Monkey business

With most of their teammates on the field in the first inning Saturday morning, the attention of the Patriot softball players left in the dugout turned toward the Connersville fans.
They giggled, not quite sure they could believe what their eyes were seeing. But sure enough, there was a monkey climbing on its stroller.
Ellie May, a 1-year-old capuchin monkey, came to the game along with Jennifer Frank, whose daughter, Sam, is a freshman on the Spartan squad.
It turns out Ellie May is a regular at Connersville sporting events.
“She goes everywhere,” said Jennifer as the monkey squeaked while hanging out inside her owner’s hood. “My daughter plays volleyball too, so she goes to all the volleyball games.”
The Franks have had Ellie May, who turned 1 in March, in April 2012 after purchasing her from friends who run Animals in Motion, an organization that trains animals to perform on television and in movies. Animals in Motion provided the giraffe for the movie Zookeeper, starring Kevin James, and the zebra for the movie Racing Stripes.
Ellie May, who cost $7,500, was originally slated to be involved in acting as well, but Jennifer and Sam talked their friends into a new plan. Having a monkey had been a dream, Jennifer said, since she was Sam’s age.
“We had been wanting one for a long time,” she said. “That’s what my daughter wanted for her 14th birthday.”
Instead of a career in show business, the Franks are training Ellie May to be a service animal.
When she matures, she will spend her life serving as hands for people who are paralyzed. Service monkeys assist quadriplegics with tasks such as turning the pages of a book or washing their faces.
Ellie May already performs tasks for the Franks, like plugging in cell phone and lap top computer cords.
“She knows which cord goes to what,” said Jennifer, laughing. “It’s scary. My dad doesn’t even know.”
Ellie May’s training currently includes going to elementary schools where she plays with special needs students. It’s part of the socialization process to get her ready for her work as a service animal, which will begin when she is about 4 years old.
Capuchin monkeys, like the one owned by the character Ross on the television show “Friends,” live to about 20 years old in the wild and 45 in captivity. They grow to between 12 and 22 inches long with tails as long as their bodies.
Ellie May doesn’t stay in a cage or special room at the Franks’ home, but rather runs free like a cat or a dog.
“She roams the house,” said Jennifer. “We just keep a leash on her so we can catch her, because if she doesn’t want to be caught, she won’t be caught.”
“It is different living with a monkey,” added Sam. “She is always busy and jumping and climbing everywhere.”[[In-content Ad]]