herpes B
virus, which could be fatal to humans if not diagnosed and
treated promptly, he said.
''For some reason, we've had an unbelievable rise in macaques
in south Florida in the last two months,'' said Lt. Kat Kelley
of the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, which
is trying to determine whether the animals escaped or were
let loose by their owners.
Macaques are native to Asia, Africa and the East Indies and
are primarily used for research. Kelley has called local breeders
and labs but none reported any monkeys missing.
''They're like little escaped convicts when they get loose.
They're causing quite a disturbance,'' said Todd Hardwick,
owner of an animal capture company called Pesky Critters.
Hardwick has been summoned to capture three roving macaques
in the past three weeks.
He was called to corral the monkey that bit a 2-year-old
Opa-locka girl so doctors could determine whether the animal
had rabies.
The monkey took refuge in a tree above a junkyard guarded
by dogs, preventing Hardwick from getting a clear shot at
it with his tranquilizer gun.
He finally shot and killed the monkey when it charged him.
It did not have rabies.
Two weeks later, another macaque was spotted trying to open
car doors in an parking lot south of Miami.
''He was acting like a little crook,'' delivery driver Ralph
Mingo said. ''If the car was empty, he'd try to open the door.
I told him 'No, ' and he charged me.''
Hardwick said the parking lot looked like a circus when he
arrived. Office workers were feeding the 15-pound monkey bananas
and peaches and giving it water in a Styrofoam cup. Hardwick
captured it with the aid of his tranquilizer gun.
On June 28, Hardwick was called to capture another monkey
that attacked police cars, officers and bystanders at a Hialeah
intersection.
The monkey charged a policeman, who considered shooting the
animal, but opted instead to take shelter in his patrol car
while the animal attacked his red and blue roof lights.
Hardwick finally tranquilized the monkey after it hopped
onto a passing car and tried to climb through the window to
fight the driver's dog.
''They're very intelligent. From the moment you put them
in a cage they're planning their escape. You drop your guard
for a moment and they're gone,'' Hardwick said.
The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec)
June 7, 1992, Sunday, FINAL EDITION
Trendy pet ends up on death row at SPCA
BY: PAUL WALDIE; GAZETTE
Kiki's days are numbered.
Kiki is a 3-year-old Japanese macaque monkey. He was taken
to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals three
months ago by his owner.
The woman bought Kiki as a baby from a pet store and soon
discovered that living with a monkey isn't easy.
"I think he bit someone and she got scared," SPCA
wildlife officer Tony Casu said.
"These monkeys are very aggressive. I won't go into
the cage with him. We had a macaque here before. Someone started
playing with him and the monkey broke the guy's wrist."
The SPCA is trying to find a zoo or wildlife sanctuary that
will take Kiki. So far, there are no takers. That's because
Kiki was raised as a pet and doesn't know how to interact
with other monkeys, Casu said.
"We've exhausted every option," SPCA spokesman
Joanna Dupras said.
"Now it's up to our wildlife committee. If they can't
place him, we'll have to put him down."
Kiki is one of thousands of exotic pets that are dropped
off at the SPCA every year.
Last year, more than 9,000 unusual pets were left at the
society. They included 26 bats, three chinchillas, 77 doves,
12 snakes, 15 lizards, 50 parrots, about 180 ferrets and more
than 740 skunks.
More than half of the animals either died at the SPCA or
were put to sleep. The others were adopted by a new owner
or placed in a wildlife refuge.
Selling exotic pets such as monkeys or snakes is not illegal
in Quebec. Many are sold by zoos trying to unload excess litters.
Even endangered species that have been bred in Canada can
be sold legally.
"You can walk down the street with a lion on a leash
if you want," Casu said.
He said he hopes the province will pass a proposed law that
would ban the sale of exotic pets.
The SPCA has become a dumping ground for fad pets, Casu added.
For example, as a result of the Ninja turtle craze, the SPCA
was stuck with more than 600 turtles last year.
Pet rats have become another headache. Last year, more than
500 rats were brought in.
"People see these animals in the stores and they look
so cute," Dupras said. "They are well intentioned.
But most have no idea how hard it is to take care of them."
Ron Lazanik, 23, found out. Now, he's trying to sell Rat
Trap, his pet python.
"They are really expensive to keep," he said. "I'm
also moving into a smaller apartment and I just can't keep
it. I probably would have only kept it for a few more years
anyway. They get too big."
Big indeed. Some adult pythons are 10 feet long and eight
inches wide. They also live for about 70 years and have an
appetite big enough to - literally - eat a horse.
And if Lazanik can't sell Rat Trap? "There is always
some novice out there who will take it."
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
May 6, 1992, Wednesday
Michael the monkey on lam from the law Talks on finger-biting
may save simian's life
BY: By Rob Johnson STAFF WRITERanimals; health; safety; disease
While lawyers were debating whether he would live or die,
Michael, the 2-year-old squirrel monkey, went underground.
Normally he lives in a tall white cage at Pet Kingdom Inc.,
a Norcross exotic-animal store. But nine days ago, a browsing
teenager allegedly reached through a 1 1/4-inch opening in
the cage, and Michael allegedly bit her finger.
The parents of the unidentified girl want Michael's head,
according to Michael's owner: Decapitation is the only way
to know for sure if the monkey has rabies.
And the county will insist that the monkey be tested, Gwinnett
County attorney Richard Carrothers said Wednesday evening.
