domesticating chimps. why not

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I was watching animal planet yesterday and there was a piece on chimps being endangered and going extinct. I got to thinking and it seems like chimpanzees would make a great animal to domesticate, perhaps even better than the wolf. They are smart, can be toilet trained and bond with humans. Plus they could be trained to do all sorts of helpful things that dogs can't do while still providing security.

So why haven't humans ever set about domesticating the larger monkies? Putting aside the animal rights concerns doesn't this seem like a worth while endeavor?

[mostsmooth]

two words:
planet of the apes

[MonkeeMan]

They'll steal your stash and [censored] your woman and laugh about it.

[Emmitt2222]

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They'll steal your stash and [censored] your woman and laugh about it.

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The point is, how do you know the [monkey] isn't a crazy glue sniffer? "Building model airplanes" says the little [monkey], but we're not buying it. Next thing you know, there's money missing off the dresser and your daughter's knocked up, I seen it a hundred times.

[UncleSalty]

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[ QUOTE ]
They'll steal your stash and [censored] your woman and laugh about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

The point is, how do you know the [monkey] isn't a crazy glue sniffer? "Building model airplanes" says the little [monkey], but we're not buying it. Next thing you know, there's money missing off the dresser and your daughter's knocked up, I seen it a hundred times.

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Tell ya what, if you want me to domesticate a box and mark it "chimp" I will, I got spare time...

[UncleSalty]

I think the issue is that chimps are so intelligent and share so much of our DNA that there are ethical questions with treating them like pack animals or dogs. It's pretty amazing the range of personalities and capability to learn these little critters have shown.

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I think the issue is that chimps are so intelligent and share so much of our DNA that there are ethical questions with treating them like pack animals or dogs. It's pretty amazing the range of personalities and capability to learn these little critters have shown.

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Yeah I'm sure this is alot of it. I wonder if facing ever decreasing numbers would change that at all. Is having domesticated aragatangs or chimps better than having non or very few at all?

[UncleSalty]

Blarg brings up excellent points as well. Think Sigfried and Roy, but with the added ability to use blunt objects as tools...

Edit: Which pretty much gets us to mostsmooths point.

Edit2: Except chimps can probably count to 4... [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

[rusellmj]

There was a local (socal) case earlier in the year where a guy was attacked by two chimps. He was visiting a chimp he raised that was now in a refuge. It was his chimps birthday IIRC. Two other chimps got jealous.

The attacking chimps bit off most if no all his fingers and some toes I believe. The guy suffered multiple savage bites to the groin and they gouged his eyes out.

I guess chimps like biting off fingers in an attempt to permanently mame their foe. The guys own chimp had bitten a ladies thumb off years earlier which is why he went to the refuge.

When I saw this thread, I thought of that attack as well.

Mauled genitals.