...About the Monkeys

"The lesson of the wooden sculpture of the Toshogu sanctuary, those famous three wise monkeys, inspires us still today.

Its original message was simple and profound: “do not listen to what will lead you to do wrong”, “do not see bad behavior as natural” and “do not speak badly without reason”."

The Story of the Three Wise Monkeys

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If you follow me on Facebook (Lisa Lachapelle 7k or Lisa Lachapelle Author Page), then you have likely noticed my many comments and posts in protest of two (now three) little monkeys taken from their caring human owners in another country. I think I have made over 150 comments to date. I seem attacked by people commenting back to me, at times, on pages of support for the families. Not only myself but there seems to be an awful lot of comments (even sharing and tagging my comments,) so I thought, what the heck I'll blog my defence. Some of the remarks deserve to be fact checked. I should clarify some common misperceptions as well.

Kaka and Mit

Over a year ago I noticed some cute little videos about Monkey Kaka, a Macaque, in a different country, I didn't know where. I fell in love with this emotionally intelligent, very smart, compassionate pet monkey that this family had raised with their daughter, both as infants raised together and had a beautiful bond. This family was exemplary in their care and understanding, never demonstrated force in teaching and had patience. The monkey mimicked caregiving and providing, even helping prepare food, share toys, and get diapers or matching clothing for the mother to change the child with, or for Kaka herself while the mother kept an immaculate house. They also exampled how to train so Kaka could respond in emergencies. (There are Service Trained Monkeys in North America, for people with disabilities). If you have ever read anything about monkey behaviour you would know they catch on quickly and readily adopt a helpful behavior naturally. Most of the time they just had so much fun it was delightful, entertaining videos that I looked forward to seeing every day. I thought finally, there are a wholesome, happy videos to see.

Before you start thinking, monkeys belong in the wild and assume these ones were stolen, bear with me as I further explain. Kaka and Mit were orphaned in the wild and found.

Monkeys are allowed as pets in countries around the world. Vietnam and Indonesia give permits, and Cambodia does not require permits. They are allowed in North Carolina, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, Indiana, Arkansas, Wyoming, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. In Ontario and Quebec, a special permit is required to own certain species of monkeys. In these provinces, potential owners must meet specific criteria, such as demonstrating a certain level of expertise and providing suitable living conditions for the monkey. New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, Alberta, and Manitoba require a permit. There are more countries with changing laws and that allow them with permits. You have to really dig on Google, just don't look at the first article that pops up.

Keep in mind because permits are allowed in certain areas doesn't mean people are going to rush out and start a monkey fad, it's not a lifestyle for everyone. Also, keep in mind that the type of exotic animals that are allowed varies across provinces and states. Even more bizarre is the fact that there are virtually no controls for dangerous wildlife anywhere like, alligators, bears, cougars, or big giant eagles that could carry a full-grown adult away, etc., so, the definition of "dangerous," remains nebulous in some circumstances. You can't keep those as pets but take care of it yourself, or not, if you happen to see one in your yard. Go figure.

Also, keep in mind whenever you are fighting to put those monkeys back in the wild - you are handing them over to governments everywhere to be used by science in experiments or to a food market. So, tell me please, which is the lessor of two evils? If you really want to protest something, protest the labs.

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Historically, monkeys have been pets since the 1800s. Today, they are not kept on neck leashes and there have been more advances in care but sharing 95% human DNA they are considered to be easy to domesticate.

Monkeys As Pets Story: https://www.geriwalton.com/tales-of-monkeys-as-pets/

The wild is not Disney anymore. Was it ever? Most people feel sympathy for what are basically, the urchins of the jungle. Macaques and other small monkeys are vulnerable and in danger from almost every other animal in the wild, from snakes to tigers or anything they will fit in the mouth of. Indeed, many countries sell them in food markets (horrendous). This does not make them "endangered," there are many.

What people don't know and some find hard to believe is that mother Macaques are notoriously cruel to their offspring and yes, it is shocking. I began following other pages and saw this behaviour on one about a monkey sanctuary in the jungle. There were videos of mother Macaques dragging infants, tossing them, dropping them from trees, smacking them and abandoning them, leaving them to sit and cry. In my mind, the caretakers should have taken them to an area where they would separate them and begin bottle feeding. There is a difference between a pure science behavioural study where people don't intervene for the purpose of observing a point being made...and an actual caregiver where the bigger point is to preserve the species and be a human being and care for them. One video showed an amateur behaviourist switch infants to different mothers to see if that made a difference. It did not. The abandonment issue seemed somewhat common and it was difficult to tell if it was due to over- population of some areas or a regularly predominant behaviour.

