I’m a vet and this is why you should NEVER keep a baby monkey as a pet – people don’t understand what they’re getting into
A British vet has spoken out about why he believes monkeys should never be kept as pets.
Content creator @ben.the.vet shared his expertise in a video on TikTok, where he has more than 206,000 followers.
In the clip, he explained how many monkeys end up becoming pets – and why they are not suitable for domesticated homes.
Speaking in his videosays Ben, “I'm a veterinarian and I want to talk about why having a pet monkey is an absolutely terrible idea.”
He goes on to explain that he has experience volunteering with the animals and learning about their needs.
Veterinarian Ben the Veterinarian (photo) has revealed why he believes monkeys should not be kept as veterinarians. He says other veterinarians and animal welfare organizations agree with him
Ben continues, “I volunteered at a wildlife rehabilitation center in the rainforest of Ecuador a few years ago and many of the animals brought in were baby monkeys.”
According to the vet, these baby monkeys are believed to have been 'taken from the wild by poachers in the wild – often by shooting the mother so they could more easily take the baby'
Then, he explains, Ecuadorian authorities would intercept some of these baby monkeys intended to be sold abroad.
“This was mostly in the US, as a pet,” he says, adding, “for a lot of money.”
When it comes to why it's not a good idea to keep a baby monkey as a pet, Ben explains, “A monkey is not the same as a human baby.”
“And it's not the same as keeping a cat or a dog as a pet.”
He adds that monkeys 'are not domesticated animals, they are highly intelligent wild animals'
“If you keep them as pets,” he explains, “it's extremely difficult to meet their needs.”
In his video, Ben (photo) explained that we as wild animals simply don't do that
He ends the video by saying: 'Talk to any vet or animal welfare organization and they will say that monkeys should not be kept as pets.'
The vast majority of respondents in the comments sections agreed with his opinion, adding that they also believed that keeping monkeys as pets is a bad idea for the animals.
One wrote: 'Thank you for highlighting an important issue as there are so many primates kept as pets in the UK #Primatesarenotpets'
To which Ben replied that there are as many as 5,000 primates kept as pets in Britain.
Another viewer added: 'As a biology student I can't even understand how anyone could come up with the idea of keeping a wild animal as a pet. I'm just speechless.'