Hey, Hey, It’s The Monkeys
I didn't know there are 19 states in the US with no laws governing private ownership of monkeys until I read a great story at TimesOnline. The report, by Matthew Bigelow of Medill News Service, focused on Rebekah Ferguson and her husband Jon Madorsky, owners of two-pound, eight-inch (one kg, 20cm) marmoset called Chachi. They bought the monkey four years ago from a private breeder in Texas. ``The breeder,'' says the story, ``offered no clues on the social and behavioural needs of a monkey''. It cost $2500 to buy the monkey, a few hundred dollars to fly to Texas to collect it – and perhaps another $1000 in upkeep. To find a sanctuary willing to take the marmoset, Madorsky had to donate a habitat costing $1000 and agree to support Chachi, in addition to $50-$100 each month for the rest of its life. Madorsky said if he had been properly educated on the real cost of a monkey, he and Ferguson never would have bought Chachi.
6 comments:
I guess the thinking is, if you're dumb enough to buy a monkey...
That's pretty much all that needs to be said. I mean...they like to throw their poo.
You're right, Bart,
I don't think I'd be rushing out to buy one.
Cheers
David
If you'd like to see a picture of Chachi the Marmoset, Jon and Rebekah's 2 lb. nightmare, you can see it here at my blog.
In keeping with Bart's opinion, I gotta tell a monkey story!
When I was growing up in India, my 'ayah' and I had a little custom in the evenings to go to the petunia beds at the base of the mango trees in our yard, and remove the dead flowers. I was 6. One evening, as we were bending low, bounding along the ground comes this baboon, and uses my ayah's back as a step up the tree, but before moving up the tree, it hesitates ever so slightly and does a quick check of her head, as one who might belong to the same species!
Carol
Thanks, Matt,
Good one.
David
Hi Carol,
What an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing it with us all.
I actually remember the long walk down Ronaldshay Hutt Road in Calcutta, from Fort William to Park Street - it was called Monkey Road by all and sundry.
In fact, I had to think really hard to come up with the real name. Of course, it was called Monkey Road because of the huge colonies of monkeys there.
David
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