
Binky is my buddy.
He sleeps with me at night and sits near me during the day. He never ceases to miss a thing: he always has to know what is going on every minute of every day.
Binky is my pet chimpanzee. He was left an orphan after his parents were shot; he was also born with deformed legs: no zoo wanted him, so I took him in. I work with exotic animals as a living: during my career, I have had monkeys of various sorts (spider, squirrel, capuchin, etc.), lion and tiger cubs, a peacock, several llamas and alpacas, a cheetah (but then the cheetah escaped), and a brown bear cub, to name a few.
Working with animals is rewarding, especially when the animal is able to be released into the wild. As I alluded to earlier, Binky wasn't able to be rehabilitated, so he lives with me and my wife, Suzan. He's like a human infant: he needs constant supervision and care.
Binky likes to sit on my lap and watch me type on the computer, play ball, run around, swing on my arms or on the swingset, and listen to music or watch what is going on around him. He is an inquisitive little creature; nothing escapes his insatiable curiosity.
People are used to seeing me walking my "zoo" around. They are not surprised to find exotic animals roaming the neighborhood when I take them for walks. The police know of my profession so they don't hassle me (too much). They respect me and I respect them; as long as people respect my animals then I don't have a problem with them at all.
People are always surprised that even with his disability, Binky is able to get around quite well. He is quite fast and is sometimes hard to catch when he really gets going. He is an inspiration to all who see him and I am proud to be his "human daddy".
Like most primates, Binky loves fruit and vegetables; bananas are his absolute favorite. He has to have at least several bananas a day or else he'll go (excuse the pun here, folks) ... ape.
I don't know what the future holds for Binky, but as long as he's with me, I will do all I can to make his life happy and comfortable. He is my best friend and I love him as if he were a human child! He is a blessing in disquise!