We have 5 ring-tailed Lemurs, all of them hand raised, and our two youngest we use for educational purposes. Kids get to feed them treats (apples, lettuce, sweet potatoes, and on very rare occasions, marshmellows) and while we have them harnessed they can pet them.

While I agree that the average joe schmoe should not be allowed to keep primates, I do think that people should be allowed to keep them as pets. To me, it's no different than keeping a tiger, bear, coatimundi, roo's or any other exotic. You have to know the species intimately and their behavior in the wild in order to keep them happy in captivity. Like falconry, I would really like to see a period of internship of 2 years to be required before you can purchase/adopt any exotic species as a pet, that way you can see the difference of behavior in juveniles and adults. Also, so people can be taught the 'right' way to raise an exotic. They are not supposed to be your children, nor should they ever be considered as one. They can be dangerous. All it takes is one little thing to set them off, and they can a.) turn on you, or b.) injure you in the process of getting away. Most people who don't work with exotics have a hard time grasping this concept. They don't behave like dogs and cats that have been domesticated over THOUSANDS of years. They might exhibit that behavior from time to time, but they are NOT here simply for our pleasure. I think I should probably step down from my soapbox before I get too carried away.