Pasco couple willing to fight for their ‘babies’

Monica Bachmann proudly showed off a video of her baby taking a shower in the sink.

Little Cyrus happily splashed in the water as Bachmann encouraged him in the background.

“See,” she says, holding out her cellphone. “I wanted to show they aren’t aggressive. They laugh. They play.”

The Pasco woman is in the midst of a battle with animal control officials about whether her two capuchin monkeys live in her home legally.

The male monkeys, Cyrus, 9, and Coliane, 2, were confiscated by officials from the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter on Feb. 14 after police served a warrant at the Bachmann home on White Bluff Court.

The monkeys, which are not siblings, were purchased from breeders in Louisiana and Tennessee, Bachmann said.

They are under quarantine at the Pasco animal shelter while officials try and sort out whether they will be returned to Bachmann and her husband Robert.

The monkeys were taken after officials received complaints about them. They are typically found in South and Central America and weigh between 3 and 10 pounds.

The situation has left the Bachmanns heartbroken, they said.

“I could not have children. I’ve tried and tried,” Monica said. “I’ve had miscarriages and miscarriages. This was a void filled for me. I can’t function.”

A 2007 state law bans citizens from owning monkeys and other wild animals considered potentially dangerous. However, there is an exception to the law that allows people to possess a wild pet if they owned the animal before July 2007.

Owners must show proof the animal was owned before 2007. Officials also can ask for veterinary records and documents showing how the animal was brought into the state.

The Bachmanns had been under investigation since a complaint about the monkeys was received late last year, officials said. Their Kennewick home was searched, and although cages and supplies were found, the monkeys weren’t there.

Animal control officials were suspicious, but Monica Bachmann denied owning the monkeys, officials said.

Monica Bachmann admits she lied to animal control officials about owning monkeys because she was afraid of losing them. The couple moved soon after the search.

She compared the situation to children being taken away by Child Protective Services.

“You would be devastated,” she said. “Your kid would be devastated.”

The couple said they bought Cyrus for $12,000 in 2006 from a breeder in Louisiana. Monica Bachmann picked up the monkey in Las Vegas and brought him back to Benton City.

Cyrus is a ball of energy and enjoys watching Golden Girls on his TV, she said. The monkeys are allowed to run around the house. They sleep in Monica Bachmann’s arms.

Monica Bachmann showed the Herald a copy of a document that she claims is proof that Cyrus was purchased in 2006. She is working to gather more documents, including veterinary reports, to give to animal control.

Jon Funfar, spokesman for the city of Pasco, said Friday the city is still investigating “the veracity of the documents” to determine if the claims are legitimate.

Coliane was purchased for $12,000 a little more than two years ago from Tennessee and delivered to the Bachmanns’ home, Monica said. He is the quiet one of the pair and listens well.

That would mean, according to state law, Coliane is owned illegally.

Monica said she didn’t know about the law until recently. She knows there is a chance Coliane could never be returned home.

“(Animal control officials) already told me I am already going to lose him,” she said.

If Colaine isn’t allowed to come home, Monica wants to be involved in the process of deciding where he goes.

The monkeys may be sent to a zoo or sanctuary if it’s determined they aren’t legal.

Robert Bachmann became emotional when he began to talk about the monkeys, moving and the thought of them having to fend for themselves with other primates.

“It’s like if you had a kid and martial law took over,” he said. “It’s just sad.”

Monica said she is going to fight as hard as she can to bring her monkeys home, where there is a large area set up in the living room for them to play.

The Bachmanns say they have contacted an attorney to help in the case.

“Most people think I’m crazy,” Monica Bachmann said. “They say they are just animals. But they are my babies.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Pasco couple willing to fight for their ‘babies’."