Wild animals
Behind the pet monkey debate in Prairie Village looms a larger story: the cruelty and danger of the pet primate trade. (Dec. 17, 6A, “Johnson County city may ban pet monkeys. The only owner is fighting to keep hers”)
There has been an alarming increase in reports of infant spider monkeys smuggled across our southern border, driven by demand for pet monkeys in the United States. Poachers slaughter mother spider monkeys in the wild and steal their babies, shoving them into boxes, bags and car trunks for a brutal journey to the U.S.-Mexico border. This wildlife trafficking often occurs within criminal networks that are also responsible for drug, weapons and human trafficking, threatening national security.
If purchased as pets, these monkeys face a life of deprivation and isolation, because it is impossible to fulfill their needs in a private home. When they escape (as many have), they can become aggressive, threatening the safety of people such as the child and police officer whom the Prairie Village spider monkey reportedly scratched…