Bill would allow disabled Georgians to keep monkeys as helpers

<p>Rep. Doug Holt, R-Social Circle, has introduced a bill that would allow disabled Georgians to keep monkeys as helpers, making an exception to Georgia law that bans monkeys from being kept as pets.</p><p>"With ample safeguards in place, why shouldn't we do all we can to help the disabled?" Holt said.</p><p>A Boston nonprofit group, "Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled," trains small monkeys to help with errands like getting food, picking up dropped objects and changing a CD.</p><p>A quadriplegic Covington woman was about to receive a free monkey from the group in 2004 when she discovered the ban.</p><p>Now Helen Sterling, 42, hopes Holt's bill will change that, helping her gain more independence through the monkey and also lightening the burden for her 69-year-old mother, who lives with her.</p><p>"It's those hundreds of things a day my mother won't have to do," Sterling said. "So it's not only a gift for me, it's a gift for the caregiver."</p><p>Bill Fletcher, chief of game management for the state's Department of Natural Resources, says his agency supports the plan but also reminds people that monkeys can be a health and safety hazard because they can carry diseases.</p><p>"We want to make sure the legislation doesn't include loopholes for abuse," Fletcher said.</p><p>The bill would allow only those who are severely disabled to get a wild animal permit from the DNR. The animal would have to have been trained by an organization that has at least a 10-year track record.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cd9ea4)</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/1/131498