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Thinking about a pet monkey in New Hampshire? State law says no

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Thinking about a pet monkey in New Hampshire? State law says no


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Maybe you’ve seen the “Friends” episode where Ross adopts a pet monkey named Marcel – only to eventually give him to a zoo because he’s a wild and exotic animal.

If you’re thinking about adopting a monkey in New Hampshire, you may want to think twice: keeping one as a pet is illegal.

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State laws limit which animals can be kept to protect both people and wildlife from harm, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game. Many wild animals don’t do well in homes.

And although monkeys are primates like humans, they have never been domesticated in the United States. Pet monkeys have “attacked and seriously injured their guardians as well as unsuspecting neighbors and their pets,” according to the ASPCA.

Monkeys are not native to the U.S. or Canada. They live primarily in southern Mexico, Central and South America, Africa, and southern Asia, according to the New England Primate Conservancy.

Is it legal to have a pet monkey in New Hampshire?

No, it is not legal to have a pet monkey in New Hampshire, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game. Primates, including capuchins, baboons, orangutans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, are on the state’s list of controlled species.

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In 2024, state lawmakers rejected a bill that would’ve allowed residents to own “small-tailed monkeys” without a permit.

Which mammals are legal to keep as pets in NH?

Domestic animals, including dogs, cats, horses, and cows, are allowed as pets in New Hampshire. And you can actually keep some wild animals without a permit, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game regulations.

Animals are designated controlled or non-controlled based on health, environmental, ecological, or welfare risks to the public or wildlife, per New Hampshire state regulations.

Other non-controlled mammals allowed as pets in New Hampshire:

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Chinchillas, domesticated (Chinchilla spp.)Gerbils, domesticatedGuinea pigs, domesticatedHamsters, domesticated (Cricetus cricetus)Mice, domesticated (Mus musculus)Rats, domesticated (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus)Ferrets, domesticated (Mustela putorius furo)Llamas (Lama glama)Alpaca (Lama pacos)Pot-belly pigs, domesticatedRabbits, domesticatedAfrican pygmy hedgehogSugar glider (Petaurus breviceps)Tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus)Yak (Bos grunniens)Camel (Camelus spp.)Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)Degaus (Octodon degus)Guanaco (Lama quanicoe)Bison (Bison bison, B. bonasus)

Can I apply for a permit for a pet monkey in NH?

Even if you apply for a permit to keep a pet monkey in New Hampshire, you probably won’t receive one if you’re a private citizen.

Only those classified as exhibitors can obtain a wildlife possession permit for a monkey, and the executive director of New Hampshire Fish and Game reviews each application, according to the regulations.

A permit to possess will not be issued if the director determines any significant risk to the animal or the public.



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New Hampshire

Maine woman indicted in killing of her 88‑year‑old mother‑in‑law in Exeter, NH

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Maine woman indicted in killing of her 88‑year‑old mother‑in‑law in Exeter, NH


BRENTWOOD — A Maine woman was indicted this month on charges that she killed her 88‑year‑old mother‑in‑law in her Exeter apartment in 2025.

Danielle Kelsen, 55, was indicted by a Rockingham County grand jury in June on one count of second‑degree murder for “recklessly” causing the death of Janet Kelsen “by inflicting blunt force injuries.” She was also indicted on a misdemeanor charge of wiretapping and eavesdropping for allegedly recording conversations between the two without consent.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt; it means the grand jury found enough evidence to move the case forward to trial.

Janet Kelsen was found dead in her apartment at 133 Front St. in Exeter on the night of Feb. 9, 2025. An autopsy later revealed the cause of death — and confirmed it was a homicide.

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Kelsen was arrested in November of 2025 in Southwest Harbor, Maine, as a fugitive from justice and held without bail in the Hancock County Jail. She initially fought extradition, which forced prosecutors to seek a governor’s warrant to bring her back to New Hampshire. 

Benjamin Agati, a senior NH assistant attorney general, previously said the investigation involved a lengthy examination of the physical evidence, interviewing witnesses and verifying statements. An arrest warrant for Danielle Kelsen was obtained only after authorities had sufficient evidence, he said.

The court has sealed the arrest warrant that outlines the evidence in Kelsen’s case.

On March 3, Kelsen made her first in‑state court appearance in Brentwood District Court and was ordered held without bail.