"I have to make sure that the county does everything
it's obligated to," Mr. Carrothers said. "What would
you do if it were your 15-year-old? That's our position."
So, on the advice of lawyer Gordon Lamb, who's taken the
case for free, Michael went into hiding.
"You can't kill what you can't find," Mr. Lamb
said on behalf of Alex Phanich, the pet shop owner.
"Monkeys bite sometimes. I've been bitten. Almost any
kind of pet will bite you every now and then," Mr. Phanich
said Wednesday above a jungle-like din.
He pointed to a sign above the now-empty cage that seemed
to back him up: "Hands Off. I bite hard." Mr. Phanich
said he warned the girl as well that the monkey might bite.
The girl's parents could not be reached for comment.
Since the incident nine days ago, Mr. Phanich and Mr. Lamb
have been negotiating with Gwinnett County attorneys in an
effort to keep Michael out of the county animal control office.
A Gwinnett County Superior Court judge refused a temporary
restraining order to prevent the county from having Michael
killed, but Mr. Lamb said Wednesday he had not received an
order to turn the monkey over to county authorities, either.
Federal and state health officials said Wednesday the chance
that a monkey born and raised in captivity could contract
rabies and then transmit the disease to a human is very low.
In fact, there have been no documented cases of monkeys carrying
rabies in the United States, according to Dr. Iyorlumun Uhaa,
an epidemiologist at the national Centers for Disease Control.
"Federal guidelines say that if you get bitten by a
wild animal you cannot capture, get the shots. And if you
fear rabies from a valuable animal and the owner won't agree
to let it be tested, get the shots," Dr. Uhaa said.
He said the once-feared rabies injections, which used to
be given in the stomach, have been replaced by a series of
five shots in the arm.
Michael is worth about $ 2,500, Mr. Lamb said.
In the meantime, it looked as if the monkey might dodge an
early death.
Mr. Phanich said the lawyers and the girl's parents agreed
Tuesday night to let him pay the $ 500 medical bill.
Wednesday, though, the father upped the demand to $ 1,000,
according to Mr. Lamb.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
May 6, 1992, Wednesday
Michael the monkey on lam from the law Talks on finger-biting
may save simian's life
By Rob Johnson STAFF WRITERanimals; health; safety; disease
While lawyers were debating whether he would live or die,
Michael, the 2-year-old squirrel monkey, went underground.
Normally he lives in a tall white cage at Pet Kingdom Inc.,
a Norcross exotic-animal store. But nine days ago, a browsing
teenager allegedly reached through a 1 1/4-inch opening in
the cage, and Michael allegedly bit her finger.
The parents of the unidentified girl want Michael's head,
according to Michael's owner: Decapitation is the only way
to know for sure if the monkey has rabies.
And the county will insist that the monkey be tested, Gwinnett
County attorney Richard Carrothers said Wednesday evening.
"I have to make sure that the county does everything
it's obligated to," Mr. Carrothers said. "What would
you do if it were your 15-year-old? That's our position."
So, on the advice of lawyer Gordon Lamb, who's taken the
case for free, Michael went into hiding.
"You can't kill what you can't find," Mr. Lamb
said on behalf of Alex Phanich, the pet shop owner.
"Monkeys bite sometimes. I've been bitten. Almost any
kind of pet will bite you every now and then," Mr. Phanich
said Wednesday above a jungle-like din.
He pointed to a sign above the now-empty cage that seemed
to back him up: "Hands Off. I bite hard." Mr. Phanich
said he warned the girl as well that the monkey might bite.
The girl's parents could not be reached for comment.
Since the incident nine days ago, Mr. Phanich and Mr. Lamb
have been negotiating with Gwinnett County attorneys in an
effort to keep Michael out of the county animal control office.
A Gwinnett County Superior Court judge refused a temporary
restraining order to prevent the county from having Michael
killed, but Mr. Lamb said Wednesday he had not received an
order to turn the monkey over to county authorities, either.
Federal and state health officials said Wednesday the chance
that a monkey born and raised in captivity could contract
rabies and then transmit the disease to a human is very low.
In fact, there have been no documented cases of monkeys carrying
rabies in the United States, according to Dr. Iyorlumun Uhaa,
an epidemiologist at the national Centers for Disease Control.
"Federal guidelines say that if you get bitten by a
wild animal you cannot capture, get the shots. And if you
fear rabies from a valuable animal and the owner won't agree
to let it be tested, get the shots," Dr. Uhaa said.
He said the once-feared rabies injections, which used to
be given in the stomach, have been replaced by a series of
five shots in the arm.
Michael is worth about $ 2,500, Mr. Lamb said.
In the meantime, it looked as if the monkey might dodge an
early death.
Mr. Phanich said the lawyers and the girl's parents agreed
Tuesday night to let him pay the $ 500 medical bill.
Wednesday, though, the father upped the demand to $ 1,000,
according to Mr. Lamb.
April 26, 1991, Friday , FINAL
LITTLE RHESUS MAKES MONKEY OF HER OWNER
BY: Michael A. Barber P-I Reporter
A pet monkey made a monkey out of her owner in the Roosevelt
District, police said yesterday.
The 25-pound rhesus monkey, under 4 feet tall, fought two
men who tried to beat her early Tuesday. One was her 33-year-old,
300-pound owner, who was cut severely during the fight and
was taken to Harborview Medical Center's emergency room, police
said.
