19-year-old cousin decides to call animal sanctuary to take her 68-year-old cousin's pet monkey, after years of raising the capuchin irresponsibly: ‘Wild animals are not pets’

Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor

Jun 15, 2026 3:45 PM EDT

You can love animals and want what is best for them, and still be able to recognize that not all animals are meant to be pets.

Dogs, cats, hamsters, and even certain types of birds and snakes are all common pets that you can find in average households. Most common pets are not suitable to be out there in the wild, and need people to take care of them and invite them into their homes so they can live long and fulfilling lives.

That being said, many other animals are the exact opposite. The very last thing they need is any human intervention, and they would be much happier if they were left alone. But while they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves out in the wild, some of us still don't know how to leave well enough alone.

The 68-year-old woman below is raising a 10-year-old capuchin all by herself, and if you know anything about these monkeys, you know that they are not very suitable pets. They are very intelligent animals, which means that being a pet to a bored woman in her 60s is not something they enjoy very much, which seems to be the exact case for Izzy, the capuchin below.

The woman's 19-year-old cousin decided to share their story online after she reached a limit, and had to step up and help Izzy live the life she deserves. After babysitting the sweet monkey and seeing how unhappy she is, the cousin decided it's time to call a sanctuary or animal control and let them handle the situation.

We can't help but be reminded of Ross and his own capuchin pet, Marcel, from Friends. It didn't take long for Ross to realize that Marcel does not deserve to live his life as a pet, so Ross gave him up to the Zoo, a much more suitable place for a wild monkey.

Will this pet owner reach the same conclusion with the help of her cousin?

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