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

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.

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.

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:

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.