I think at one point every child has fantasized about having a pet monkey. For me it was one of my first memories! No kidding. Curious George the children's book was one of my favorites and was read to me by my mother from as far back as I can remember. If you're unfamiliar with this famous children's book from the USA. Curious George is a pet monkey and he gets into a lot of monkey mischief.

Fast forward more than three decades and I'm currently living on an island where people have pet monkeys! Not long ago I was at a market here in Koh Phangan Thailand and a woman had a baby monkey on her shoulder like a parrot. Before that there was this woman at a restaurant with a small monkey wearing a diaper holding on to her leg as if it was a tree branch.

I see monkeys on bikes, I see monkeys on trucks, I see monkeys climbing trees, I see monkeys in the wild; I see monkeys everywhere! They have become part of my everyday life!

Keep in mind growing up in Up-State New York, monkeys were something in my story book, like a magical animal that I can play a game of checkers with and have it get me drinks out of the fridge. We'd go on adventures together and it would have it's own helmet and goggles.

See how fun it would be to have a pet monkey! Right! Awesome! Well my bubble was burst recently when I read a post from the local facebook group asking if someone knew a farm or sanctuary she could donate her pet monkey to because quote "I can not live a normal life having a pet monkey."

My bubble was burst! My childhood dream crushed! I had to find out more if this was true. Turns out here in Thailand you may see women with a baby monkey, and a baby monkey is far different then a grown monkey, especially a grown male monkey. A baby monkey is a cute clingy little doll like creature that just wants to be held and cling on to you. You have to take care of it like a baby with diapers and feeding it.

It draws a lot of attention when brought out in public like we've seen here in Thailand, and I suppose everyone is pretty happy for the time being including the monkey. The common species here is Macaques which is much smaller than a chimp and not as smart, but also not as strong, however a grown male with it's teeth is nothing to mess with.

I think a highly trained pet chimp is "do-able" cause of that larger brain. But these Macaques, once they are full grown, they are supposedly messed up for life. This is because they can't go back to nature as they don't know how to take care of themselves and they become too much for any reasonable person to deal with. And don't forget they can outlive you!

Basically you have no choice but to chain up the monkey or put it in a cage. A large outdoor enclosure would be the best option at this point. As there is nothing like coming home to see your house covered in Macaque shit and piss with half your kitchen emptied out on the floor.

So probably not best to get a pet monkey unless you've worked at the zoo for a long time and really know what you are doing. So, unfortunately I probably won't be playing beer pong with a future furry friend any time soon.

Hope you enjoyed those deep monkey thoughts here on the island of Koh Phamngan. But on a more serious note, there is a concern about the coconut industry using these highly trained Macaques to get the coconuts. We see these "coconut monkeys working all over the island. I don't know the details of how well these monkeys are kept and treated, but I can tell you this.

I've seen the owners interact with the monkeys and they seem to have a very healthy relationship. The monkey always seem very calm around the owner and when pet the monkey responds like a dog in a happy way. Also these work monkeys are jacked-up big time! Compared to the wild monkeys of the same species on the island, these Coconut Monkeys look super strong and healthy.

What's you're take? Is it Okay to have a pet monkey? Is it Okay to have working "Coconut" monkeys? Until next time.

From the Gulf of Thailand

-Dan "World Travel Pro"

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Photo by "World Travel Pro"