Inside Pet Stop, a locally owned pet store that’s been operating in Shawnee since 1976, is all the normal pet supplies: dog food, cat litter and, of course, birds, fish, puppies and reptiles.
The store is also — more notably — home to a monkey.
Frankie, a capuchin monkey not for sale, has lived near the front of the store for nearly two decades. Visitors can see him climbing the branches in his cage, which includes a tire swing, ladder, rainbow ball and hanging toys.
For some, he’s a draw into the shop that describes itself as “The Indoor Zoo Store.”
For others, a monkey so small — capuchins on average range from 3 to 9 pounds — has become a big cause of concern.
Namely, a group of local activists is pushing for Frankie’s relocation to a sanctuary. They worry Frankie lacks social connection with other monkeys and suffers psychological trauma from being kept in a cage for so long, especially if he could still be around for another 20 years.
Cappuchin monkeys live for 15 to 25 years in the wild, and can live for up to 40 years in captivity.
The activists are the latest group of concerned residents who have over the years tried to garner public attention to “free Frankie.” They say there are two sanctuaries willing to take the monkey in, and they hope their work creates enough attention to motivate Pet Stop’s owners to find Frankie another home.
“Frankie has been a member of our family for nearly 20 years,” said Greg Smith, one of Pet Stop’s owners, in a statement to The Star. “He is happy, healthy, and loved.”
Smith said his store’s mission is “to provide the highest level of care for all pets.”
“We have continually provided expert advice and supplies for the community to do the same,” he said.
Frankie is a brown, or tufted, capuchin monkey belonging to Pet Stop’s owners.
Frankie’s habitat
Mallory Shump said she first found Frankie in January of 2020. The middle school paraprofessional who describes herself as an “animal rights and social justice advocate” saw a picture of Frankie on Pet Stop’s website and went to see him for herself.
Shump said she was in “disbelief” by what she saw. She talked with Smith about Frankie’s living conditions.
“He said they love Frankie. They said Frankie is like a pet to them,” Shump said. “So I said, ‘I’m so glad to hear that. I’m glad somebody loves and cares for Frankie.’”
She then asked Smith if Frankie leaves the cage. Shump said Smith replied — to her disappointment — that Frankie does not because he was very upset once after leaving the store.
Shump said she tried to explain that Frankie may just be scared of a new environment but could grow to prefer life outside his cage in time.
Pet Stop’s owners told her the cage is 100 square feet, Shump said.
Some experts think an environment of this size — coupled with the lack of outdoor access or companionship from other capuchins — is not optimal for Frankie.
“Ideally, it would be better for him to have fresh air and sunshine and a friend,” said Kari Bagnall, who founded the Florida primate sanctuary Jungle Friends that houses over 100 capuchins.
Bagnall, who founded Jungle Friends after realizing her own mistake of keeping a capuchin monkey as a pet, said that to her, it did not sound like Frankie is enduring “abuse” or “neglect.” He just is “not living a monkey life” of being outside, having “choice” and communicating with other capuchins.
“They’re just social,” Bagnall said. “They have their own vocalizations. They have their own gestures.”
Frankie lives only in his cage, which includes a tire swing, faux tree branches and toys.
Petitions gain traction
After meeting Frankie, Shump became involved in the push to find him a home in a sanctuary, leading the Kansas City Action For Animals’ “Free Frankie” campaign.
Amanda Williams helped launch the campaign alongside Shump in December of 2023. Last year, the group partnered with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to launch an online petition that got over 52,000 signatures.
“People can imagine spending their entire existence for 18 years in a tiny cage in the middle of a store, not having access to anyone else who speaks your language, anyone else who looks like you, sounds like you, feels like you — not being able to see the sun or climb a tree, play with your friends, be with your family,” Williams said. “That’s a tragedy.”
Earlier this month, In Defense of Animals released a petition similar to PETA’s that over 13,000 people have signed onto. The action alert sends an email to the store on behalf of the individual signing it, Williams explained.
The movement to rehome Frankie is not new. In 2015, over 1,500 people signed a petition asking that Frankie be relocated to a sanctuary.
Williams said Kansas City Action For Animals’ efforts are not meant to harm Pet Stop’s business. Rather, they said they want to “improve (Frankie’s) quality of life” because he has “the same capacity for emotions and for intelligence” as humans.
Laws around keeping monkeys
In Kansas, it is legal to own a capuchin monkey, but there are regulations at the federal level. The Animal Welfare Act provides guidelines for the care of non-human primates.
Williams and Shump worried that Pet Stop may not be complying with the act’s stipulations on housing non-human primates in a social environment, so Shump filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In April, the agency sent an official to inspect Pet Stop. It later published a report saying it found no issues.
Pet Stop has been inspected by the USDA 13 times over the last 11 years. At no time were code violations identified, and each report mentions the observance of a capuchin monkey.
In Shawnee, retail pet stores must obtain a permit to own certain exotic animals, like monkeys. Police records obtained by The Star show the Shawnee Police Department completed an “inspection for exotic animal permit” on December 17, 2008, which Pet Stop passed.
If Frankie was to be moved to a sanctuary, Bagnall said she is confident he could be socialized to other capuchins and acclimated to life among the trees. Although she acknowledged that it is difficult to be certain without knowing Frankie, she has seen successful sanctuary integration from many capuchins of similar ages and situations.
For Shump and Williams, the thought of Frankie in such a sanctuary provides motivation to continue their activism.
“He may just be one monkey, but this is his whole world,” Williams said. “We’re not going to change the laws of the state of Kansas, but we’re going to change Frankie’s entire existence, and to me, that’s extremely powerful.”
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