National Geographic Society

  • Connect:

My Child Is a Monkey

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  • Primate trainer Lisa Whiteaker has been showing Monkey Moms how to look after and tame their monkids for the last 16 years. A legend in the Monkid world, forty five year old Lisa is often called the monkey whisperer. Lisa has her own monkid Mugwhy who is sixteen years old and travels with her everywhere.
  • Scott Ricci with Lacey, his mother's pet monkey. A captive monkeys diet should consist of about 70% monkey chow which is a mix of natural products found in the forest as well as around 30 % fruit and vegetables. Chips do not fall under either category.
  • One of Audrey Ricci 's monkeys. There are around 20,000 private primate owners in the USA and, for a few thousand of them their monkey is not a pet. It's their child, their
  • Monkey-mom, Audrey Ricci dining with her monkeys Lacey and Cleo. Audrey sees them as being little hairy people.
  • Monkey-mom, Audrey Ricci dining with her monkeys Lacey and Cleo. Audrey sees them as being little hairy people.
  • Monkey Dad Sean Bortz has just adopted an abused monkid and is trying to tame it with the help of legendary
  • Ex-monkey parents, Gregory and Michelle at Jungle Friends primate sanctuary visiting Macy. They adopted Macy when she was 11 days old. When she turned three, she became too aggressive and now she lives at the sanctuary.

  • The Monkey Whisperer

    Photograph by Zig Zag Productions

    Primate trainer Lisa Whiteaker has been showing Monkey Moms how to look after and tame their monkids for the last 16 years. A legend in the Monkid world, forty five year old Lisa is often called the monkey whisperer. Lisa has her own monkid Mugwhy who is sixteen years old and travels with her everywhere.

  • Mother's Monkey

    Photograph by Zig Zag Productions

    Scott Ricci with Lacey, his mother's pet monkey. A captive monkeys diet should consist of about 70% monkey chow which is a mix of natural products found in the forest as well as around 30 % fruit and vegetables. Chips do not fall under either category.

  • A Monkid

    Photograph by Zig Zag Productions

    One of Audrey Ricci 's monkeys. There are around 20,000 private primate owners in the USA and, for a few thousand of them their monkey is not a pet. It's their child, their "monkid."

  • Monkey Meal

    Photograph by Zig Zag Productions

    Monkey-mom, Audrey Ricci dining with her monkeys Lacey and Cleo. Audrey sees them as being little hairy people.

  • Dining With Monkeys

    Photograph by Zig Zag Productions

    Monkey-mom, Audrey Ricci dining with her monkeys Lacey and Cleo. Audrey sees them as being little hairy people.

  • Abused Monkey Adoption

    Photograph by Zig Zag Productions

    Monkey Dad Sean Bortz has just adopted an abused monkid and is trying to tame it with the help of legendary "monkey whisperer" Lisa Whiteaker. "Shalad," his monkid, has already attacked and injured Sean, and his pregnant wife Sherry and two children are now under threat unless Lisa can work her magic. Sherry and Sean standing by Shalad's cage.

  • Former Monkey Parents

    Photograph by Zig Zag Productions

    Ex-monkey parents, Gregory and Michelle at Jungle Friends primate sanctuary visiting Macy. They adopted Macy when she was 11 days old. When she turned three, she became too aggressive and now she lives at the sanctuary.
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Cynthia Carlisle
Cynthia Carlisle

I watched this show, and I think it is terrible what these people are doing to the baby monkeys.  It should be illegal.  It's all about making money.  $5000 dollars for a baby monkey that is taken from its mother too soon and forced to live in the wrong kind of environment.  The baby monkeys go crazy.  It's just wrong, and it makes me sick.