Monkey Love

I have never particularly liked monkeys, not real ones at the zoo or cartoon ones like Curious George, or the ones in between that star in movies and commercials. I read with horror about the recent chimpanzee attack on a woman here in Connecticut. And then with total incomprehension when I saw this article on primate pets in the NYTimes. These aren't cute little furry critters--they're wild animals that would instinctively kill you in their need for dominance. That's not to say I don't understand the love and dedication people have for their companion animals--and it must have been devastating for the chimp owner to stab him in an effort to save her friend--it's just that I didn't know that my mistrust of monkeys was actually well-founded.