Is it legal to have a pet chimpanzee in Alberta?

Answer 1

No.

Even if it is, chimpanzees cannot be pets. As babies, they are easy to care for and can pretty much be raised as a human child. However, once they reach adolescence, they become 7-10 time stronger than a human. No matter how loving a relationship a chimp has with their human family, there is always the possibility they will lose their temper and attack, or attack a neighbour. Not even the trainers in Hollywood can handle them after this, and usually get rid of them or keep them in cages their whole lives after a childhood of severe abuse.

Also, it is not kind to the chimp. When they become too strong to handle, many zoos cannot take pet chimps, because chimps learn their social skills from watching the members of their community as they get older, and they do not know how to interact properly with other chimps. They also cannot be put into the wild for this reason. Sanctuaries are usually full to capacity. Some owners are so desperate they resort to sending their chimp to a biomedical lab to be used as a research subject. Not to mention the fact that these baby chimps are taken from their mothers to be raised by humans. This has exactly the same effect it would on a human mother and child.

Chimps are also very endangered in the wild, and keeping them as pets gives the impression that the species is stable, when nothing could be further from the truth.

If you love chimps, do some research and help protect them in the wild, or fundraise or volunteer for a sanctuary. But never ever ever get a pet chimp. It ends badly for all involved.

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