A caller to 911 told officers that two men were beating the
primate in an alley behind the 6400 block of Brooklyn Avenue
Northeast shortly after midnight Tuesday. When police arrived,
they spotted the monkey inside a nearby house.
Officers tried to question the pet's owner, but he reportedly
became argumentative and uncooperative and refused to let
them examine the monkey.
As the monkey looked on, the man fell to the ground. Police
said it took 10 minutes to get him up, but he refused to get
into the patrol car.
Once inside the car, the man reportedly kicked at the door
and windows to be let out. He told officers he had become
angry at his pet because she had gotten out of her cage, according
to a police report.
Police said they took the man to Harborview because the monkey
had bitten him on the forehead. He was not admitted. The man
was not arrested, but police gave the case to Seattle animal
control officials to investigate.
The monkey was taken to Woodland Park Zoo for temporary shelter.
She was reported doing fine yesterday.
USA TODAY
April 25, 1991, Thursday, FINAL EDITION
OKLAHOMA CITY - Rabies epidemic - 250 cases - is expected
by '92 with skunks leading culprit, health department said.
Pet monkey was killed Tuesday after it bit 5-year-old. Both
are being tested for rabies. State has found 66 rabid animals
this year - 56 were skunks. '91: 132 cases. Blamed: Migrating
skunks.
St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
October 23, 1990, Tuesday, City Edition
Capturing monkey is serious business
BY: MARK JOURNEY
ST. PETERSBURG, FL. - Ruth Bell said police thought she was
drunk when she told them a monkey had scampered into her kitchen
and stolen a piece of chicken.
"They said, "Lady, what have you been drinking?"'
Bell said.
But when police arrived on her block Monday afternoon, they
found a dark monkey running around the neighborhood.
Bell said police, with the help of an animal expert, came
to her home at 2250 25th St. S in St. Petersburg just after
1 p.m. and captured the monkey, but not before it ran off
with a piece of Bell's chicken, bit the animal expert and
entertained dozens of schoolchildren with its antics.
Police said Bell was preparing to cook chicken early Monday
afternoon when the monkey entered her home, jumped on the
kitchen counter and grabbed a piece of the meat. Bell couldn't
believe what she had seen and started counting her chicken
legs, police said.
Only after confronting her husband and granddaughter about
the chicken, did Bell realize she really did see a monkey,
police said.
They said Bell then noticed the monkey sitting in the living
room eating chicken. She screamed and the monkey dropped the
chicken and ran away, police said.
Debra Parker of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Inc. in
St. Petersburg also showed up with police. She had been stalking
the 6-pound Capuchin monkey since Sunday when several of Bell's
neighbors saw the monkey in their back yards. But each time
Ms. Parker arrived in the area, the monkey disappeared.
On Monday, she finally saw him.
"When I got there, the monkey was out of the house and
running around," she said.
Parker said Bell's small black dog chased the monkey onto
a patio at the St. Petersburg Challenge School, just north
of her home.
"I didn't have time to put gloves on," Parker said.
"I thought, "Oh, my God, it's going to go into the
school and bite somebody and scare the kids half to death."'
She said she ran up the ramp to the patio and reached for
the monkey. When she grabbed it, the monkey bit her. Schoolchildren
were cheering.
"All the kids were watching," Parker said. "I
got a standing ovation."
She said the monkey was wearing a black leather collar and
a tag that read "Cleo." The tag said Cleo lived
at 2335 Murilla Way S. Police found two other caged monkeys
at the home but were unable to contact the owner Monday afternoon.
San Antonio Business Journal
July 4, 1988
Local Biomedical Lab Isolates Herpes Virus
Paul H. Carr
San Antonio; TX - A small child, in a potentially fatal incident,
was bitten by a pet monkey while visiting a neighbor's home
in Edgewood, Ky. Although the bite itself was not serious,
the child could have been infected by the herpes B virus,
a virus that offers no danger to monkeys but is deadly to
humans.
The child's doctor and a local veterinarian placed an urgent
call to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta for help.
But the federal medical research center said it couldn't help
them because it does not have the expertise on this deadly
disease. Instead, the child's worried doctors were referred
to the sole research center in the United States that could
help them -- the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research
in San Antonio.
Dr. Julia K. Hilliard, the country's top expert on the deadly
herpes B virus, asked for blood samples from both the monkey
and the child. The samples were delivered overnight and the
tests conducted in a matter of hours. The doctors were called
and given the good news: The child is not infected.
This incident, which occurred the second week of June, shows
the lifesaving significance of research being conducted in
the 130 laboratories at the foundation's 821-acre site on
West Loop 410 at Military Drive West.
Although Hilliard's primary purpose is research on monkeys,
a test she developed in 1985 to isolate the herpes B virus
in the animals also can be used to test humans who have been
bitten or scratched by monkeys.
Hilliard is an associate scientist in the department of virology
and immunology at the Southwest Foundation.
"We're the only lab in the country working with this
particular agent," Hilliard said. Because of the volume
of diagnostic tests conducted at the non-profit foundation,
the charge for the lab test is only $ 35, she said. Part of
the expense involved in the tests is subsidized by an emergency
one-year $ 46,250 supplemental grant by the National Institutes
for Health, she said.
Because the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research
is the only lab in the United States that has isolated the
herpes B virus, between 200 and 500 blood samples from monkeys
and humans from all over the country are sent to San Antonio
for testing each month, she said. Roughly a third of the tests
involve humans who have been bitten or scratched by monkeys,
she said. Rarely is the disease transmitted to humans.
