17 Vintage Photos Prove That Chimps Make Wonderful Pets.


A young boy enjoys the company of his family's pet chimp.

It's a shame that the media feels like it has to sensationalize a couple of high-profile chimpanzee attacks when the species has been such a loyal, loving companion to mankind since Victorian times. Did you know? In the late 1800s all the way up until the early 1960s, chimpanzees were common as household pets, though I use the phrase "pets" loosely here, because they were so much more, as these vintage photos show!

What's that, little Sally? No one will engage you in a game of chess? That's okay. It was discovered in the 1930s that chimps were quite adept at playing chess, even going as far to challenge (and beat!) a couple of Grand Masters.

With the onset of WW2 and a lot of daddys off fighting and mothers helping out with war effort too, who can watch after junior? Why, the family chimp of course! Did you know they were once known as "Nature's Nursemaids?" They were tasked with a variety of duties, such as bottle feeding...

Cooking up a delicious dinner! That smells amazing!
Easy on the bananas, though!

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Typically, babies in American and UK households were brought up as infants with infant chimps, as this photo proves beyond any doubt.

Of course, after dinner, there's always room for desert!

Who is up for a nice refreshing soda?

Ask anyone over the age of 60 and I bet their first kiss was with the family chimp! Pucker up, loverboy, don't be shy!

Of course, chimps were always up for clowning around! Do these guys look like they could rip off a person's face to you?

Another "Dangerous, arm-ripping-off chimp" comforts a small child.

Anyone up for a game of golf? I warn you, the chimp has a good swing!

But it wasn't all fun and games. Chimps took their role as "Nature's Nursemaid" seriously, as this fellow shows! Good luck messing with the child he's looking after!

Sometime's the chimp's role was just to provide company; a safe, loving, dependable friend that was always there...

or a partner in crime!

While most of us grew up with stories of how our grandparents had chimpanzee chauffeurs, it bears repeating, as driving a car is a very important job.

In fact, chimps were often treated to haircuts just like any other member of the family. Not too much off the back, please!

As these photos prove, chimps make wonderful companion animals for families, especially familes with small children! It's all in how you raise them. Honestly, it's the little monkeys, like spider monkeys that scare me. So don't buy into the media hype that would have you believe that a 150 lb male chimpanzee is dangerous and should be banned as a pet! Cars kill people, too, I guess we should ban them too?