Owning a monkey (and a lot of other animals) may be illegal in your community
Have you ever dreamed of owning a pet monkey? If you said no, you are probably lying. However, if you live in the state of Georgia, it is illegal to own a monkey as a pet. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, monkeys are considered exotic animals, and therefore, cannot be kept as pets.
There are some good reasons why you cannot have an exotic pet, such as a monkey in Georgia. First, the dietary needs of a monkey, or any exotic pet, are different from common domestic pets.
“Many exotic animals have specialized diets that may be limited in availability and come at an increased cost,” said Dr. Jason Norman of the Hammond Hills Animal Hospital. “For example, nutritional needs of some reptile species such as bearded dragons and chameleons are very specific and without a balanced diet as well as UVA/UVB lighting, they will develop life-threatening metabolic bone disease, gout, and renal failure.”
You will not find any monkey food at the pet store. Another reason is because of the diseases exotic animals may carry.
“Exotic animal species have the potential to zoonotic diseases that humans can contract, such as rabies, psittacosis, salmonella, roundworms, and ringworm, just to name a few,” Dr. Norman explained.
Monkeys are not the only animals that are illegal to own in the state of Georgia. There is an extensive list on the Georgia DNR website. Here are just a few of the forbidden fauna: armadillo, opossum, skunk, white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbit, marsh rabbit, swamp rabbit, black bear, alligator, coyote, or raccoon. While many of these do seem like questionable pet choices, the list is there for a reason. Somebody, at some point in time, had a pet bear.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel as far as monkey-owning dreams are concerned. It is legal to be a monkey parent in South Carolina. It should be noted however, South Carolina law forbids owning a great ape. That category includes all species of chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan. However, there is nothing that says you cannot own another breed of monkey, such as a capuchin.
Before making the monkey migration to South Carolina, Dr. Norman suggested checking local ordinances. Many cities, towns, and communities have ordinances on the books forbidding not only monkeys, but other exotic pets as well. He said these are done not only with the human population and animals-in-question in mind, but the local ecology as well.
“(The) Argentine black and white tegus, a large lizard, has now established wild populations in South Georgia eating native wildlife,” he said. “(Some) Deer and elk species have the potential to spread deadly diseases to our local white-tailed deer population if not tightly regulated.”
So as far as pet ownership goes in the Peach State, maybe just stick to dogs and cats.