Infected humans develop flulike symptoms but are killed by
encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain.
Survivors "in general have central nervous system disorders
that will occur over the remainder of their lifetime,"
Hilliard said. These disorders include intense pain, sensitivity
to heat and light, and temporary memory loss.
Most injuries to humans involve researchers and monkey handlers,
she said, although two children were bitten by pet monkeys
last month.
There were only 25 cases of humans becoming infected with
the lethal virus from early 1950s until 1973. Twenty of those
people died, she said, while the five survivors have been
so severely affected they have not been able to return to
work or live normal lives.
For the next 14 years, there was not a single case of the
disease, until an outbreak occurred among handlers at the
Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory in Pensacola,
Fla., in spring 1987. Four people were infected, and two died.
The two survivors were started on an anti-rival medication
before the flu-like symptoms began, which arrested the disease
and has allowed them to resume relatively normal lives, Hilliard
said. Yet, they must take pills five times a day for the rest
of their lives to prevent the disease from flaring up and
killing them. There is no cure.
Hilliard, who joined the foundation in 1980, developed the
test for diagnosing the herpes B virus in 1985. Prior to 1985,
there was no test that could positively identify the deadly
disease. Now, by being able to determine quickly whether or
not a person is infected, the medication can begin before
the disease's flu-like symptoms appear, she said, which is
why there are two survivors of the disease in Florida.
In the case involving the child in Kentucky, the test determined
the child was not infected.
This lifesaving benefit to humans is a spin-off from the
research Hilliard is conducting to isolate the virus in monkeys.
She hopes to eventually develop a vaccine to cure herpes B-infected
monkeys.
The reason for curing the monkeys, even though the virus
causes them no harm, is to developed disease-free monkey colonies,
Hilliard said. These then could be used for worldwide research
on the deadly Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS.
Five foundation scientists participated in the Fourth International
Conference on AIDS in mid-June in Stockholm, Sweden, with
two of them addressing the world AIDS summit.
United Press International
June 23, 1988, Thursday, PM cycle
Bubba leads police in monkey chase
SHIRLEY, N.Y. - Bubba, a 2-foot-tall spider monkey, turned
a quiet Long Island community into a primate's paradise by
sending police on a three-hour monkey chase before returning
to its suburban home.
The monkey's escapades began Thursday when Bubba, alone in
its home at 41 Melba Drive, ripped open the screen on a basement
window to get out of the house, Suffolk County Police said.
Bubba then chased several neighborhood children and tore
the screens from two other homes in the area before police
were summoned.
''When police arrived, the monkey jumped on the top of the
prowl car and then took off with police in pursuit of him,''
the spokesman said.
''After awhile, he returned to his house and tried to hide
in a tree, where he was guarded by two family Rottweiler dogs,''
the spokesman said. The dogs backed off only after police
sprayed them with an odorous chemical agent.
Bubba's antics ended when it jumped from the tree and climbed
through the same basement window from which it had made its
escape three hours before.
The monkey's owner had not returned home, so police sealed
the window, the spokesman said.
Neighbors told police that Bubba's owner recently moved into
the house, and they did not know his name.
But the neighborhood children knew the monkey's name, because
it had escaped from the house once before.
United Press International
March 31, 1988, Thursday, PM cycle
Monkey owner tries to save pet
MINNEAPOLIS -- A woman bitten by her pet monkey was trying
to stop health officials considering killing the tiny animal
and testing it for rabies.
The small squirrel monkey, Jackie, was the subject of a search
by police after it bit its owner on March 20. State health
officials want Jackie killed to determine if it has rabies,
even though the owner, Bonnie Malnati of Champlin, is already
undergoing rabies shots so that the animal can live.
''As long as I'm willing to take the shots and it's my health,
leave the monkey live,'' Malnati said.
The brown monkey, which weighs only 1 pounds, was hidden
most of Wednesday by a friendly veterinarian but was picked
up by Champlin police Wednesday night and taken to the University
of Minnesota veterinary hospitals where a spokesman said it
would be kept in isolation until further instructions from
the health department.
Animal rights groups were trying to get a court injunction
to prevent Jackie from being killed.
Michael Osterholm, the state's chief epidemiologist, said
the monkey could appear to be in perfect health but could
be carrying the rabies virus. He said he contacted seven national
experts on rabies and all agreed the monkey should be killed
and tested.
He said under state directive, Dr. Stan Diesch of the university
will examine the animal and report his findings to state Health
Commissioner Mary Madonna Ashton. The final decision about
killing and testing the monkey will rest with her, Osterholm
said.
U.P.I.
July 30, 1987, Thursday, AM cycle
Condemned monkey wins reprieve
SAN ANTONIO - A pet monkey condemned to death for scratching
a woman's arm was granted a reprieve after the victim and
the animal's owner appealed to a judge to spare the primate's
life.
State District Judge Robert Murray issued a temporary injunction
Wednesday blocking the destruction of the capuchin monkey,
named Daisy, pending a hearing on the case Aug. 19. Dr. Katharine
Rathbun, director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District,
testified the law requires that all exotic animals that bite
or scratch humans be killed so their brains can be examined
to determine if they have rabies.
But witnesses testifying for Daisy told the judge rabies
among monkeys is extremely rare.
A San Antonio Zoo supervisor testified the zoo never has
killed monkeys that bite caretakers or visitors, and Daisy's
owner said killing her pet would be too harsh a consequence
for a scratch.
