Three service monkeys were taken from the custody of Joan Newberger when officials from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries claimed that she was panhandling with them on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. Joan said she needed her monkeys for her autism. Without them, she claimed to have violent fits. Although Joan denies she dressed her monkeys and asked for tips, agents took the monkeys away and sent them to Monroe Zoo. When the monkeys were examined, they were determined to have diaper rash and signs of poor nutrition. Joan was given rights to visit the monkeys at the zoo, but according to wildlife officials, private possession of non-human primates is not allowed in Louisiana.
(KVEO)
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