The Cost of Primate Pet Ownership in England Rising

A Desire to be close to Primates Often Drives Poorly Judged Pet Ownership Decisions

As our closest relative in the animal kingdom we are often drawn to primates in a way that we are not drawn to other wild animals. For some people however, the need to care for these wild creatures leads not only to poor health in primates but it also leads to poor decision making by so called “animal lovers.” In this article we will focus on the increase of primate pet ownership in England and why it is fueling the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals fight against primate pet ownership all together.

The Appeal of Primates as Pets

There are many reasons that people choose to keep exotic pets like primates but in 99.99% of cases, these decisions are poorly thought out. For some people owning exotic pets brings a popularity that they may not have found elsewhere. In other, more difficult to understand cases, people bring exotic pets in to their home due to a self professed love for the species. Particularly when it comes to primates, there is a bond that many people feel necessary to maintain with our wild relatives, as though we owe them the modern conveniences that we have created for ourselves. The truth is, however, that primates fair perfectly well without interference from man and in some cases they find themselves even worse off when “cared for” as pets.

The Story of Mikey the Marmoset

Recently in the West Midlands in England, Dudley Magistrates’ Court found a couple guilty of causing an animal unnecessary suffering. The animal in question – Mikey the Marmoset. Mikey was four months old when the court showed a video of him being unable to walk adequately with his legs bent. In addition to not being walk properly, Mikey was unable to climb and he had advanced bone disease and seven different fractures in addition to a broken tail. These injuries cause Mikey an inordinate amount of pain and resulting in his euthanization by the Royal Society for the Protection against Cruelty to Animals. The couple who had purchased Mikey to keep as a pet, Lee Powell and Julie Ann Jones of Stourbridge were given a sentence that included: 300 hours of unpaid work, a demand for pay more than £2,700 in costs and compensation and they have been banned from ever keeping animals again.

Is the Punishment Enough to Prevent Future Animal Abuse?

With the degree of punishment given in the case of Powell and Jones, is it enough to deter future primate ownership by others? Sadly, the answer is more than likely no which is why the RSPCA is attempting to ban primate ownership completely. Currently in the United Kingdom it is legal to purchase marmosets, tamarinds and squirrel monkeys in local pet shops as they do not require licenses under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. Still while it is possible to purchase these animals at pet stores that is not to say that they should be purchased to live as pets. Primates simply do not thrive as pets, which is exactly why the RSPCA is attempting to completely ban their ownership throughout the United Kingdom.

Why Don’t Primates Make Good Pets?

So if primates are so close to humans in terms of ancestry and DNA, why don’t they make good pets? After all we should be able to understand the needs of these creatures being that they are so similar to us…shouldn’t we? The answer to that question is a resounding no. While we may have many similarities to primates, the differences that do exist are major ones. Primates are wild animals, animals that have not been bred in to captivity and domesticated over the years. Primates are not like our typical household dog, an animal that has been domesticated over thousands of years to live a life that enmeshes with our own. No, primates still rely very much upon their wild nature to survive and when deprived of their natural abilities and instincts they become sick, physically and psychologically.

Primates Need More Than We Can Offer

Primates are extremely complex creatures, in that respect they are not too much different from human beings but the things that these creatures need, we are often unable to offer. The primate society is extremely complex, it is a hierarchical society in which posture, gestures and facial expressions convey intentions, emotions and needs. As average pet owners, humans are unable to understand or cater to these needs and as such the primates go without their needs being met. Being understood isn’t only about having one’s needs met however, imagine living in a world in which you were the only human being and everything you said or needed was misunderstood. This would be an extremely lonely and frustrating existence. Evidence has already been uncovered in regards to the amount of frustration that many of these animals feel when kept as primate pets. In some cases primates go so far as to turn their psychological torture on to themselves and they begin to self harm, something which can quickly lead to other psychological conditions and illnesses.

The Social Nature of the Primate

By definition, the needs of social animals like primates require that this creature have regular interaction with a troop of their own species. This regular interaction is important not only to meet the primates needs, but it is also important for the creature to learn how to be like other animals of its species. Just like human young, primate babies learn everything they need to know from their mother, they receive teaching and nurturing and stimulation that have been developed over thousands of years of evolution. To believe that any human could pick up on the needs and demands of this complex social creature is not only egotistical, but it is also just cruel.

Current Primate Ownership Trends in the United Kingdom

Currently the RSPCA and the Wild Futures association believe between 2,485 and 7,454 primates are being kept in captivity in the United Kingdom, it is the hope of these associations that banning primate ownership will eventually eliminate primate ownership all together.