Most times there are no overpopulation problems because poachers steal them frequently.

Considering this, how many people would not take in an orphaned Macaque? Anyone would and probably should.

One comment was that there, the villages and towns are surrounded by jungle or part of the wild and essentially, in some areas, the monkeys are as plentiful as squirrels. Many people find them abandoned and take them in.

In my humble opinion, the government doesn't "own," them either. Not any more than a stray cat. Dangerous animals are usually restricted breeds.

They are a protected species people argue. Are they really? Keep reading.

There are so many Macaques that several countries used to sell them by the thousands to laboratories around the world (horror!) Now, I ask you, what disease or medical condition still needs animal testing, if it ever did? Absolutely none do. This is a waste of valuable government dollars on a senseless excursion of science.

There is psychological evidence also that any field involving euthanasia or testing on animals leads to psychological harm not only to the victims but the people doing it - yes, they have their own specific psychological disorders (animal welfare personnel, butchers, farmers, poachers), besides their becoming increasingly more abusive and emotional detachment. In one study there was even an increase in violent murders in an area around an animal facility, noticeable enough to note in a study. But, I am getting a little off-track here.

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Back to the Story

At one point, the Macacque Kaka went missing for a few days and the family was distraught looking for her. I had a sneaking suspicion that she was taken by someone, then escaped and made it back, half her clothing missing, though she could have simply gotten lost (she learned how to open the door). If you watched any of their videos you would know there is no way that Kaka would run away. They often took her outside to visit the wild, go to parks or on play equipment they had for her. I should mention that there are videos of different families some from the same country, some from other countries and some are openly competitive, saying things like they are "the best monkey mother, etc." So, there is some jealousy and competition among the Macacque human families. After Kaka returned home, the family got a 2nd Macaque who they named Mit. The Followers (approx 100,000 worldwide, some posts have over 200,000 Likes), agreed this was a brilliant move because now Kaka had a playmate like herself to care for and this would guarantee to keep her from wandering, if she did. Kaka loved and embraced Mit immediately. Now everyone fell in love with Mit too.

Not long after I was shocked to see that the government (Viet Nam), showed up one day, caged the two monkeys and took them. They had the family sign papers and told them they had a year to pay for a permit, (4000 US dollars, approx 1 million VN dollars). The family was crushed, and inconsolable (I can relate after having my line of dogs taken when a ceiling pipe burst and flooded the home, just before this happened to Kaka and Mit's family), what an unbearable, heartbreaking thing to happen. Kaka and Mit were like family members to them. For obvious reasons, they would never thrive in the wild and it was a broad stroke of cruelty from the government. There were many comments in exasperation - why? One man exclaimed, "what's this about, everyone has monkeys over there, no one ever cared before..."

The threat of social media?...people who do not understand the finer aspects of making calls is one possibility, competition from other families another possibility. A couple of points to make here in light of many comments of criticism:

• Kaka and Mit were not tormented or forced into walking on two legs, that's false. All Monkeys are bipedal by nature and walk on two legs frequently and always have: https://www.britannica.com/animal/primate-mammal/Locomotion

Kaka and Mit or Puka did not have their natural behaviour or movement restricted by wearing clothes either. Properly fit, clothes provide a variety of functions: they keep animals warm, comfortable, conceal times of being in heat or menstruating, diapers also are potty training and cover private parts. Common sense should prevail. The retail pet clothing market is a huge one and all this has been studied before. If clothing was harmful for pets they wouldn't sell them. It's a matter of preference and people calling others "stupid," for putting clothes on their pets is another form of cruelty. People, please stop harassing these families over their pets.

Vietnam might do better to be the "monkey pet capital of the world," and create a global pet supply and clothing industry. Then they could better root out the black market possibly too. This blog is in no way a criticism against that country or any other because it seems globally, all governments are the same with some unnecessary controls.

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So, I did a little digging for other aspects of this issue. Perhaps this is not related at all however I found it interesting, and appalling that the governments of Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam frequently sell Macacques to laboratories for money, still! Peta is on them for this (though PETA themselves in some states also euthanize thousands of dogs, which was a shocker to me)...but other global animal organizations are also aware. They don't however provide a resolution, once the monkeys are here what do you do with them, once taken from the labs? What happened to Animal Rights global laws?!

