Up next in 10
For years, viral videos have shown baboons cradling puppies and monkeys grooming dogs, images so heartwarming they ignite our imaginations.
As dog owners and lifelong dog enthusiasts, we’ve fielded countless questions about these unlikely pairings. “Do monkeys keep dogs as pets like we do?”
The answer isn’t straightforward, but the journey to unravel this mystery reveals astonishing truths about animal intelligence, cross-species bonds, and why dogs remain humanity’s irreplaceable companions.
🐾 Read the full article at Doggozila Magazine at the link below: 👇
🔗 https://doggozila.com/do-monkeys-keep-dogs-as-pets/
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
You've seen them, right? Those videos
0:01
that pop up on your feed. A baboon
0:03
gently cradling a tiny puppy or a monkey
0:06
that's carefully grooming a dog. I mean,
0:08
they're pretty incredible to watch. And
0:10
they've kicked off this huge debate
0:12
online. Are we actually seeing a new
0:14
kind of friendship between species? And
0:17
that's the big question we're diving
0:18
into today. Do monkeys really adopt
0:21
dogs? You know, forming bonds just like
0:23
we do with our own pets? Well, the real
0:26
story is a whole lot more complicated.
0:28
And honestly, it's even more fascinating
0:30
than you might think. I mean, come on.
0:32
The idea of a monkey and a puppy being
0:34
best friends is just it's completely
0:36
irresistible, isn't it? There's
0:39
something about it that feels so
0:40
familiar, almost like it mirrors the
0:42
exact relationship we have with our own
0:44
dogs. And that's probably why these
0:46
clips just pull at our heartstrings.
0:48
When we see a monkey snuggling a puppy,
0:51
it triggers that same warm, fuzzy
0:53
feeling we get when we're playing with
0:54
our own dog. We can't help but project
0:56
our own emotions onto the scene,
0:58
imagining that they're feeling that same
1:00
kind of connection. But is that what's
1:03
really going on here? All right, so to
1:06
get to the truth, we've got to look past
1:08
the cute and cuddly fantasy and dig into
1:11
the science of it all. So, let's peel
1:13
back the layers on these viral videos
1:15
and see what's actually happening. You
1:18
know, this whole fascination isn't
1:20
exactly new. It really kicked into high
1:22
gear back in 2011 with a clip from a
1:25
nature documentary. Then a few years
1:27
later in 2015, more footage from Saudi
1:30
Arabia went viral. And just recently, a
1:32
student in Ethiopia filmed similar
1:34
stuff, which brought the whole question
1:36
roaring back to life. Okay, so this is
1:39
where it gets really interesting. On one
1:41
hand, you've got what we think we're
1:43
seeing in these clips. It looks like
1:45
nurturing, affection, maybe even play.
1:48
But when scientists look at it, it's a
1:49
completely different story. That
1:51
nurturing is often a kidnapping. The
1:54
grooming is a social power move. And
1:56
that loving family is really just a
1:58
temporary arrangement that serves a very
2:01
specific purpose. And this is where
2:03
things take a pretty dark turn. This
2:06
quote comes from Dr. Shirley Strum, a
2:08
primate researcher who's been studying
2:10
baboons for over 50 years. And she
2:13
points out a really grim reality.
2:15
Without their mother's milk and proper
2:16
care, these puppies just don't make it.
2:19
They either starve or they die from
2:21
their injuries. So, if it's not love and
2:24
it's not companionship, what on earth is
2:26
motivating these primates to do this?
2:28
Well, the answer comes down to one
2:29
thing. Pure cold strategy. And this
2:33
leads us to what scientists call the
2:35
buffer theory. Okay, so picture this. A
2:37
lower ranking male baboon knows a
2:39
bigger, more dominant male might attack
2:41
him. But if he's holding an infant, that
2:43
dominant male is way less likely to get
2:45
aggressive. And it turns out a small
2:47
squealing puppy works just as well as a
2:49
baboon infant. It's not a pet. It's a
2:51
tool. It's a little furry don't attack
2:53
me shield. And Dr. Strum couldn't be
2:56
more clear on this. From the baboon's
2:58
perspective, this has absolutely nothing
3:00
to do with keeping a pet. It's a
3:02
calculated tactic for survival in a
3:04
really tough social world. And it's not
3:07
just about the buffer theory. These
3:09
interactions are often just about what's
3:11
convenient at the moment. Like at
3:12
garbage dumps, dogs will act as
3:14
lookouts, barking if there's a threat,
3:16
and in return, they get some food
3:18
scraps. These are temporary teamups, not
3:20
friendships. There's zero evidence of
3:22
any real long-term emotional bond. Now,
3:25
when you contrast all of that with our
3:28
relationship with dogs, wow, it just
3:30
makes you realize how unbelievably
3:32
special the human dog bond is. This
3:35
isn't just some random thing. It's a
3:37
deep connection that's been evolving for
3:39
thousands and thousands of years. 40,000
3:42
years. Just let that number sink in.
3:45
That's how long we and dogs have been
3:47
shaping each other's evolution. We've
3:49
literally built a unique biological
3:51
connection that a primate in the wild
3:53
just can't replicate. It's hardwired
3:55
into us. And we've got the science to
3:58
prove it. It's this amazing thing called
4:00
the oxytocin loop. When you and your dog
4:03
just look into each other's eyes, this
4:05
hormone called oxytocin, people call it
4:07
the love hormone, floods both of your
4:10
brains. It's the same hormone that bonds
4:12
mothers and babies. It creates this
4:14
powerful repeating cycle of affection
4:17
that is just completely missing from
4:18
those monkey dog interactions. This
4:21
quote from biologist Timothy Standish,
4:23
who actually owned a monkey, just hits
4:26
the nail on the head. Dogs are capable
4:28
of building real two-way relationships,
4:32
but for a primate, a partner, even a
4:35
human is often just a resource, a way to
4:37
get something, a vending machine. Okay,
4:40
so we've kind of busted the myth of the
4:42
monkey pet. But after all this, what's
4:45
the big takeaway? What can these weird
4:47
temporary alliances in the wild actually
4:49
teach us as people who love our dogs?
4:52
Well, I think these wild interactions
4:54
are a powerful reminder that the trust
4:56
we have with our dogs, it's not
4:58
automatic. Unlike the baboon, which is
5:00
just using a puppy, our bond is built
5:03
patiently through consistency and real
5:05
affection. It reminds us that the
5:07
empathy we show to another species isn't
5:09
just a nice feeling. It's a massive
5:11
evolutionary achievement. So, really, it
5:14
all boils down to this. Monkeys don't
5:16
keep pets. Their relationships with dogs
5:19
are about strategy, opportunity, and
5:21
survival. The fact that we do, that we
5:24
open our homes, our families, and our
5:26
hearts to form these deep biological
5:28
bonds with a totally different species,
5:30
what does that say about us? It kind of
5:32
suggests that our ability to care like
5:34
that across species lines might be one
5:36
of the most uniquely human things we do.