I'm a vet and this is why you should NEVER keep a baby monkey as a pet - people don't understand what they're getting into

Ben the Vet is a veterinarian and a content creator who shares advice on TikTokREAD MORE: I'm a vet and here are 5 signs your dog might be about to attack - it has nothing to do with the breed

A British vet has spoken out about why he believes monkeys should never be kept as pets.

Content creator @ben.the.vet shared his expertise in a video on TikTok, where he has more than 206,000 followers.

In the clip, he explained how many monkeys end up becoming pets – as well as why they are not suited to domesticated homes.

Speaking in his video, Ben says: ‘I’m a vet and I want to talk about why having a monkey as a pet is an absolutely awful idea.’

He continues to explain that he has experience volunteering with the animals and learning about their needs.

Veterinarian Ben the Vet (pictured) has revealed why he believes monkeys should not be kept as vets – saying that other vets and animal welfare organisations agree with him

Ben continues: ‘I volunteered a couple of years ago at at a wildlife rehabilitation centre in the rainforest in Ecuador and a lot of the animals being brought in were baby monkeys.’

According to the vet, these baby monkeys ‘would be taken from the wild by wildlife poachers – often via shooting the mum, so they could take the baby more easily”

Then, he explains, the Ecuadorian authorities would intercept some of these baby monkeys that were destined to be sold abroad.

‘This was usually in the US, as pets,’ he says, adding: ‘for a lot of money.’

When it comes to why it isn’t a good idea to keep a baby monkey as a pet, Ben explains that: ‘A monkey is not the same as a human baby.

‘And it’s not the same as keeping a cat or a dog as a pet.’

He adds that monkeys ‘are not domesticated animals, they are highly intelligent wild animals’

‘Keeping them as pets,’ he explains, ‘it is extremely difficult to meet their needs.’

In his video, Ben (pictured) explained that as wild animals, we simply do not

He concludes the video saying: ‘Talk to any vet or animal welfare organisation and they will say that monkeys should not be kept as pets.’

The vast majority of respondents in the comments sections agreed with his opinions, adding that they also felt that keeping monkeys as pets is a bad idea for the animals.

One wrote: ‘Thank you for highlighting an important subject, as so many primates are kept as pets in the U.K. #Primatesarenotpets’

To which, Ben responded that a staggering 5,000 or so primates are believed to be kept as pets in the UK.

Another viewer added: ‘As a biology student I cannot even comprehend how someone can come up with the idea of keeping a wild animal as a pet. I am simply speechless.’