Is it illegal to keep monkeys?

Monkeys are the highest class in the animal kingdom, with well-developed brains, forward-facing eyes, narrow interorbital distances, separate toes of hands and feet, flexible thumbs, most of them can hold each other with other toes (fingers), and limbs can use simple tools and grab food. most of them are omnivorous, eat plant or animal food, choose food and feed in different ways. Let's take a look at whether it is against the law to raise monkeys.

Is it illegal to keep monkeys?

It's illegal to keep monkeys. But individuals are not completely unable to raise monkeys. If you apply for a "permit for domestication and breeding of Wild Animals" with the local forestry administration, you can raise monkeys under second-level national protection. It should be reminded that monkeys are animals with great mood swings. If they are kept in captivity, they will lose the meaning of pets. If you hold it, you need good skills in training monkeys, otherwise it is easy to escape and injure people. So at present, there are not many people keeping monkeys as pets, please consider carefully.

National second-level protection of monkeys

1. Macaques: macaques, also known as red-faced monkeys, are large macaques. They live in primitive broad-leaved forests, coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests or bamboo forests ranging from 1500m to 3000m. They eat not only wild fruits, leaves and bamboo shoots, but also small animals such as crabs and frogs. Macaques are listed in the World Conservation Union (IUCN) 2013 Red list of Endangered species ver3.1-- vulnerable (VU), and are also listed in the Washington Convention CITES Ⅱ protected animals, as well as second-class protected animals in China.

2. Rhesus monkeys: rhesus monkeys inhabit widely, grasslands, swamps and forests. Mainly inhabit in stone mountains and cliffs, stream valleys and river banks of dense forests or sparse forests and rocky mountains, living in groups. Into more than a dozen or even hundreds of large groups. Feed on leaves, twigs and wild vegetables, but also eat birds, eggs, all kinds of insects, and prey on other small animals. Rhesus monkeys are listed as second-class protected animals in China's National key protected Wildlife list, vulnerable species in China Red Book of Endangered Animals, and ver3.1-- low Endangered species list (LC) in IUCN 2008 Red list of Endangered species.

3. Tibetan chieftain monkeys: Tibetan chieftain monkeys are the largest species of rhesus monkeys in China. They inhabit rocky habitats in mountainous broad-leaved forest areas and live in groups of more than 10 or 20-30 monkeys. Each group is led by 2-3 adult males who guard at the end of the line when they encounter an enemy. Like to move on the ground and spend the night in cracks in cliffs, steep cliffs or big trees. Feed on leaves, buds, fruits, branches and bamboo shoots of a variety of plants, as well as birds, eggs, insects and other animal food. Tibetan chieftain monkeys are listed as second-class protected animals in China's National key protected Animals list and listed in the World Conservation Union (IUCN) 2013 Red list of Endangered species ver3.1-- near Endangered (NT).

National first-level protection of monkeys

1. Golden monkey: there are 6 species of golden monkey, including Burmese golden monkey, Nujiang golden monkey, Sichuan golden monkey, Yunnan golden monkey, Guizhou golden monkey and Vietnamese golden monkey, among which, except Burmese golden monkey and Vietnamese golden monkey, they are all precious animals unique to China. Listed in the 2012 Red list of Endangered species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), ver3.1-- is endangered and is also a national first-class protected animal.

2. Bee monkey: bee monkey is a kind of monkey under the genus of primates, which has 9 subspecies. Small and slow-moving, they are lower monkeys that inhabit tropical and subtropical monsoon forests, live entirely on trees, rarely go to the ground and like to move alone. The movement is particularly slow, and it speeds up only when it is attacked, so it is also known as the "loris". Distributed in Yunnan and southern Guangxi, mostly distributed in Southeast Asia, is a national first-class protected animals.

3. Bear monkey: bear monkey is a kind of monkey of primate macaque, which is similar in size to macaque. It mainly lives in monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest, deciduous broad-leaved forest, coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest or alpine dark coniferous forest. It mainly feeds on fresh branches and young leaves of wild fruits and plants, as well as some insects, amphibians and small birds.

4. Taiwan monkey: Taiwan monkey is endemic to China, with a body similar to that of macaque, with a grayer body and a dark tail. Their tails are more than 1/2 of their body length, but Taiwanese monkeys have longer tails and are smaller and fatter than macaques. Inhabiting rocks and forests, it is a semi-terrestrial animal that feeds on all kinds of wild fruits, leaves, insects, and sometimes steals farmers' grains and fruits.

5. Dolphin-tailed monkey: the dolphin-tailed monkey is 54-62 cm long and stout, with a flat head and radially arranged black-brown top hair. Inhabit tropical or subtropical forests or low-altitude coniferous forests, camp arboreal life, like to live in groups, feed on plant fruits, but also prey on insects and birds.

6. Leaf monkeys: there are six species of leaf monkeys in China, namely, black leaf monkey, white-headed leaf monkey, long-tailed leaf monkey, Fei's leaf monkey, capped leaf monkey and white buttocks leaf monkey, which are all first-class protected animals in China. Originated in Europe, the ancestors first entered Southeast Asia from Europe through Africa and then to Asia, and then along the river valleys or lowlands into the subtropical forests with tropical karst landforms in South and Southwest China, that is, to survive and thrive in the current distribution area to form a dominant population.

7. Gibbon: gibbon is a national first-class protected animal, named for its long forearm. It has 44 chromosomes. It is the smallest species of apes and the quickest and most flexible one. It is called "four great apes" with three kinds of orangutans. At present, there are seven species of gibbons in the world. There are five species of gibbons in China, namely, white-handed gibbons, white-eyeed gibbons, Hainan black-crowned gibbons, black gibbons and white-cheeked gibbons.