http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1489799&nav=4QcHIdMZ
UT Vet: Primate Not Killing Cats
October 21, 2003
As WVLT VOLUNTEER TV News first reported last week, there is some monkey business going on in Campbell County. Some people there said they have seen a primate terrorizing residents and pets.
Chloe Morroni talked with a primate expert to find out more about the creature.
Campbell County's 911 center has been receiving calls about the creature for weeks. "They're saying it's a chimpanzee, a large chimpanzee," said 911 dispatcher Kamille Barnes. "It's killing their cats."
Barnes lives in the College Hill community, which is where the creature has been sighted. She believes it came into her house. "My basement door was left open, and something came in and scattered all the clothes and stuff stored in the basement," she said.
UT Veterinary School primate expert Dr. Edward Ramsey said the creature that is making its presence known in Campbell County is likely not a chimpanzee like those found at the Knoxville Zoo. "Chimps are really rare as private pets, so chances that this is a chimp are pretty remote," he said.
He did say it may very well be some type of monkey. "There are unfortunately still a fair number of monkeys still in private hands," he said. "We've had one or two times [that] an animal escaped from a private zoo in Pigeon Forge."
Ramsey said that whatever kind of primate it may be, he does not believe it's responsible for the recent pet deaths in the area. "Odds are, if it killed anything, I don't think it would kill many and it wouldn't kill repeatedly. Virtually every primate is herbivorous."
He said that if a monkey is on the loose, it's a perfect example of why most exotic animals don't make good pets. "We don't think it's appropriate for people to keep -- specifically -- macaques as pets because of the ability to carry fatal disease," he said. "They're not trainable in the traditional animal sense of the term."
LaFollette animal control is investigating the situation. Knoxville Zoo officials said if the animal is caught, the zoo likely would not be able to take it, and it may have to be euthanized.
10/20/2003 18:16
