How the TSA Plans On Inspecting Your Monkey 114
The uncertainty of what might happen to your service monkey at an airport security checkpoint won't keep you awake at night anymore, thanks to the TSA. They have issued an easy to follow list of how they will ensure your helper monkey won't go all Planet of the Apes on your flight. Some of the security techniques used to make sure your primate is not a terrorist include: "Security Officers will conduct a visual inspection on the service monkey and will coach the handler on how to hold the monkey during the visual inspection. The inspection process may require that the handler to take off the monkey's diaper as part of the visual inspection."
Re:wtf? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Two trained animals in these (Score:2, Insightful)
So if you do some reading.. Most "Helper Monkeys" are given to people that have lost use of their arms/hands.. and yet the TSA mentions "will coach the handler on how to hold the monkey during the visual inspection" and "The inspection process may require that the handler to take off the monkey’s diaper as part of the visual inspection." and "Only the handler will touch or interact with the service monkey."..
Mind you the question does come to mind how the helper monkey's diaper would get changed if you have no use of your hands..Would the monkey change it?
Re:wow. they *exist* (Score:3, Insightful)
There are helper monkeys? And here I've been getting my own beer from the fridge like a sucker!
Re:A service monkey? Really? (Score:3, Insightful)
I was thinking on this too, we don't have to put diapers on dogs or cats. But it just must be the "nature of the beaste" to not be easy to toilet train. It may simply be the case that monkeys don't have sufficient warning, control, and capacity to "hold it" if they have to go. Sort of like having to pull over every 45 minutes when you're on a car trip with a four year old passenger. The diaper is probably not their regular choice for the monkey, but more to prevent a mess if things get unpredictable.
And then there's the whole thing about monkeys (chimps mostly) entertaining themselves by flinging poo. The picture looked like a macaque, I don't recall hearing about them flinging poo at the zoos like you hear from time to time with the chimps. And a macaque would make a much better service animal just for the small adult size. (chimps get big and very strong, some have been known to outright beat up their handlers)