Helping Hands.

Last night on the Channel 7 program "Sunday" they featured a segment on animals helping disabled people. The program featured a pony, a dog and a monkey. I do not know too much about the training of dogs and ponies but have read a lot about monkeys (mainly capuchins) and their training etc to help disabled people.

Capuchins have their teeth removed so they do not attack the disabled person once they mature sexually. They are denied proper diets because of removal of teeth, they are denied companionship from other monkeys and the training is not pleasant. They are basically a slave.

Helping hands was featured on last night program warning Channel 7 the animal rights people will speak out.

There was one attempt that I know of to train a macaque to help disabled in Australia. We got photos of this monkey and eventually got the authorities to remove the macaque. He was brought to NSW and the zoo eventually closed down. There have been humans attacked by their monkey carers.

Please watch this at http://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/

 There is a segment titles Lives changed by animal helpers. Then if you are alarmed at this there is a "Contact Us" button. Please send you comments. Primates for Primates and IPPL Australia will be contacting them with reasons that explain that this is not the warm fuzzy feeling story they were trying to make out it was.