Make It Illegal To Breed And Purchase Capuchin Monkeys

Capuchin monkeys (a.k.a. organ grinder monkeys) are currently being bred and sold in the United States legally.  However, it is illegal to have these monkeys brought into the US from South America or other countries of their origin.  I urge you to petition to change the law so that these primates cannot be purchased in the United States.  Capuchin monkeys are being raised as pets and are part of an ever growing problem of people bringing them into their homes as what is called "Mon-kids".  Capuchin monkeys live to be 30 to 40 years old in the wild.  They are primates and need to live inside a primate social environment in the wild.  Owners of these primates expect these "forever babies" to behave like a safe human child.  But these monkeys bite, scratch and pull the hair of their owners.  Some owners go so far as to having their teeth removed just so that the primate will be more safe to be around.  This is blatant abuse but is not recognized as such.  Breeders can make around $6000 for an infant so there is a desire to keep their adults constantly pregnant no matter how taxing it is on their bodies.  And the infants are pulled away from their mothers at 3 days old.  The infant is forced to bond with the human "mother" but in many cases that does not happen and the animal develops serious emotional and behavioral problems which usually lead to the animal being abused, neglected, sold or given away. So I urge you to petition to keep these beautiful yet wild animals in their natural habitat.