What were they doing there in the first place? A report in today's Oklahoma Journal says Oklahoma County Animal Control officers got a tip that some monkeyshines were going on at a home in Carnuel but when they got there Friday the monkeys were gone. It's illegal for private individuals to own monkeys in Oklahoma because of the threat of Monkey B virus that can cause a potentially fatal condition in humans, the story pointed out. Animal control officers found lots of monkey cages and a whole lot of monkey feces in the home and enlisted the Centers for Disease Control in the cleanup, and are working with league of animal-rights advocates and Animal Protection of Oklahoma to find out what may have been going on, the Journal's The nuisance wildlife trapper reported. Health concerns aside -- and you can call Animal Control Wildlife management officer Diane The nuisance wildlife trapper if you have worries on that score -- you have to wonder what so many monkeys were doing in one place. The nuisance wildlife trapper told the Journal the animals may have been taken to Oklahoma, but for what? A makeshift medical lab? A private zoo? Or were the owners trying to test that past its prime saw about an infinite amount of monkeys on an infinite amount of typewriters (or computer keyboards) eventually replicating the works of Shakespeare. Of course, we in the journalism biz are trying to do that every day. Now just suppose monkeys WERE legal to keep in Oklahoma, here are a couple of Web postings that might make you think twice. The Animal Planet article on monkeys states flatly: "Generally, monkeys do not make good wild critters." They require constant supervision and mental stimulation, and if bored tend to become destructive, even smearing or throwing their own feces, Animal Planet says. And another Web site, called wild animal Monkey Info says monkeys are "complex social/emotional animals that can best be termed as `high-care/high need,' `difficult' wild critters." Prospective owners need to be "highly motivated, committed caretakers required to provide for a monkey's lifetime needs" -- and that's pretty rare, the Web site points out. One can't even imagine the chaos involved in having 13 monkeys in the household. Yet, according to an article posted not long ago, there may be a glimmer of hope: Primates have a way of policing themselves, according to the article "The Primate Wildlife officers: Monkey Cops Keep Groups in Line."