A Voice For the Voiceless

It's a small piece of land, ground barren with scattered debris of sticks, divided by a wooden bamboo and wired fence. On one side lies a Capuchin monkey, tied by the neck to a chain that extends to a nearby Tamarind tree. On the fence is another Capuchin nibbling on its toes and fingers. A familiar whinnie makes its way to my ears. From my time spent observing troops of spider monkeys in the wild, I knew there was one amongst me. I saw this Long Limbed Beauty gracefully climb the chain to a Tamarind branch then back down to a post in the middle of the fence.

Long Limbed Beauty sat there with a sorrowful look, staring off into the distance at sudden sounds of cars passing by and the piercing shriek of their horns. Rather abruptly he slumped his shoulders and head, eyes closed towards the all too familiar dirt. He repeated this several times. Look up, look down, look up, look down. 

Nearby lies another Spider monkey, perched in the overhanging branches of a neighbors tree. Smoke from their kitchen wafts past her glazed eyes through thick clouds. Most cooking is done indoors over a wood burning stove, inhalation from this smoke causes serious health problems for many women and their families.

Just below, in the shade of the tree is a small, perry winkle blue cage with a grey brick wall in the background. Inside is a severely stressed squirrel jumping side to side over and over again. Now and then it brings its tiny paws up the metal cage. The cheerful latino music blaring in the background does not bring a smile to my face. Instead my heart begins to ache and tears swell in my eyes. I let them flow freely.

The Long Limbed Beauty and Capuchin are now laying together on top of a small cement cage. Both chained by the neck, they are at the mercy of humans. Long Limbed Beauty sits up and periodically gazes about then with all the weight of the head being carried forward and down, the shoulders slump in exaggeration. Nearby, the exhausted squirrel has given up and lays still at the bottom of its hell cell. Above, the Spider Monkey never moved from its spot, looking over all while inhaling toxic fumes.

Capuchin monkey

 What is better, to be euthanized or to live a prisoned life? Come to find out, these monkeys were rescued by the hostel owners. People take these creatures from the wild and are sold as pets. Too often they discover that as the monkey ages, they are uncontrollable. Apparently Long Limbed Beauty was going to be euthanized because he would bite drunk people.

This topic flows into other areas of animal abuse and neglect. Know what type of animal you're getting, where it came from, its behavioral qualities and if you can truly meet its needs. Most importantly, don't buy exotic pets. They belong in their natural habitat where no human could even come close to meeting its needs. For example, Spider Monkeys have large habitat ranges where they forage for a variety of food. My experience observing them in the wild is one that will forever be imprinted in my mind. They never liked being around humans and as a result we had to dodge poop pellets and pee trails headed our way. One particular time there was a troop climbing through the canopy above our heads. I stared up at one as it looked down at me and fell from the top branch right at me, arms and legs spread out. I froze with such excitement and fear as it stopped itself on a branch above me. If you so eagerly want an exotic pet, go see them in the wild for that is where you will see them in their prime.