''She's scratched me several times,'' JoAnn Martin said.
''She plays very much like a kitten or a puppy would.''
Even the victim testified for the defense.
Ellen Candia said she was willing to take rabies shots and
did not want Daisy to die. Candia testified Daisy, who was
inside a cage in a garden shop, reached out between the bars
and grabbed her in a playful manner, inflicting three tiny
scratches that did not bleed.
The Associated Press
January 14, 1986, Tuesday, AM cycle
Escaped Monkey Captured In Bucks County
CROYDON, PA - An escaped monkey who helps a handicapped man
around the house has been recaptured in a warehouse where
she tripped a burglar alarm, turned on water spigots, opened
a refrigerator and shredded several packages.
Police found Marilyn the monkey inside an Alpha Aromatics
Inc. warehouse Monday after a burglar alarm went off several
times.
"She's not coming out of the house after this,"
said David Pearson, a quadriplegic whose small Capuchin monkey
is one of seven on the East Coast trained to live with people
who are paralyzed. The monkeys can do such things as fetch
drinks, pick up the telephone, prop open books and load a
cassette recorder.
Marilyn escaped from her cage Saturday and ran from Pearson's
parked van into a wooded area in Bristol Township.
Marilyn has lived with the Medford, N.J., couple since August,
helping Pearson, who is paralyzed below the neck from a car
wreck 13 years ago.
"She's like a child, really. Losing her is like losing
a child," said Mrs. Pearson of the 7 to 8 year old monkey
who weighs 5 1/2 pounds and is 18 inches tall. All of her
teeth have been pulled.
During her training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
in New York, Marilyn gained a reputation for her escapes,
several times sending her handlers climbing trees to catch
her, said Mary J. Willard, a New York psychologist who spent
more than a year training the monkey.
One time, she pushed open a heavy steel door, walked into
another lab and released several dozen mice, ruining an experiment,
Ms. Willard said.
The Associated Press
September 10, 1984, Monday, PM cycle
Judge to Decide if Man Can Keep Monkey
KALAMAZOO, Mich.
A district judge says he will decide something Terry Miller
and Kalamazoo officials can't agree about: whether Joey, Miller's
pet monkey, is domesticated.
City officials have taken Miller to court for violating the
city's ordinance against keeping undomesticated animals. But
that description doesn't fit Joey, Miller says.
"Joey is 11 months old and he is as domesticated as
any other household pet," said Miller, 31, of Kalamazoo.
"He wears clothes, diapers and takes baths. He's like
a little person."
"He lives in my home, he eats breakfast with me and
he's like a child," Miller said. "He is funny and
he's decent. He plays for hours with my dog and cat.
"Before I get rid of Joey I will put my house up for
sale," Miller vowed. "I'll leave Kalamazoo. Right
now I'm feeling pretty paranoid."
Assistant City Attorney Lawrence W. Newmeyer said last week
that he would drop the case if Miller would give Joey to a
zoo. But Miller said several zoos already have turned down
his offer to do just that, saying the monkey was too domesticated.
Miller's troubles began when Kalamazoo County animal control
officers responded to a complaint about wild monkeys at Miller's
home.
Miller denied the charge and produced papers from a Cincinnati-based
pet store _ where he bought Joey for $1,500 _ stating Joey
was domesticated.
Ninth District Judge Donald E. James said last week during
a pre-trial conference that the court must determine what
defines an undomesticated animal under the city ordinance.
James scheduled another pre-trial hearing for Oct. 11.
The city adopted the animal ordinance several years ago after
officials learned about a man who took his pet lion on long
walks through the city, Newmeyer said.
The Associated Press
September 6, 1983, Tuesday, PM cycle
Monkey Survives Legal Fight But Dies Of 'Broken Heart'
GLEN BURNIE, Md. A pet monkey that bit a man and then was
snatched by animal lovers determined to save it from health
authorities has died of what its owner says was "a broken
heart."
Missy, a 13-year-old spider monkey which had spent 14 days
in quarantine in an animal shelter, died Monday at a veterinarian's
office where its owner had taken it for intravenous feeding
and shots against fever. A judge who had ordered Missy into
28-day quarantine on Aug. 18 let the monkey go home Friday
after shelter officials reported it was "pining away."
"I guess she thought I had abandoned her," the
monkey's tearful owner, Joanne Kolodnicki, said Monday.
The monkey got into trouble Aug. 6 when it bit Miss Kolodnicki's
69-year-old father, John, who was reluctant to take a series
of anti-rabies shots.
When the state Health Department wanted to kill Missy to
test for rabies, a group calling itself the Primate Protection
League grabbed the monkey for safekeeping. In turn, the department
took Miss Kolodnicki to court, threatening a $100-a-day fine
until the monkey was produced.
Missy's life was spared at an Aug. 14 hearing where Miss
Kolodnicki's father agreed to take the shots for his daughter's
sake. But the judge still ordered the monkey, by then released
by the animal lovers, into the shelter rather than letting
Miss Kolodnicki quarantine the animal at home.
Miss Kolodnicki, 41, said she was angry with the state health
officials.
"I was steamrollered and got a raw deal," she said,
maintaining she should have been allowed to keep the pet at
home from the outset. "She meant everything to me. It
was like losing someone in the family."
The Washington Post | September 4, 1983, Sunday, Final Edition
Missy, the spider monkey quarantined after biting a Glen
Burnie man, is back at home.
