Watch Woman And Her Therapy Monkey Share A Unique Bond!
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A woman who was left heartbroken after undergoing sexual abuse has spoken out about her best friend – a Capuchin monkey – and claimed that the therapy animal saved her life.
23-year-old Lauren Elizabeth McAna had been suffering from mental health problems caused by physical trauma for years. Her life, however, changed for the better after she met 5-year-old Chica Morey and 3-year-old Emerson Alexander.
“Raising a capuchin monkey is very similar, I would assume, as to raising a human infant, they are all time inclusive, they require huge commitment and a lot of time,” the veterinary technician revealed in an interview with Barcroft TV.
“In the wild a capuchin would stay with mom for about two years, so in captivity it is very important that you spend a lot of time with them as infants. So much so that the first year I had Emerson in my life I didn’t work, I stayed home with him 24/7 to raise him, he was more or less attached to me at the hip.
“He went everywhere that I did, from cooking dinner to showering, everything in the house he was on my shoulder riding my arm.
“Once he got past about a year and a half I did accept a position as a vet technician at a local exotic clinic under the pretence that Emerson could come to work with me every single day, so he came to work with me every day for about a year after that so all in all about two and a half years of his life I was with him 24/7.”
As Lauren explained, she developed a passion for exotic animal training after seeing dozens of cases in which monkeys got abused and had to be rehomed.
Fortunately for the young woman, she got a lot in return for saving the two rescue monkeys she is now living with.
“I was a sexual assault victim from the time I was three till the time I was seventeen so I had a very tough childhood. I have horrible flashback nightmares and Emerson has been a huge help through all that,” she added.
“When I have a very hard day and I am depressed from crying he knows, he will get up to me give me kisses and climb my face and kiss my belly, he starts to act very sweet.
“If I am having a panic attack then he crawls up to me and will never leave my side he is definitely able to read my emotions – we are very very connected that way.”
According to Lauren, “Emerson is a register support animal” and monkeys like him deserve more recognition.
“I never wanted anything special I just wanted my happy little family and this is my happy family, it includes two monkeys,” the 23-year-old added.
“I firmly believe that if Emerson would have not come into my life I would not be here today. Without question and I still say that today, he absolutely saved me so I feel like I owe it to him. To give him the best possible life I can. He did so much for me and I won’t be able to do anything near as much as he did for me.”
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