* See a petition below that aims for more discerning decisions when it comes to pets and will address layers of the industry. A pet is a pet and should remain a pet if raised as one; not all "exotic" animals are dangerous and the list could be updated regularly; animal testing is no longer necessary, they've reached their limit of abuse and animal welfare agencies can stop providing them also, and how is this glaring contradiction overlooked that animal welfare that is supposed to be protective is providing them to bee abused, how is that?! Dog breeders should be left alone to cater to their part of the industry and if you're going to scrutinise start with back yard breeders, and bylaws that specialize in destroying purebred registrations should be investigated for market fixing and aiding the black market. Etc. What happened to animals being declared sentient beings? Where are the rights to staying with their loving owners?

It Gets Worse

During my research, I also discovered that some monkey pages on Facebook don't show everything on their timeline and use the feeds from followers to then spam those feeds with torture videos. The black market is an SM market (if you know me, you know how much I hate SM, having been a victim of it once, and believe there should be laws against it). I was horrified to watch only a few seconds of one of those videos as my feed got spammed with them and I reported many to Facebook and blocked them. I even notified the Indonesian Police (believe me, you would too if you saw it). BBC did an expose on the problem and police in those countries are diligent in stopping the black market of SM rings and monkeys.

Not This Family

That's not Kaka and Mit's family, or Puka's family. The problem with some social media commenters is they don't know the difference. You have to really scrutinize, and view many videos over a period of time, not just a few, and not lump them all together. There is a glaring difference between the loving family videos and the black market ones.

Since then, another beloved Macaque named Puka was also taken, with a video showing another inconsolable human mother. The most confusing part is that they also have adoption agencies for the orphaned monkeys. You don't need to formally adopt them though to get the permit. If a recent update was interpreted correctly, the human father of Kaka and Mit offered to pay the permits but has not been given them yet (to make an example of them?) It's unclear why they did not just do the mature thing and give them the permits and return them home. There are now twice as many pages in support of that and a separate petition.

A large percentage of Macaques don't make it in the wild to two years of age due to the many dangers to them, that's why they mate so much. Due to the reasons I have outlined here and the fact that once they are raised as pets they have less defences and survival rate. Let people have their pets and relax controls everywhere, as long as they are dedicated to keeping them as pets for their life span.

One last point, as for the family making loads of money from Kaka and Mit - rubbish. They might have some subscribers but that is voluntary, all their information and videos are also free and educational and they do not live lucrative lifestyles.

There are animal lovers out there who choose lifestyles with pets. Even dog breeders are not making a mint from puppies, they are not. It is a labour of love and to keep pets in society and in good, loving homes. Where do you think people get their pets from? Kaka, Mit, and now Puka are beloved family members raised in families who are dedicated to the species.

As for my line of beloved small, rare breed dogs, which also makes them a vulnerable breed, once I mentioned their value in an email, I was told later that they were going to keep them. They were supposed to be boarding them temporarily. Now it is turning into a legal fight because they were not seized for a usual abuse situation and the fees are rising. I am simply being told they are in a private facility and I am not told where. I have always been a pet owner, once a wildlife rehabber in training for raccoons, and adore my dogs. Now I am raising money not just to move but for legal costs. So you can see how animal welfare agencies around the world are the same no matter what the government is. Laws need to change.

Property laws need upheld, as do Privacy laws, and Harassment laws. Pets Rights similar to Human Rights need to be created, and make it stick.

About the monkeys...my point is not to say "hey, everyone let's start a trend and everyone get a monkey," it's... let's be a little discerning here. If small monkeys are being sold to laboratories for no good reason, or poached for food, then why can't they be pets? The type and size of the monkey make a difference too. If a species is becoming vulnerable then adaptation might be a good thing in order to preserve it. Cats have only been domesticated for a few hundred years too believe it or not. They should be with their mothers in the wild and yes they should be able to live long, healthy lives - ideally. But they should also be able to stay with their loving families if that is not the circumstances for them. When ideals don't live up to expectations or the norm then adaptation might be necessary to preserve the animal(s).

Stop punishing people for loving and caring for pets.

Check out the links. When you have 20 minutes to spare really watch these videos and see the love.

Petition for Global Animal Rights and Protect Pets - Please sign : https://chng.itrRLFKRdJKD

Kaka and Mit Family - https://youtu.be/lSwqz7LrVVI?si=feww0NS1wQvOrKK0

Puka Family - https://youtu.be/Ggvrg7LVQaY?si=M0Owu9lBH3FDOZMb

Studies in General

Macaque Trade