Producers: Tom Simon and Joey Allen

Associate Producer: Joan Cornellier

Editor: Dina Potocki

Monkeys and chimps are so much like us. Their faces are as expressive as our own; they are hungry for our touch and will cling to us for hours. What’s more, they look fabulous in kids’ clothes. It’s no wonder that many people looking for a pet to cuddle and coddle just can’t resist the lure of primates.

In this one-hour special we explore the relationships that can form between humans and their primate companions. From a woman who shares her bedroom and her life with eleven Capuchin monkeys to a couple separated from the Chimpanzee they lived with for over thirty years, each of the five stories adds a new perspective to the complicated world of primate ownership. Raising more questions than answers, the program spurs debate about the controversial topic of keeping exotic animals in domestic settings.