Primates Are Not Pets

The recent nationally publicized chimpanzee attack in Stamford, Conn. has propelled primate pets into the public eye. Travis—a ten-year-old chimpanzee who violently lashed out at a friend of his guardian—had been treated just like a human child. This behavior, it turns out, is not that uncommon among those who keep primates in their homes. An exposé in The New York Times profiles several chimpanzee guardians who have shared this experience—being enchanted by an infant animal, often dressing them in diapers and feeding them with baby bottles, and learning the hard way that once they hit puberty, these companions often become unpredictable and dangerous. The message is loud and clear: their striking resemblance to humans makes them compelling, but when all is said and done—primates are still wild at heart.