Anne Arundel County Judge James Wray signed an order Friday
releasing Missy into the custody of its owner, Joanne Kolodnicki,
after the monkey's keepers said it was "pining away"
at an animal shelter. The order requires that Kolodnicki keep
her pet in quarantine until Sept. 16.
Missy bit Kolodnicki's father on Aug. 6, and health and animal
control officials sought to have the monkey destroyed so it
could be tested for rabies. But the monkey's owner had Missy
spirited away and refused to turn her over to be killed.
The compromise of a quarantine was reached when John Kolodnicki,
69, agreed to take a series of rabies shots.
The animal was quarantined on Aug. 22, and Joanne Kolodnicki
said then she feared Missy would not survive the quarantine
if the animal became depressed. "They have emotions just
like a person," Kolodnicki said then. "She doesn't
understand what's happening."
The Associated Press
August 18, 1983, Thursday, AM cycle
Monkey Spared After Man Agrees to Take Rabies Shots
By TOM STUCKEY, Associated Press Writer
Missy, a 13-year-old spider monkey who bit an outstretched
hand, won a reprieve Thursday when her owner's father agreed
to take rabies shots so she wouldn't have to be killed and
tested by health officials.
Under a consent decree signed in Circuit Court, Missy will
be quarantined for 28 days while 69-year-old John Kolodnicki
takes five rabies shots. If all goes well, Missy will then
be returned to her owner, Joanne Kolodnicki.
The agreement Thursday ended several days of legal wrangling
and maneuvering over the fate of the pet monkey, which bit
Kolodnicki on the hand Aug. 6. Miss Kolodnicki, 41, described
the bite as a reflex action by Missy when her father reached
out to take her hand.
"Missy thought he was going to hurt me," she said.
Her father, who suffered only a minor wound, refused to take
anti-rabies shots, despite pressure from state and county
health officials.
Miss Kolodnicki, in turn, refused to turn Missy over to the
authorities. Insisting that her pet didn't have rabies, she
gave Missy to an animal protection group, which spirited the
monkey away to a secret location.
On Wednesday, Miss Kolodnicki tried to persuade Dr. Kenneth
Crawford, the state veterinarian, to agree to quarantine Missy
instead of requiring her father to take the shots.
Maryland law requires, however, that "exotic" animals
be killed and tested for rabies if a person who is bitten
doesn't take shots. A quarantine period is allowed only for
dogs and cats.
Kolodnicki changed his mind about the shots after negotiations
broke down Wednesday, and it became apparent the state would
not accept any compromise.
Miss Kolodnicki has owned Missy for seven years, and she
frequently broke into tears outside the courtroom as she discussed
her standoff with health officials.
"The only reason he's taking the shots is because of
the way these people (health officials) are bothering me.
He's made that quite clear," Miss Kolodnicki said Thursday.
"He knows she (Missy) doesn't have rabies. If he even
thought she did, he'd take the shots," she said.
Deputy County Solicitor Victor Sulin described the agreement
as one that didn't make anybody happy, "but at least
satisfied everybody."
He said the state attorney general's office will look into
the possibility of amending state law to deal with such situations
in the future.
U.P.I.
August 25, 1982, Wednesday, AM cycle
Monkey business
HARTSDALE, N.Y. - A pet monkey who escaped from its owner
while being taken for a walk was recaptured Wednesday by two
boys, police, the owner, and a Twinkie-topped banana, authorities
said.
A Greenburgh police spokesman said the monkey, whose name
is Alfred, escaped from his carrying case about 9 a.m. Tuesday
while being taken out for air by his owner, Erica Zern of
New York, who was visiting friends in Hartsdale. She told
police she has had the 2 pound Capuchin monkey for 17 years.
About 1 p.m. Wednesday, two brothers, ages 14 and 5, spotted
the monkey in a plank-covered hole in their backyard. They
called police, who summoned Ms. Zern and her father, to come
and get him.
Police said the monkey was lured out of the hole by a banana
with a Twinkie on top.
No charges were filed against the woman for letting the monkey
get loose.
United Press International
July 19, 1982, Monday, AM cycle
Fugitive monkey terrorizes neighborhood
HARTSHORNE, Okla. - For several weeks a daring fugitive terrorized
neighborhood dogs, frightened residents -- and gave southeastern
Pittsburg County something to chuckle about.
The fugitive is a spider monkey that escaped from veterinarian
O'Hara Tyler.
The furry primate has bombarded dogs with charcoal briquettes,
left mysterious tracks leading to one resident's door and
darted across a road in front of at least one startled driver.
''Could be that this monkey has caused some people around
here to quit drinking,'' Police Chief J.D. Young said.
The last sighting was more than one week ago. Young said
the monkey may have been killed or sought safety in the rough
country surrounding the town of 2,100 in southeastern Oklahoma.
1982 U.P.I.
March 25, 1982, Thursday, AM cycle
Some monkeys aren't very nice
CHICAGO. When Harry and Mary Ann Brandt closed their North
Side pet shop and went home for the night, they figured Coco,
their 4-year-old Capuchin monkey, would be spending a confortable
night in his new cage.
They were wrong. Brandt said when he and his wife returned
to their Fishing Schooner pet shop to check on the animals
late Saturday, they found four police cars with flashing lights
parked in he alley.
''You've got a monkey in there wrecking the place,'' a police
officer told them.
The Brandts had purchased the monkey -- the ''typical organ-grinder''
type -- for $250 and invested in a $300 cage they thought
was monkey-proof.
