PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — The Prairie Village City Council will vote Monday on whether to allow resident Toni King-Skelton to keep her pet spider monkey, Oakley.
This comes as the city considers a new ordinance that would ban monkey ownership unless specific conditions are met.
King-Skelton has licensed her pet monkey after adopting it. The proposed dangerous animal ordinance states that if Oakley were to injure anyone, the city would not be held responsible.
Additionally, the ordinance outlines various conditions that must be met for King-Skelton to keep Oakley.
Under the new ordinance, she would be required to obtain a $300,000 insurance policy for Oakley to cover potential injuries to others.
Oakley must also be kept on a leash and in a fully enclosed carrier while in public spaces and she cannot be present in areas where ten or more people are gathered.
If Oakley bites or scratches another person, the city has the right to euthanize the monkey. These measures reflect concerns about the safety and implications of having a spider monkey as a pet.
Spider monkeys are considered critically endangered and are among the most trafficked animals crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Oftentimes, traffickers kill the mother spider monkey and sell the baby monkeys to individuals in the U.S.
Wildlife officials advise against keeping spider monkeys as pets, citing their tendency to become more aggressive as they age, their need for trees and large social groups and their long lifespan of 35 to 45 years. Spider monkeys can also transmit diseases to humans.
The city council is expected to reach a decision on the ordinance regarding monkey ownership during Monday’s meeting.
Further details and guidelines on the outcome will be communicated following the vote.
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