Dear Editor,
As a primatologist, I can attest that it’s frightening and disorienting for monkeys to be strapped to the backs of dogs and raced around.
Capuchin monkeys are intelligent, sensitive and highly social animals who live in the dense forests of Central and South America. They race through tree canopies with astonishing speed and agility. But when used in the “banana derby,” they’re forced to participate in a bizarre and stressful ordeal.
When not being hauled around from venue to venue and “performing,” the monkeys spend their lives caged or kept in a human home. Deprived of the opportunity to engage in any of the activities that give their lives meaning-such as foraging, climbing, exploring, and socializing with dozens of other capuchins-they can develop abnormal and self-destructive behavior, such as rocking, swaying and biting their own fingers and limbs.
People who respect animals will continue to turn their backs on these kinds of sleazy and exploitative spectacles.
Debbie Metzler, M.S.
Director of Captive Animal Welfare PETA Foundation
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