Ban Adams, Sauk and Juneau County residents from having monkeys, apes and dangerous exotic animals as pets

Adams County Wisconsin and the surrounding counties of Sauk and Juneau are trying to implement a dangerous animal ordinance at this present time. This would restrict the animals that are able to be brought into the community. Presently there are 2 homes in Adams county with monkeys as pets, even being only a few there are still many risks to both our community and the animals.

Many of us love monkeys and apes. Their active behavior is fun to watch and their expressive faces can draw us in. Small, newborn monkeys and apes can be even more charming. Sadly, some people take a love of these primates too far;some people have chosen to purchase monkeys and apes to keep as pets. Most make this choice without a full understanding of the lifetime of care these species need, or the dangers and difficulties of caring for an exotic pet. The truth is there are many reasons why primate pets are not a good idea.

It’s Bad for You
Pet primates pose a risk to public health and safety through diseases such as herpes that can be passed to humans.
Pet primates can cause serious injury through aggressive behavior stemming from unnatural living conditions.
It’s Bad for the Monkey or Ape
Monkeys and apes need to live or spend time with other troop members to be emotionally healthy. It is nearly impossible to recreate the social structure of the wild in a human home.
Infant monkeys and apes are separated from their mothers, sometimes just hours after being born, in order to be raised by humans. Imagine how traumatic this must be for mother and infant alike.

If you would like to provide comments to the commission directly during the process the meetings are quarterly on the 3rd Friday of the month at 12:30 in Baraboo. The next meeting is scheduled for June 19 but agenda has changed so I will update when this will be heard. Thank you.