''He had opened his cage by unscrewing a plate on the bottom,''
Brandt said. ''A crowd of people 14 deep was outside knocking
against the window, egging him on.
''He was opening jars of food, overturning cages, breaking
glass. He even opened flip-top cans.''
In the midst of his antics, Coco would pause and hurl himself
at the window of the shop, screaming hatred, it seemed, at
older women.
''As soon as I walked in, he came right to me,'' said Brandt,
who noted Coco really is not vicious. ''Our watchdog, Rover,
was in the store. Of course, the monkey likes dogs, so Rover
just slept through the whole thing.''
Brandt and his wife spent the night cleaning up the store
from the estimated $1,000 damage Coco caused. Then he put
three padlocks on Coco's cage.
Brandt said he plans to sell Coco for $500 to $800 -- ''but
I might strangle him first.''
1981 U.P.I.
July 31, 1981, Friday, AM cycle
Chimp can't handle all that monkey business
MIAMI - Duchess, a chimpanzee, lived a pampered existence
until she grew too large to handle and was shipped off to
a zoo nine years ago.
She hasn't adjusted to life in a cage and some experts say
she never will. ''She never learned the social graces of a
chimp,'' said Bill Zeigler, general curator at the Crandon
Park Zoo. ''She grew up all wrong.'' Hialeah contractor Hugh
Kirkland and his wife, Bobyjo, bought Duchess for $800 in
1966 and raised her like one of the family.
She drank milk from a bottle, ate strained baby food and
was allowed to romp around the house.
''She was a pet, but because of her ability to initiate and
show affection, she was just a little bit more than an animal,''
Mrs. Kirkland said. ''She understood a tremendous number of
words.''
But Duchess eventually grew to the size of a 4-year-old child
and developed the strength of two men. She became hard to
handle.
''It's the chimp's nature to challenge,'' Mrs. Kirkland said.
''We knew that we had to show her who was boss. But my husband,
who loves her, couldn't strike her.''
Duchess arrived at the zoo in the back seat of a Mercedes
sedan, wearing a light blue dress over short pants. Now 15,
she has been caught in a kind of behavioral limbo ever since
-- a misfit in her own society.
''What we have here is a child with a learning disability,''
says zoo director Robert Yokel.
But all that could change. Yokel has recommended to Dade
County officials that Dutchess be sent to the University of
Texas, where scientists might be able to teach her to act
like a chimpanzee.
But at least one expert thinks the chance of rehabilitating
her is remote.
''It's a long, drawn out process,'' said Dr. Michael Keeting,
director of a University of Texas program that maintains several
breeding colonies for chimpanzees.
1981 U.P.I.
July 8, 1981, Wednesday, PM cycle
Owner says he won't replace dead monkey
GRETNA, La. - The owner of a tiny Capuchin monkey that was
executed on a judge's order because it attacked two people
says he will never replace his pet because it was like a ''surrogate
child.''
Health officials said Tuesday laboratory tests determined
the monkey, named Columbo, was not rabid. The monkey's owner,
John Coleman, said he would not take any legal action against
the state because that would not bring his monkey back.
''I was so close to Columbo, he was like a surrogate child
to me.'' he said. ''I could never replace him. That's like
saying if a child dies then you just adopt another.''
Coleman, who fought a bitter, tearful court battle to block
the execution, said the test results came as no suprise.
''There wasn't any doubt in my mind that he was not rabid,''
he said. ''Now, maybe people will understand why I was so
frustrated. But my monkey had to die to prove it.''
Columbo had jumped into a car with Kathy Haik and bit her
7-year-old son, David, last Wednesday after escaping from
his cage. When the woman took a swipe at him with her purse,
the monkey attacked her and fled.
Officials of the Jefferson Parish Animal Center took the
animal to their shelter for 10 days of observation for rabies
symptoms, then discovered exotic animals only rarely show
signs of the disease.
On the advice of the state Health Department, they decided
Columbo had to die.
Coleman said he planned to research the problems of owning
exotic pets and publicize the findings so other pet owners
would not have their animals slaughtered.
''I don't want anyone else to go through the hell I went
through,'' he said.
The Associated Press
July 7, 1981, Tuesday, AM cycle
Columbo the Biting Monkey not Rabid
MARRERRO, La. - A monkey that was put to death so state health
investigators could test it for rabies after it bit a woman
and her young son was found to be free of the disease, officials
said Tuesday.
John Coleman of Metairie had tried in court Monday to save
his pet monkey from death. He was not available for comment
on the findings.
Coleman wept after Judge Wallace I. LeBrun lifted a temporary
restraining order forbidding state health investigators to
kill the monkey so they could examine its brain tissue for
rabies.
Health investigators found no evidence of rabies, according
to spokeswoman Suellen Lewis.
"He had not exhibited any clinical symptoms prior to
being put to death, and they said that there was absolutely
no rabies," Ms. Lewis said.
The Capuchin monkey, named Columbo, broke free of its leash
last Wednesday, then leaped into a passing car and bit Kathy
Haik and her 7-year-old son, David.
If the monkey had been rabid, the Haiks would have had to
undergo a rabies vaccine treatment.
Although contemporary rabies treatment is not as painful
and prolonged as it once was, physicians do not like to use
it unless absolutely necessary because of the chance that
a patient will suffer an adverse reaction to the vaccine.
State law requires an animal suspected of being rabid to
be held for observation and its brain tissue examined for
the disease.
