I recently posted a video on YouTube video that encourages people to consider not owning, nor supporting the sale of, monkeys and other primates as pets. The video description cited my sources, and all of the media from the animal market was filmed by me. Additionally, the wild macaque footage used in the video was also filmed by me.
In the video, I use my own observations and known facts to create a case for why the purchase/sale of small primates is damaging to the species and individual animals.
I didn't expect the video to gain such viral viewership. Honestly, monkey captivity isn't what I would consider a "hot topic." After receiving thousands of reactions and hundreds of comments, I'm beginning to understand more clearly that people have strong feelings about monkeys - and not all in a loving way.
In fact, several deleted comments used vulgar language and threats aimed at me simply for posting something aimed at macaque conservation and protection. The deleted comments also included vile threats and derogatory statements against small primates. Several people indicated that monkeys are vermin - tree rats - that should be eradicated. Some folks even went into gory detail as to how they'd like to "dispose" of monkey babies.
Luckily, I curate all comments. I deleted or reported dozens of the more sinister posts. However, I still allowed opposing viewpoints that were cogently written and without vulgarities to be posted. If they want to weigh in and make their case in support of the animal trade, I am happy to dialogue with them, as long as it's constructive and respectful.
Seeing small primates stokes anger in some folks, and I have to admit that's been a weird realization for me. I would have expected those harsh. negative feelings to come from individuals who live in close proximity to monkeys, but honestly most of the anti-primate hate speech came from people living in North America and Europe. A few were folks who had travelled to Southeast Asia on a gap year and formulated their hatred of monkeys as a tourist. Some of the gnarliest threats and screeds were posted by people who have never actually seen wild primates.
I can't know for certain why people have negative attitudes about small primates, but I think a good guess is that monkeys create some psychological discomfort because of their behaviors. A deeper dive into that psychology might reveal that some folks get upset because they see "animals" that do "human things." I'm sure that having to reconcile with species similarities can rub people the wrong way.
Maybe the biggest crime perpetrated by macaques isn't their scavenging or aggressions as much as it's their society, calm demeanors, tool usage and problem solving that affronts the sensibilities. If a person's worldview is one of species hierarchy, then they're very unlikely to want to recognize similarities with monkeys.
Like any other derogatory term, tree rat is a moniker used to further distance oneself from small primates.
Maybe they're afraid to look in the mirror and see any echo of a share evolutionary lineage.
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