Some considerations when getting a pet monkey

If there is one celebrity known for keeping a pet monkey — and letting the whole world know about it, even commissioning American artist Jeff Koon to create a life-size porcelain sculpture of them together — that would be Michael Jackson. Back in the late ‘ 80s, the King of Pop made a chimpanzee his pet and named him Bubbles, and eventually, this primate shared the limelight with his uber-famous owner. In a video courtesy of MailOnline, Bubbles is seen sitting next to Jackson as the singer meets the mayor of Osaka during his 1987 “ Bad” tour in Japan. After Jackson finished sipping the tea prepared for him, he offered Bubbles a drink and the monkey obliged. In 1994, Bubbles attended the MTV Movie Awards clad in custom-made tuxedo.

Some lucky chimp, what do you think? Another monkey, this time, a capuchin, had a short-lived affair with its celebrity owner, Justin Bieber owing to legal matters. “ Monkeys are awesome,” said Bieber in a 2016 GQ interview.

Money Matters for Monkeys.

First on the list of things to consider is the financial aspect of getting one. CostHelper, an online source of prices for various goods and services, projected that a monkey will have a minimum cost of $4, 000 and could fetch as high as $8, 000. Age affects the cost as well as the monkey’s temperament and how rare is the type one is buying; therefore, CostHelper reminds would-be owners that a rare monkey that also happens to be friendly and young will definitely command a steeper price.

The Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand said that in 2012, a pair of white-handed Tamarins from South Africa was offered at the Thai online store Pantip Market for $3, 300.

In 2009, Slate Magazine informed readers that these monkeys had the following estimated prices: chimpanzees, $60, 000; baby capuchins, $5, 000-$7, 000; spider monkeys, $6, 000; baboons and rhesus macaques, $3, 500; and marmosets, tamarins, and lemurs, $1, 500-$2, 500.

In 1987, according to U. K. news site Mirror, Jackson paid $65, 000 (roughly equivalent to $147, 700 this 2019) for his chimpanzee.

As for other expenses, Save the Chimps, a Florida-based chimpanzee sanctuary, discloses on its website that it spends $20, 000 every year to care for a single chimp.

A weekly budget of, at least, $25 will go for the vegetables and fruits that a monkey will consume, according to CostHelper. A bag (6-month supply) of monkey chow costs approximately $30. In addition, expect to spend some $65 every 3-4 months for diapers (just an option). Cages are also expensive, with indoor cages going for $650-$900 and outdoor cages for $1, 300-$3, 500.

For those in the U. S., CostHelper recommends buying a monkey from a Department of Agriculture-licensed breeder.

Look into the Legalities

Check if the city where you live allows its residents to keep monkeys as pets. For those who would be granted with a permit, prepare for a home inspection.

Animal website Spruce Pets said that an owner should get an insurance policy because monkeys tend to bite people.

During his 2013 European concert tour, Bieber brought with his capuchin pet OG Mally, a birthday gift by a guy named Mally, according to the GQ article. When he and his team arrived in Germany, the customs officers at Munich confiscated Mally due to lack of pertinent papers. Mally’s home now is the zoo called Serengeti Park in North Germany.

Messy, Expensive, Aggressive, and More.

For the simple reason that they are classified as wild animals, Chimp Haven, a chimpanzee sanctuary in Louisiana, strongly discourage people from getting one as a pet. It reminds people that because of a chimpanzee’s innate cleverness, humans might find it difficult to deal with, even as young a 5-6 year-old chimp. Bubbles, now 35 years old and has been living in an ape sanctuary in Florida since 2005, became aggressive when it turned 12, reported Mirror. The Spruce Pets cautioned that even if monkeys get exposed to humans on a long-term basis, they will still retain their wild nature.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in England said that marmosets, who needed to live in a warm climate, are the usual monkeys eyed as pets. RSPCA doesn’t recommend them as pets because in the wild, they like forming social groups; so, if they live on their own as pets, they will be highly stressed. Moreover, they are not suitable to be kept indoors because they leave a scent-mark around them.

The conservation organization Jane Goodall Institute in the U. K. compared the experience of keeping a monkey as a pet to that of looking after an infant — for 50 years (a monkey’s average lifespan). Moreover, they need a huge space where they can freely move around. It also should be noted that because of their strength, they can easily move furniture around or topple a flower vase.

So, anyone monkey thoughts?