ALBANY – No more monkey business says one Albany Democrat.
State Sen. James Skoufis (D-New Windsor) wants to crack down on animal cruelty following controversy about “banana races” at the Orange County Fair last year that controversially featured costumed capuchin monkeys aping horsemen while riding dogs.
A bill introduced Tuesday would ban “the use of primates in entertainment acts” for the amusements of live audiences at circuses, trade shows, carnivals, parades, and other Homo Sapien happenings, according to the legislative language.
“Subjecting them to stressful and unnatural environments for the sake of entertainment purposes is contrary to growing public opinion that humans ought to promote animals’ well-being,” reads a memo attached to the bill.
Eliminating primate-based entertainment across the Empire State is hardly the top priority for Albany Democrats for the remainder of the legislative session ending June 8, but getting the process started on ending primate performances does expand a legislator-led crackdown on animal cruelty.
“[I] can’t put odds on chances,” Skoufis told The Post about the likelihood of passing the bill in the next three weeks.
“In the grand scheme, it’s not the most urgent bill or even close to it but I introduced it because it’s inhumane treatment that we saw front and center in Orange County,” he added.
The bill has yet to be formally introduced in the lower chamber of the state Legislature where Skoufis said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan), who did not respond to a request for comment, will carry the bill.
Primates – a broad category that includes monkeys as well as apes like gorillas and chimpanzees – are among the most intelligent members of the animal kingdom, which suggests they would rather spend their time socializing and eating bananas than cosplaying as foolishly dressed jockeys.
It remains unclear exactly how many monkeys and apes are performing for the amusement of humans in New York though the state Department of Conservation, which did not immediately provide comment Tuesday, requires a license for such uses.
A phone call to the Orange County Fair went unanswered on Tuesday.
New York City banned primates and other wild animals from circuses in 2017.
While the future of “banana races” remains up in the air statewide alongside other primate pastimes, the state Senate is moving ahead with a broader push on behalf of furry friends and wild beasts alike with the passage of legislation on Tuesday banning a litany of exotic animals as domestic pets.
This includes hyenas, rhinoceroses, elephants, kangaroos, whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, walruses, emus, ostriches, anteaters, and armadillos.
“Not only is this unethical, but it’s a public-health and safety concern,” state Sen. Monica Martinez (D-Long Island), who is sponsoring the bill, told The Post in April.