Baby monkeys are adorable it’s undeniable that baby monkeys make most of us smile. It may seem harmless to keep an “orphaned” baby monkey as a pet in diapers and baby clothes, bottle feeding it as an eternal, cherished toddler. Or, it may seem harmless to watch the seeming less endless dramatics of reality-TV-like monkey shows. On YouTube, monkeys in Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam are in danger. 

Baby monkeys kept as pets are often endangered animals (such as bear or stump tail macaques) they are pried from their mothers breasts after their mothers are killed by poachers. While it may be cute to watch baby monkeys being coddled with human baby attention, they are not met with the essential nutrition or emotional bonding from constant primate clinging contact and develop neurotic behaviors. Monkey ownership is regulated so few “monkey owners” will take a monkey for medical care if they are sick. Worst of all, as soon as the monkey stops getting views because it’s “too big to be cute,” the monkey is abandoned in the forest without skills to survive, or will meet an elaborately staged death for views based on shock value. 

This atrocity goes deeper than just an occasional one-off monkey. Several baby monkeys have multiple channels where there owners will confusingly introduce new “playmates” and “siblings” which equate to more poaching and animal trafficking victims. Animals are intentionally mistreated in a plea for people to send money and supplies to better care for the animals whose conditions continue to deteriorate until the “owners” literally film the last breath, corpse, and burial. All as separate videos to garner optimal viewership of course. 2 pound babies given tablespoons of cough medication, babies held up to a dart board, sprayed with flammable liquid and put close to open flames to “encourage healing” and a constant diet of candy, cakes, and soda to the chagrin of the protesting American audience. Reports are sent to the respective countries authorities but the volume is too much for any agency to keep up with. 

Cambodian monkey reality style shows appear to be documentary style channels about the monkeys of Angkor Wat. The motherhood and infant mortality rate has suddenly become abysmal in the troupes of monkeys they follow. There are accusations of poisoning monkeys, videographers hurting monkeys themselves, and feeding babies to other troupes to cause suffering and discord. Whether or not any of these accusations are true - the thing most readily apparent is these monkeys are irritated and inconvenienced by the constant presence of humans in their space. 

There are too many channels for YouTube to regulate. YouTube must take action and BAN primate videos outside of educational purposes. Similar regulations have already been implemented on Asian social media platforms. 

We realize a ban will not stop monkey exploitation with a ban on YouTube, but it will remove a huge audience and reduce the incentive to continue this disgusting trend. 

Please join us in saving these animals! They deserve better. Help us raise our voices for the monkeys who do not have a voice.