Some animals have been regarded as helpful to man and because of this, they are used as pet. While some were naturally unharmful and not wild, like fowls, goats; others were tamed and made to help humans, eg, dogs. Some celebrities have also lavished money on some dangerous animals as pets, while others stayed with the regular ones as pets.
Justin Bieber recently got a snake as pet and named it ‘Johnson,’ just as Tyga got a Tiger as pet. Usher also picked an Adorable $12,000 puppy named ‘Goldendoodle,’ and Miley Cyrus, a pint-size pooch named ‘Rosie.’ For Nigeria’s Tonto Dikeh, she got a monkey, which she named ‘Baby’, as pet.
The Nollywood actress was also spotted feeding the monkey in a bedroom, not knowing she could get some diseases from the animal or better still, spread the deadly Ebola virus to people around her through the monkey.
According to research, monkeys can transmit these dangerous diseases to humans; Yellow Fever, falciparum malaria , Kyasanur Forest disease, Tanapox and Mayaro virus to humans. These could be transmitted to people through bites or exposure to their saliva or nasal secretions.
Also, monkeys are subject to sudden and violent mood swings particularly those with identity issues resulting from having been bottle-fed as surrogate human infants.
Most monkey owners treat their pets as family members. Monkeys are very unhygienic creatures, and whatever disease organisms they harbor in their intestines and blood, will soon be shared with every member of the family.
The US has even placed restrictions on the use of monkeys as pets as well as its importation into the country.
According to The Scientist, “Canadian scientists have shown that apparently healthy pigs can pass the deadliest species of Ebola to monkeys, even without ever coming into contact with them.”
Also, National Geographic News noted that, “in an attempt to establish dominance, monkeys may attack their human family members.”
Stating further, it said, “the health and safety hazards associated with exposure to monkeys and other nonhuman primates prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in 1975 to prohibit them from being imported into the United States for use as pets.”
Could Tonto Dikeh be endangering her life and those of others with her monkey?
