MONKEY BUSINESS.

The article examines the popularity and challenges of keeping pet monkeys in Victorian Britain, highlighting their status as fashionable yet often poorly cared-for exotic companions. It details the variety of species kept, the sources from which monkeys were acquired, and the difficulties owners faced in providing appropriate diets, housing, and stimulation, as illustrated by the case of a pet marmoset named Binkie. The text also addresses the darker aspects of the trade, including the high mortality rates during capture and transport, psychological distress in captive monkeys, and instances of abuse. It concludes by noting that despite modern regulations like the 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the keeping of pet monkeys continues with welfare concerns, prompting current campaigns in the UK to restrict ownership through licensing.