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Defector ·Smart escape

Can a Monkey Have a Pet?

by Sabrina Imbler

Published 2026-07-31 18:11:46+00:00

Where does the urge to care for an entirely different species actually come from?

0:00 / 10:32 · Narrator Gacrux

Context

Biologists keep catching monkeys and apes caring for other animals, challenging the idea that keeping pets is a uniquely human habit. In this piece from 31 July 2026, the central question goes beyond whether a macaque can adopt a chicken or a baboon can raise a puppy. It asks where the urge to live alongside other species actually comes from. If wild primates regularly seek out animal companions, the capacity for cross-species friendship might have been sitting in the primate family tree all along.

Show notes

A report on a recent study cataloging more than 400 cases of wild and captive primates interacting with other animal species. The research groups these encounters into behaviors ranging from cross-species adoption to abduction, mapping a continuum from care to harm. The findings suggest that the behavioral traits required for human pet-keeping have older evolutionary origins.

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