"Everyone is sympathetic to the owner," Ms. Lewis
said. "We all have animals, but people were involved."
The Associated Press
July 7, 1981, Tuesday, PM cycle
Pet Monkey Killed After Judge Rejects Owner's Pleas
MARRERRO, La. - Columbo, the monkey, is no more -- despite
his owner's pleas that the monkey was provoked when he bit
a woman and her young son last week.
John Coleman of Metairie, Columbo's owner for three years,
sat quietly Monday as state Judge Wallace I. LeBrun heard
nearly three hours of testimony.
At the end, LeBrun lifted a temporary restraining order and
veterinarians put the Capuchin monkey to sleep and beheaded
him to test for rabies.
Outside the court, a visibly saddened Coleman said if there
were any chance to save his pet, he would take it. But there
was none.
"I really don't know," he said, his voice breaking,
"All I know is my - all I know is my monkey's going to
die."
He wept.
At the court hearing, Coleman's lawyer, Joseph Hecker, pleaded
with the court to make the restraining order permanent.
"What's the purpose in killing this monkey?" he
said. "The killing is not warranted."
Coleman argued that the monkey was not spiteful, although
it was hyperactive and often less than friendly. "The
monkey has bitten me several times in the past," he conceded.
The 3-year-old Capuchin monkey escaped from a backyard leash
and bit a Metairie woman and her son after jumping into their
passing car last Wednesday.
Neighbor Debbie Jackson testified that, before the attack,
several youths taunted the little ape, racing at it with bicycles
and screaming.
After the biting, Columbo climbed into a tree and only descended
after a boy coaxed him down with sliced bananas, she said.
Jefferson Parish officials -- who conceded that the last
case of rabies was reported in their jurisdiction in 1954
-- said a special "fluorescent antibody test" on
Columbo's brain tissue was needed to be sure the 3-year-old
monkey didn't have rabies.
The state health department condemned the monkey last Friday,
but the execution was stayed over the long Independence Day
weekend.
Coleman presented a primate expert, Dr. Robert Wolfe, who
said it wasn't necessary to kill Columbo to learn if he was
infected.
But the parish countered with testimony by Dr. Molly Puenkey,
director of the Jefferson Health Center.
"If I was the mother of that child that got bit, I'd
want that monkey killed although it is very, very remote that
this animal has any rabies," she said.
The Associated Press
July 2, 1981, Thursday, AM cycle
Pet Monkey Attacks Woman and Son in Car
METAIRIE, La. - Kathy Haik slowed her car to avoid hitting
a small monkey and she and her young son, David, were bitten
for her pains, according to Jefferson Parish deputies.
Mrs. Haik said the monkey jumped through a car window Wednesday,
bit her son on the ear, and -- when she stopped the car and
punched the animal in the face -- bit her on the arm. Mrs.
Haik told deputies she then threw the monkey out of the car,
got her son to a doctor, and called the sheriff's office.
Deputies said neighborhood children led them to the house
where the monkey is kept. It was in its cage, which a deputy
promptly locked.
The children said the monkey had jumped into another car
and bitten the woman inside earlier that morning, but officials
said they could not find the woman.
Both mother and son were treated for their bites and the
monkey, identified as belonging to John Coleman of Metairie,
was taken to the Rabies Control Center for observation, authorities
said.
The Associated Press
January 26, 1981, Monday, AM cycle
Monkeys In Legal Tug-of-War
AKRON, Ohio - A crippled pet store owner and the Tufts University
School of Medicine are fighting over custody of two Capuchin
monkeys being trained to help quadriplegics.
The Primate Project at Tufts, located in Cambridge, Mass.,
involves training monkeys to perform simple physical tasks
for quadriplegics, people who are paralyzed in both arms and
both legs.
The two monkeys in question -- Poncho and Willie -- are now
living with Pebble Doll, the 27-year-old owner of Pebble's
Pet Palace in Barberton. Miss Doll, whose legs are paralyzed,
says Tufts agreed to let her train the monkeys. But in a suit
filed in Summit County Common Pleas Court, Dr. M.J. Willard,
professor of psychology and director of the Tufts project,
and Suzanne Levy of New Rochelle, N.Y., the monkeys' donor,
seek to force Miss Doll to return the monkeys to Tufts.
Albert Henry, Miss Doll's lawyer, says the dispute is due
to misunderstandings and that he is trying to resolve the
matter without a court hearing.
The suit says the monkeys were sent to Miss Doll only to
have their teeth pulled as a precaution against bites and
for socialization -- getting the monkeys accustomed to people
to make their training easier.
But Miss Doll says she asked Tufts for the monkeys for use
in her own similar project to train monkeys to help the handicapped.
"We wanted to get going with our own program,"
Miss Doll said. "When we called Dr. Willard, she didn't
have funding at that time, but she said if we would pay for
the shipping and dentistry she'd send us the monkeys."
Ms. Levy shipped the monkeys to Miss Doll last Nov. 7. Miss
Doll said she took them to Akron Zoo veterinarian Dr. Robert
Knowles to have their teeth pulled.
Tufts officials say Miss Doll has refused to communicate
with Miss Willard or Ms. Levy about Poncho and Willie and
claim she intends to move them to a secret location.
NEW YORK TIMES
February 19, 1974, Tuesday
Fire started by pet monkey chewing on electricity cord forces
10 Princeton University students to vacate dormitory on Feb
16.
|