MONKEY BUSINESS BUREAU (MBB) Better Business Bureau for those involved in Monkey Business-- or up to it at your expense!
"Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission - to be of service to them wherever they require it."
Saint Francis of Assisi (c. 1181 - 1226)
From time to time all of us have encountered businesses or agencies that for some reason feel the need to misrepresent, overcharge, oversell, or mislead. Somehow when we are dealing with a living creature like a monkey, we choose to think the best and assume that the people have only the best interests of the monkey in mind. Sadly that isn't the case. There are breeders that sell monkeys they don't have. There are brokers that pass off re-homed monkeys as infants. And, worst of all, there are sanctuaries that aren't sanctuaries at all, but simply fronts for a way to extort money from caring people and use the animals for a tax shelter. There is big money to be made and exotic pet sales and sanctuary donations can be lucrative. So, if you are one of the people that entered into a situation with good intentions and feel that you were taken for a ride, here is your chance to expose the culprits. You can remain anonymous if you so choose. I will contact the facility on your behalf and get their side of the story. I will print your complaint exactly as received and allow people to make up their own mind. Understand that after a while, if there are enough complaints against a facility, their customers and donations will soon be non-existent. Weeding out the bad guys for the common good will benefit monkeys and monkey owners alike. Here is your opportunity to voice a complaint. Please email me at LindaLawrence@aol.com and lets help clean up the mess. These unscrupulous and uncaring people have been causing harm for way to long.
SCAM ALERT! LISA WHITEAKER aka LISA HALFREY The Monkey Lady Las Vegas, Nevada dba MonkeyZone.com dba Monkeypro.com
If you hear of a monkey for sale or "in-home monkey training" offered from this person. please do NOT send her any money or fall prey to one of her numerous scams. She is not FDA licensed to sell or breed monkeys and to date has scammed people out of thousands of dollars for monkeys and services not delivered.Her USDA license was revoked following findings of animal abuse, neglect and numerous counts of fraud. She offers costly live-in monkey training and ridiculously expensive, worthless phone counseling sessions claiming to help you train your monkey; all of which you can learn free by joining one of the many monkey groups available. She has successfully bilked dozens of people. She manages to deliver a convincing sales pitch that her service has value much the same way she has sold people monkeys she didn't have to sell. She has been court ordered to no longer handle ANY animals. Her claims of "certification and licensing" are bogus as she has never been listed with "Helping Hands" or any legitimate "service monkey" organization. Ask for her certifications, where and by whom she was supposedly certified and then follow up on it. There is NO recognized certification for monkey training! Don't take her word for anything. Please take the time to do a quick web search and investigate her name and reputation before you trust her with your beloved fur baby or your credit card number. If you are having serious issues of behavior with your monkey, email me and I will put you in touch with experienced and dedicated monkey moms that will help you free... all for the love of the monkey!
SCAM ALERT! Richard Miller DVM dba Capuchin World
Please beware of a breeder dba Capuchin World, currently conducting business on The Primate Store.com. Capuchin World is owned by Richard Miller DVM out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This breeding facility has been cited and fined in the past for abhorrent conditions and less than humane treatment of animals. Typically, Miller (dba Capuchin World) has been hiding behind independent brokers when selling sick and genetically compromised monkeys. There are now so many complaints against him that he is auctioning and selling on his own as more brokers are refusing to sell his stock. He was recently seen at an auction attempting to sell obviously ill animals in need of medical attention. His cruel neglect and disregard for the heartbreak of owners losing young monkeys places him at the top of our Scammer List.
SCAM ALERT! INTERNET SCAMS
If you hear of a monkey for sale on the internet from supposedly licensed breeders or brokers, please be careful of almost epidemic fraudulent and illegal trafficking in monkeys. If this ad claims to have the perfect monkey for you...trust that regardless of what species or sex you want they (amazingly) just happen to have it.! If they are in any foreign country, understand that absolutely NO primate can be imported from anywhere for private ownership. Below is just one such example of a fraudulent ad. Following my request, they claimed to have available a pug-nosed, red handed, golden tamarin at a ridiculously low price. Uh... there is no such animal. It was made up just to expose them as scam artists. The photo they sent of the animal was just one found on the internet (a random snap of an infant tamarin obtained from any information site) and the photo sent of themselves was clearly one that came with a frame or wallet purchase. Beware of any and all ads of this type. They are out to take you for every dollar they can get and the pain and financial loss they inflict are all too common place. From: Jessica Bill Subject: tamarin available Date: Friday. April 30, 2010, 10:20 AM Blessings, Thanks for the interest you have in the Tamarin We are presently in Cameroon and we will be transporting the babies over to you. I'm working with the veterinary clinic here and my husband is a Pastor is the Presbyterian Church here. All you are going to pay to get the babies right to your house is $385 for the transportation right to your house.That's all you need to pay.The babies that we have are very friendly and are just 16 weeks old now. Their names are Terry & Thermal.They respond to their names. Terry is the male and Thelma is the female, they do not breed.. The adult will be about one pound at maturity and reach a body size of 9-11 inches with a tail that will grow to 12-14". Their tail is not prehensile but is used for balance. The infant will wean at about eight weeks old and reaches puberty at approximately 6-8 months old. They will reach sexual maturity at eighteen months old.The Tamarin can reproduce at 16-20 months old and has a gestation period of 150 days. They can have from one to four babies but will usually produce twins. Tamarins will generally breed twice a year. the tamarin will have a life span of approximately fifteen years in captivity. You don't need to spend 24 hours with the babies.In captivity we use a prepared marmoset diet, fruits and Vegetables and Acacia gum for their food. I 'm giving them out because i have a lot of work now and less time to look after the babies. So what i need from you right now are your addresses which i will use to register the babies with for transportation to your location. I will be needing your:
Complete name: House address: City/State/Zip Code and the name of any major airport close to your house where the babies will be transported over to.The babies are having the general permit for pets and they can easily be transported any where. Here are their pictures. I have also attached a picture of my husband and I and I will also like to have yours just to see the face of the people that will be taking the babies.
If you have general questions or need details about any of our products, or if you just need to "monkey" talk, please contact me at (253) 862-0432 or email me at LindaLawrence@aol.com If I'm unable to answer your questions, I'll do my best to direct you to someone who can.