Guilty By Association

There are around 20,000 private primate owners in America and for some their monkey is not a pet.  It’s their child - their ‘monkid’.  My Child is a Monkey examines the dark side of the growing monkid phenomenon where families get the chance to nurture babies for up to 40 years.

Monkeys and apes are among our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, but for those who own primates, the bond goes much further. Regarding their furry friends not as pets, but as substitute children, these animal lovers dress their ‘monkids’ up in nappies and feed them fast food. We meet Justine, originally from Yorkshire, who lives with her husband and children in the USA. Witness her preparations to become a primate parent which involves her paying $5,500 for a month-old capuchin baby.

Revealing the industry that has sprung up to service this growing phenomenon, this poignant film shows just what some owners will do to make a monkey part of the family a task that can last for up to 40 years.

if it didn’t work for ross in, “friends,” then it won’t work for mr and mrs schmuck. whatevs.