How do i get a permit to have a chimpanzee?

I would like to adopt a chimp, how old do you have to be?|||That is a terrible idea....





Almost all of the chimpanzees you see in the movies, on television, and in advertisements are babies. Because of their infantile appeal many people think they would like to have a chimpanzee as a pet. But, there are many reasons why this is not a good idea.





First, baby chimpanzees belong with their mothers. Every baby chimp you see on television has been taken from its mother and raised by humans. Like us, chimpanzees experience a long childhood and are not considered adult until 13 - 15 years of age. During this long apprenticeship with their mothers and siblings, chimpanzees learn about being chimpanzees. They learn the subtle and complex communication system that consists of facial expressions, gestures, and vocalizations. They also learn the rules of chimpanzees behavior.





While chimpanzees are adorable as babies, they soon outgrow their appeal. By the age of three, a baby chimp is as strong as an adult human. This makes keeping them in the house, as a member of the family, very difficult, as they are so destructive. And, they have minds of their own. For instance, if they want to raid the refrigerator and empty its contents, it is very hard to stop them. As a result, the chimp spends much of its day in a cage.





As chimpanzees reach puberty, starting at the age of about eight, they are usually no longer safe to handle. (That is why the chimpanzees you see in the media are babies.) They are well on their way to their adult weight which can be as much as 150 pounds. At this age, they are usually condemned to live in a cage, alone, for the rest of their lives. Since chimpanzees can live to be 50 years old, they can spend the majority of their lives paying for their infantile appeal.





Sometimes, as the chimp matures, a pet owner may send the chimp to live with other chimpanzees. When human raised chimps, who have been denied the long learning process with their mothers, meet other chimpanzees for the first time, there is a long and sometimes painful transition, as the chimp has to learn the rules of behavior.





Keeping a chimpanzee as a pet is not a rewarding experience for the chimp or the people. It is a journey that begins with the separation of the baby from its mother and often ends with the chimp in solitary confinement for over 40 years.|||You have to be an adult. You have to have a reason (other than "I want one"). Like knowing specific chimp individuals that are in limbo and cannot be released into the wild and need a caretaker. And unless you have experience and training, you're not likely to be allowed to have one.





Chimps do NOT make good "pets".|||Having a permit to posess an exotic animal such as a chimp requires a whole lot of things.





First you must be over 21, you have to pass several state requirements (depending on what state youre in, as most states prohibit any chimps to be kept in anything less than a very secure cage and you must be able to demonstrate your experience to handle this creature.





When they are mature, they frequently overcome their handlers and kill them or do horrible damage, they become extremely difficult to handle.... unless they are placed in a special refuge for animals who are no longer safe among humans.





As adults, they are all going to have to be given up to a refuge as sooner or later they ALL turn on their owners. Chimps do NOT belong in any persons' home. EVER. They are stronger than bears, and less reasonable when they want something, and youre not giving it to them you are in MORTAL DANGER!





Forget about this crack-pot idea and get a dog.|||I understand why you want to have a primate for a pet, but it's a bad idea all around.


It's harder than taking care of a baby and it's a 24/7 job.


Please think it over. Non-human primates will destroy your house, throw stuff, fling poop and touch themselves inappropriately in front of company. They make your house smell bad too. You cannot leave them alone and surely you are not planning on caging the poor thing. It's like having a toddler on steroids in the house. They do become quite hard to manage once they reach adolescence.


Here's a web site for you to check out. Please read Articles/Info and Testimonials and look at the PowerPoint presentation.


Some of the pictures are not easy to look at, but they're real.





http://www.petmonkey.info/index.html


Think it over, please. Maybe you can volunteer to work with animals somewhere. That way you can still spend time with them without having the responsibility of having to take them home.


Good luck to you.