Can You Legally Own A Pet Monkey in PA?

If there’s one thing that’s true about humans it’s that they care more about animals than they do about other humans.

I feel as though most people would do anything for their pet, but will be rude to another human without even thinking twice.

I know a lot of animal lovers in my life and I’m one of them! If you have a pet, no matter what kind it is, they’re one of the most important things in your life.

No matter if you’re a dog person, cat person, gerbil person, or fish person, odds are you have/had a pet in your life that you would do quite literally anything for.

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If you’re an animal person like me, you know there are some weird animals that you wish you could have as pets.

Maybe it was a cute Instagram picture or a hilarious TikTok you saw that made you want some really bizarre pet that’s out of the ordinary.

I’ve seen a ton of adorable monkey videos online and it always makes me think, “What if?”.

I know plenty of people think it’s crazy to want a monkey as a pet, but how cool would it be?

Then I started thinking “Is it even legal?”.

Here’s what I found out:

Is It Legal To Own A Monkey in Pennsylvania?

According to a state law stated by Animal Law,

“The regulations prohibit the importation, possession, sale, and release of “all families of nonhuman primates.” with exceptions for those with a valid permit (58 Pa. Code § 137.1)”

Other sources say that while you can obtain a permit, it’s highly unlikely to get approved for one, so let’s just say it’s illegal to most people in Pennsylvania with the exception of very few people.

Even though it would be a cool pet, let’s stick to cats, dogs, and hamsters, people.