Monkey Business: A History of Nonhuman Primate Rights

Monkey Business: A History of Nonhuman Primate Rights examines the diverse issues involved with accepting mankind's closest relative into its ever-expanding circle of ethical consideration. Apes, monkeys, and other nonhuman primates have a dual role in modern society. They are revered for their intelligence, uncanny mimicry, and biological relation to humans, yet are often forced to spend entire lifetimes as unwilling participants in the research, entertainment, and pet industries. Media coverage of topics like primate pet attacks and exotic animal legislative changes have been steadily increasing. The treatment of nonhuman primates is evolving as technology improves the way research is conducted, exotic animal legislation becomes increasingly restrictive, and public outcries arise in response to advertisements using ape actors. Judicial systems throughout the world are granting nonhuman primates new legal protections, and the inherent rights of various primate species are being explored more than ever before. In response to this topic of increasing relevance, Monkey Business: A History of Nonhuman Primate Rights is the first objective, comprehensive book to document the state of nonhuman primates in modern culture.