I spend the last few days at home thanks to a not so welcome friend Mr Influ Enza. Being at home gave me the perfect opportunity to spend some much needed time on Social Media. I finally got up to date with Instagram, Twiiter, Tumbler and even made a turn by FlikR. That all said and done I decided to take a leisure stroll through Facebook.

This is where a fun flu filled day turned into a nightmare! I found out that an old school buddy of mine has strategically blocked me from being able to view all her personal photos taken of her PET CAPUCHIN!! She accidently loaded one and did not block it in time. I asked her straight out whom the Capuchin belong to and the can of worms spilled out right there. When I asked why she blocked me her answer was even more ghastly that I could have thought:

“Because I knew having a pet monkey is very wrong but I do not care I want him and I will keep him”
I burst into tears realizing that it’s not that we are not getting the message out there of the horrors of keeping a wild animal as a pet, but that some people really just do not care. She went on to tell me how much attention she gets when she takes him out and how much she enjoys that. I guess being left at the alter….twice….left her really needing some attention. I asked if she thought she would also get attention if she adopted a kitten or puppy from the local shelter. She explained that “domestic” animals are “boring”….my dear, have you met my adopted cat?

I talked to her a bit more about the Capuchin’s future and asked her, knowing that so many of them turn on their owners what she will do not IF but WHEN that happens to her and she calmed explained that “I will donate him to Monkeyland in Plett” I chocked a bit and reminded her that I work for Monkeyland and that we have reached our capacity and will not be able to take in her Capuchin. Now she wants ME to find out if there are other Sanctuaries like Monkeyland that will take in her Capuchin…but not just yet…only after he has bitten her or one of her loved ones!

The human race stuns me at times. We smoke knowing it can give us cancer, we drink knowing it can screw up our livers, and we eat too much knowing it will give us a heart attack! I have to wonder why we are wired this way. Why are we so destructive? Why are there so many “Save The” campaigns out there yet people just continue to ignore the massive white elephant…. We are screwing up our earth one day at a time.

For me regardless of if you are; keeping a wild animal as a pet, have a bird caged for life, making children work as slaves, buy your animals from back street breeders rather than adopting from over full shelters, burning down rainforests, killing rhino’s for their horn, killing elephants or hunting lions for a trophy…..you are all the same “YOU are destroying YOUR earth”!

I want you to watch this video on what can happen so very quickly to anyone who has a pet primate…it might not happen to you but it might happen to one of your kids, friends, loved ones!