The Story of Gizmo the Vervet, Former “Pet” and Current Sanctuary Resident – Part One

Consider a unique view of the primate pet trade from the perspective of “M,” who purchased a baby monkey called Gizmo with the intention of keeping him as a pet. Realizing her mistake and having learned some valuable lessons, she rehomed Gizmo to Born Free USA’s primate sanctuary in the summer of 2023. Here, she shares her story in a three-part blog series.

Part One – The Calm Before the Storm

In late August 2023, a seven-year-old vervet monkey named Gizmo was driven cross-country from Wisconsin to Texas to begin his new life at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary.

Gizmo’s former owner, “M,” had reached the point that she could no longer handle the growing monkey. He had become so aggressive that he seriously injured a family member who required multiple stitches to their head and arm following an attack. We are grateful that, at that point, M chose to reach out to Born Free USA to seek our help and to allow Gizmo to move to a new environment where he could thrive.

Gizmo’s story is like that of so many other monkeys sold into the pet trade.

This is Gizmo’s story in his former owner’s own words:

All my life I had wanted a monkey, I can remember when I was about two years old, we went to a pet store in town where they had one and I cried and cried that I wanted him.

When I became an adult, I really didn’t think about it too much until I started seeing them in homes on Facebook. I researched it a little more and realized that I would never be able to afford one but continued to think about it daily. After unexpectedly coming into some money, I saw an advertisement for a “Once in a lifetime pricing of green monkeys $3,000.” That is where it all began.

First, I called around to make sure we had a vet who would be willing to see him, then we made plans to drive down to Mission, Texas. We arrived on August 15th to pick up my new baby.

We talked to the breeder for a while, he offered us dinner and I thought that “Yes, this really feels right.” Finally I got to meet my baby, Gizmo. The breeder showed us how to feed him, bathe him, and diaper him. We left and stopped in Oklahoma on our way home (hiding Gizmo in a carrier – not wanting the motel to know we had a pet). On the way home we would stop at gas stations so I could warm up his formula.

For the first year it was great. We took him everywhere with us. On the boat, on car rides, to the movies. Eventually that got too hard because he would tear through anything that was soft so we could not contain him safely in public. As he got older and stronger, I could no longer take him out and do the things I thought he loved to do because if I moved the wrong way or there was a loud noise he would attack. So, we started keeping him in more and just playing inside with him. He was no longer getting the sunlight he needed so I bought special light bulbs and vitamin D supplements. I thought that this would be okay.

This is part one of a three-part blog series recounting Gizmo’s story in his former owner’s own words. Be sure to also read part two and part three of the series!