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January 18, 2014

Rest in peace, sweet little Brodi (2012 - 2014)

You may have seen in the news this week that Brodi, a baby "pet" spider monkey who bit a car salesman when his humans took him out in public, was being threatened with execution. We offered Brodi a home, but early this morning Ohio officials put Brodi to death on the off-chance that he might have rabies.

The following is our official response to this cruel and unnecessary punishment of this innocent baby monkey.

Comments have already been closed on this online story, but please comment on new stories and forward this newsletter to your local media. You can also call the Ohio Department of Health at 419.656.2796 and let them know how outrageous and unnecessary their actions were. Let's try to make Brodi's senseless death have some meaning.

P.S. Here is link to more information on our website about the exotic pet trade.
P.P.S. Watch The Hundredth Monkey to see our Udi when he was about the same age as Brodi.

Jungle Friends Response to Unnecessary Monkey Euthanization

Our Udi in 2006

Our hearts are broken by the death - and the short life -- of little Brodi the spider monkey. All of the conditions leading up to this execution could have been avoided. When monkeys are bred for the exotic pet trade, mothers and babies are literally torn from each other asearly as a few days old. The "adorable" baby monkey behavior of clinging to stuffed animals and rocking is actually a sign of extreme psychological trauma that will follow a baby monkey like Brodi into adulthood for all of his or her 40+ years of life. No human can substitute for the baby monkeys' mothers, and no life in a human home, no matter how luxurious, can substitute for the life these wild animals deserve.

Mr. Ruehlman's comment that "Brodi was born here in the United States, so it's not like he's some exotic, wild animal" could not be more wrong. Monkeys and other exotic animals sold as "pets" are wild animals - they have not been domesticated and tamed generation after generation. Monkeys in the wild defend themselves against predators, and their inborn defenses like biting cannot be trained away. Even the smallest of baby monkeys are incredibly strong, with large teeth and powerful jaws. Spider monkeys in particular grow to be very large, with muscular hands, feet and tail that multiply their capacity for destruction.

Udi today

Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary exists because of the exotic pet trade. In fact, before starting Jungle Friends, founder Kari Bagnall had a "pet" capuchin monkey given to her and discovered the hard way that it wasn't good for her or the monkey. Humans purchase baby monkeys as "pets" and surrogate children, and when the babies begin to reach sexual maturity they become unpredictable and dangerous. In the best cases, the humans realize they can't give the monkey the kind of life he or she needs, and ask us to take the monkey in to our sanctuary. In the worst cases, these monkeys are neglected, malnourished, subjected to surgeries like tooth removal and amputations due to self-mutilating behavior. In all cases, these highly social, intelligent animals suffer from the lack of other monkey companions and from boredom.

Udi and Goldie, just one of his three girls!

As advocates for the preservation of life and respect for every living creature, we are sickened by the unnecessary euthanization of Brodi. Several primate sanctuaries, including Jungle Friends, offered Ohio officials a home for Brodi, where he could be properly quarantined and given a permanent home with other spider monkeys.According to the information we have received, Brodi's veterinarian confirmed that he had had a rabies vaccination. The risk of rabies is infinitesimal. In fact, the last reported case of a human contracting rabies from a monkey happened more than 100 years ago. Brodi did not need to be killed just to prove that he did not carry a disease that it is highly unlikely he could have carried in the first place.

Brodi could have had a long, happy life with others of his kind but humans took everything from him. They did it first when the breeder stole him away from his mother, and second when officials exacted the ultimate punishment for simply doing what a monkey does -- bite.