Yeah. If ever I become an emotional cripple, I'ma get me a honey badger.
Posted on 02/13/2024 4:27:04 PM PST by Responsibility2nd
Few people look twice these days at veterans accompanied by service dogs that help their humans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Not so with spider monkeys.
When a female patient brought two of the small, wiry monkeys to an appointment last Wednesday at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, a military clinic on the West Side, staffers looked twice.
And then they asked her to leave.
“The animals were under blankets and not immediately visible, but once staff became aware, they politely informed the patient that emotional support animals, to include monkeys, are not permitted in a military medical facility,” said Elaine Sanchez, a spokeswoman with the Defense Health Agency, which oversees the San Antonio facility.
Adult spider monkeys weigh just 13.2 pounds on average and are 14 to 26 inches tall. A spider monkey that can keep its chattering and fidgeting to a minimum might be able to avoid detection. But a medical office is probably stressful for primates.
DHA did not identify the patient.
The Americans with Disabilities Act says monkeys can’t be service animals, which are trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities. Only dogs and miniature horses can have those jobs.
Emotional support animals usually receive no special training. Their presence alone is comforting.
After the monkey incident at Wilford Hall, a unit of the Air Force’s 59th Medical Wing said in an email that animals “that are in training or whose sole function is to provide emotional support, comfort, therapy or companionship are not service animals under the ADA.”
Therapy, or “activity,” animals that are part of a patient’s treatment are authorized to enter Wilford Hall “but must remain in the possession of the therapist or provider.”
“If a patient brings any other type of animal into the facility, we will ask them to remove the animal from the facility before they can be provided care,” the email stated.
Wilford Hall staffers took no chances after the woman left with her monkeys. They scoured the examination room where she’d been waiting.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with infection control guidelines, upon the patient’s departure, staff immediately performed a ‘terminal clean,’ which is a floor-to-ceiling cleaning and disinfection of the area,” Sanchez said via email.
“We encourage patients who are considering bringing an animal to a military medical center to call prior to their appointment to avoid any inconvenience or safety concerns,” she added.
The city of San Antonio prohibits keeping primates as pets, said Lisa Norwood, a spokeswoman for San Antonio Animal Care Services.
The status of spider monkeys under state law is less clear. Texas statute requires owners of “dangerous wild animals” to register with local authorities. Rattlesnakes and alligators are on the list of such animals, but not spider monkeys.
The incident first came to light on Air Force amn/nco/snco, a Facebook page for enlisted personnel known for snarky commentaries.
“I’m bringing my emotional support honey badger to my next appointment,” wrote a DHA medical standards manager.
“So you can bring in a miniature horse but not a spider monkey?” wrote a retired airman living in Minot, N.D.
Yeah. If ever I become an emotional cripple, I'ma get me a honey badger.
What’s next, emotional support lions 🦁 , bears 🐻 , gorillas 🦍 and tigers 🐅 🐯?!
Makes me think of the woman in Connecticut who had hers eat her face.
It is all BS and it makes me angry. I am supportive of people who need real assistance animals.
This “Emotional Support Animal” crap is asinine.
Personally, I’d like an emotional support wolf 🐺, sarc.
Some creatures are not meant to be kept as pets.
clown world.
Dogs 🐕🐶 and cats 🐈 🐱, I can understand, but monkeys 🙊 and badgers 🦡, not really.
a honey badger would be a great addition to my emotional support zoo. i already have a crocodile and an hippopotamus I can bring to the medical clinic to help me feel good
Only pathetic government weenies use that stinking COVID phrase...
I forgot to mention I was counting on my Emotional Support Animal “Bill the Cat” to get me through.
Ack.
So, my emotional support Komodo Dragon...
Considering some of the nasty diseases primates can carry, this makes a LOT of sense.
Plus they are more unpredictable and quicker and more agile than a dog or miniature horse.
How about an “emotional support device” — in whatever caliber one prefers.
“I’m going to come at you like a spider monkey Chip!”
“…service animals, which are trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities. Only dogs and miniature horses can have those jobs.“
______________
Yeah, cats want their human to perform tasks for them.
Miniature horses will guide just like dogs will.
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