As appeared in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho/Westside sections 02/21/09
They had him since he was a baby and he knew his parents quite well. They introduced him to everything, just as anyone would a child. They took him on leaf walks, to the playground, to the zoo. Things progressed naturally but as the teen years approached things changed. Travis realized he was out of his element. He was not like the other kids. He was bigger, hairier and prone to emotional outbursts. Travis was a chimpanzee and was shot and killed last week in Connecticut when he did what normal chimpanzees do – have a wild animal moment.
Seen as a true member of his family, Travis might have preferred chili dogs and cold beer on TV trays while watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, not unlike most folks, but does that make it right to keep a chimp as a pet? Ok, maybe I made that part up, but does that paint a picture or what? People, let’s get real.
Sandra Herold of Stamford, Connecticut kept Travis as a pet for fifteen years, and when her husband died, she kept him for his company. Can you imagine, “Hey Trav, you wanna watch Wild Kingdom tonight, babe?”
It was said this celebrity primate who had appeared in various television commercials could bathe himself, log onto a computer to look at pictures, work the remote control, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He must have proven himself steady over the years to earn Herold’s trust with the good crystal or he would still be swirling the cabernet franc from jelly jars. He also brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, which is more than I can say for some men I have met. Still, a 200 pound chimpanzee sitting next to me on the sofa, and me enjoying his company, is hard to comprehend. Sure I love my pets, but they don’t wear Depends diapers and channel surf.
Maybe I exaggerate to make a point my friends, but what kind of people keep exotic animals as pets? What ever happened to goldfish? They say Travis was treated just like a member of the family, but what kind of family member was he? Could he clean the litter box and take the trash out? Do you see the absurdity in keeping an exotic animal for a pet? The policy statement by the NM Department of Game & Fish regarding exotic animals states, “It is unlawful for a person to possess non-domesticated felines, primates, crocodiles, alligators and wolves.”
There are places for wild animals who have been used for science experiments and circus acts and one happens to be right here in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Save the Chimps is a permanent sanctuary for the lifelong care of chimpanzees rescued from research laboratories, entertainment and the pet trade. According to savethechimps.org website, Carole Noon, Ph.D. purchased the former Alamogordo biomedical laboratory - notorious for its inhumane treatment of animals in 2002 and with it came its 266 resident chimpanzees. She and her staff immediately began to modify the stark, depressing facility into a happier and healthier environment for the chimps. Eventually all of the chimps will be moved to their new digs at Noon’s chimp sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Wild and domestic don’t mix. Sure you could take a human and drop him on a desert island with chimps, gators and parrots and he would learn to adjust to the lifestyle. But one day he may just say he’s had enough of the Gilligan’s Island lifestyle and mind-numbing conversation and flip out, build a raft and sail to the mainland and find the nearest Starbucks, leaving his undomesticated island family to wonder what the heck happened?
Quote of the Week: “Stay free, where no walls divide you. You're free as the roaring tide. So there's no need to hide.” – Born Free by Don Black
They had him since he was a baby and he knew his parents quite well. They introduced him to everything, just as anyone would a child. They took him on leaf walks, to the playground, to the zoo. Things progressed naturally but as the teen years approached things changed. Travis realized he was out of his element. He was not like the other kids. He was bigger, hairier and prone to emotional outbursts. Travis was a chimpanzee and was shot and killed last week in Connecticut when he did what normal chimpanzees do – have a wild animal moment.
Seen as a true member of his family, Travis might have preferred chili dogs and cold beer on TV trays while watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, not unlike most folks, but does that make it right to keep a chimp as a pet? Ok, maybe I made that part up, but does that paint a picture or what? People, let’s get real.
Sandra Herold of Stamford, Connecticut kept Travis as a pet for fifteen years, and when her husband died, she kept him for his company. Can you imagine, “Hey Trav, you wanna watch Wild Kingdom tonight, babe?”
It was said this celebrity primate who had appeared in various television commercials could bathe himself, log onto a computer to look at pictures, work the remote control, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He must have proven himself steady over the years to earn Herold’s trust with the good crystal or he would still be swirling the cabernet franc from jelly jars. He also brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, which is more than I can say for some men I have met. Still, a 200 pound chimpanzee sitting next to me on the sofa, and me enjoying his company, is hard to comprehend. Sure I love my pets, but they don’t wear Depends diapers and channel surf.
Maybe I exaggerate to make a point my friends, but what kind of people keep exotic animals as pets? What ever happened to goldfish? They say Travis was treated just like a member of the family, but what kind of family member was he? Could he clean the litter box and take the trash out? Do you see the absurdity in keeping an exotic animal for a pet? The policy statement by the NM Department of Game & Fish regarding exotic animals states, “It is unlawful for a person to possess non-domesticated felines, primates, crocodiles, alligators and wolves.”
There are places for wild animals who have been used for science experiments and circus acts and one happens to be right here in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Save the Chimps is a permanent sanctuary for the lifelong care of chimpanzees rescued from research laboratories, entertainment and the pet trade. According to savethechimps.org website, Carole Noon, Ph.D. purchased the former Alamogordo biomedical laboratory - notorious for its inhumane treatment of animals in 2002 and with it came its 266 resident chimpanzees. She and her staff immediately began to modify the stark, depressing facility into a happier and healthier environment for the chimps. Eventually all of the chimps will be moved to their new digs at Noon’s chimp sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Wild and domestic don’t mix. Sure you could take a human and drop him on a desert island with chimps, gators and parrots and he would learn to adjust to the lifestyle. But one day he may just say he’s had enough of the Gilligan’s Island lifestyle and mind-numbing conversation and flip out, build a raft and sail to the mainland and find the nearest Starbucks, leaving his undomesticated island family to wonder what the heck happened?
Quote of the Week: “Stay free, where no walls divide you. You're free as the roaring tide. So there's no need to hide.” – Born Free by Don Black
No comments:
Post a Comment