Officials investigating if Pasco monkeys are owned legally

The future of two capuchin monkeys confiscated from a Pasco home is up in the air while animal control officials sort out whether the pets are owned legally.

The primates were taken Sunday from their home on White Bluff Court after the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter received complaints, said Director Angela Zilar.

The male monkeys are being cared for at the Pasco shelter where they will be quarantined until at least next week.

A state law passed in 2007 prohibits citizens from owning potentially dangerous wild animals. However, anyone who owned an animal on the banned list before July 2007 is allowed to legally own it until it dies.

The owner must provide proof and date of ownership, according to state law. Veterinary records must be maintained and documents showing how the animal was brought into the state can be requested.

As of Tuesday, the owner of the monkeys had not provided proof that she owned the pets prior to July 2007, Zilar told the Herald. If the monkeys are owned illegally, they will likely go to a zoo, sanctuary or somewhere approved by state officials.

“(The owner) is trying to come up with the documentation at this time,” Zilar said. “She believes she has documentation.”

Animal control officials first got a complaint late last year about the monkeys living in a Kennewick home, Zilar said. They contacted the woman, checked the home and found signs that monkeys were living there.

But no monkeys were found. The woman claimed a visitor had brought monkeys by and left a cage and other supplies behind.

Officials at the shelter were suspicious and believed the woman was hiding the monkeys, Zilar said. “She wasn’t forthcoming,” she said.

Shelter officials started getting more information last month about the whereabouts of the monkeys, Zilar said. The owner claimed she was living in Benton City, but officials got a tip that she was actually keeping the animals at the Pasco home.

Officials contacted the police who helped serve a warrant at the White Bluff Court home where the monkeys were found.

Animal control had been investigating after allegations had been made of an animal bite in Kennewick in the fall and that the monkeys were not properly vaccinated, according to Pasco police.

The woman apparently denied knowing about the monkeys before ultimately confessing she owned them, Zilar said.

It’s unclear if the owner has been cited for possessing the animals, which live in South and Central America and normally weigh between three and 10 pounds.

Shelter workers are trying to learn as much about the species as possible and what health risks, if any, the two monkeys may present, Zilar said.

The monkeys are being housed in separate cages next to one another at the shelter. Their owner dropped off food and feeding tips for the staff.

Zilar told the Herald the monkeys seem to be adjusting well, though they are a little stressed by the ordeal.

“This is kind of something new for us, too,” she said. “This is very unusual for many animal controls.”

Shelter staff, Zilar said, are unclear what the next steps will be in determining where the monkeys go. There will likely be several city, county and state agencies, as well as the owner, involved in the process.

Zilar told the Herald she understands the heartache of the owner over losing her pets, but officials are simply doing their jobs.

“We are only enforcing the law as it’s written,” she said.

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 6:45 PM with the headline "Officials investigating if Pasco monkeys are owned legally."