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If convicted of second‑degree murder, she faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment without parole or “for such term as the court may order,” according to New Hampshire law.

Kelsen is scheduled to be arraigned in Rockingham Superior Court on June 29 at 10 a.m.



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Husband kills wife, then himself, in N.H. home, officials believe

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Husband kills wife, then himself, in N.H. home, officials believe


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Autopsies determined both died from gunshot wounds.

Authorities are investigating an apparent murder-suicide after a husband and wife in their 70s were found dead Tuesday inside their home in Keene, New Hampshire, officials announced. 

Officers with the Keene Police Department responded to a residence on Hurricane Road at 11:10 a.m. to conduct a welfare check, where they discovered the bodies of two adult residents, according to a statement from New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella’s office. 

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The victims were identified Wednesday as Donna Fairbanks, 70, and her husband Chandler Fairbanks, 72. 

Autopsies were conducted Wednesday at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Concord, New Hampshire, prosecutors said. 

Donna Fairbanks died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest, and her death was ruled a homicide. Chandler Fairbanks died from a gunshot wound to the head, and his death was ruled a suicide, according to Formella’s office. 

“Based upon the information available at this time, it appears that on June 16, inside their home, Chandler Fairbanks shot and killed his wife Donna Fairbanks and then shot and killed himself,” prosecutors said. 

Authorities said there is no threat to the public.

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No additional information is expected to be released at this time, according to Formella’s office.

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When and where to celebrate Juneteenth in N.H., the only New England state that doesn’t recognize it as a holiday – The Boston Globe

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When and where to celebrate Juneteenth in N.H., the only New England state that doesn’t recognize it as a holiday – The Boston Globe


With the newest federal holiday, Juneteenth, coming up on Friday, organizers have planned a variety of events to celebrate emancipation from slavery and reflect on American stories that often have been sidelined.

The jubilee, which Black communities had been celebrating for generations before President Joe Biden signed legislation in 2021 to make it a national holiday, has become a touchstone for broader debates about patriotism and the history of racism. While its proximity to the Fourth of July has long irked some detractors, Juneteenth this year coincides with an even bigger milestone: the nation’s 250th birthday.

JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, said her team’s lineup of events — which begin Friday and run through June 28 — are intended to be experienced alongside the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That document captured core American principles and aspirations, she said.

“If we really looked at the Declaration of Independence and strive for those ideals, we would be a stronger and better and more inclusive country than we are right now,” she said.

Juneteenth marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865, which is when the emancipation from slavery was announced in Texas, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation. Texas was the first to recognize it as an official holiday, in 1980. A majority of the states have since followed suit, mostly in the past six years.

New Hampshire is the only state in New England that still doesn’t recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. State lawmakers rejected a proposal in 2024 that would have established the annual holiday. They decided keeping Juneteenth as an annual observance would be “the proper position for New Hampshire.”

Here are some of the Juneteenth events happening in New Hampshire:

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June 17

The Hancock Town Library will host an event at 7 p.m. about the history of Juneteenth and books about African American history.

June 18

The Keene Public Library will host a film screening and Q&A on Thursday, June 18, at 6 p.m. about the 2026 documentary “Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It.”

June 19

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The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will host a Freedom Walk at 9 a.m., followed by a 10 a.m. ceremony at the African Burying Ground in Portsmouth to honor marginalized communities.

The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester will host an all-ages art-making event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a special tour at 1 p.m. highlighting Black American artists.

Juneteenth Nashua will host a Freedom Day celebration from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Downtown Riverwalk.

A group called “DEI in the Lakes & Mountains” will host a celebration at Camp Hale in Center Sandwich from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The city of Keene, W.S. Badger, and the Keene Family YMCA will host a celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. at Fuller Park. The musician JohnLu will perform beginning at 6:30 p.m.

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June 20

Juneteenth New England, organized by BWINH Inc., will host a celebration at 1 p.m. at Crossway Christian Church in Nashua.

June 21

The Black Heritage Trail will have live performers embody five historic African Americans from New Hampshire’s past at 11 a.m. in Portsmouth.

June 28

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The Black Heritage Trail will offer a ticketed guided bus tour beginning at 10 a.m. in Portsmouth, followed by an interactive exhibit at 1 p.m. at the American Independence Center in Exeter.


This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.


Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.





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