Is it safe to have a monkey for a pet?

Experts advise that keeping monkeys is dangerous for both the pet owner and the monkey, according to National Geographic. Monkeys are capable of passing diseases to humans and become aggressive upon reaching sexual maturity.

Monkeys can spread viruses, fungal infections, bacterial infections and parasitic infections such as the Herpes B virus, monkeypox and Ebola. Since monkeys are unpredictable and are strong even when small, pet owners are also at risk of serious injury. As of 2013, there are over 230 reports of monkey attacks against adults and children. As of 2015, more than 21 states have a full or partial ban on the private ownership of monkeys.