The city of Prairie Village is considering banning all monkey species — with one potential exception. After two discussions in the last month about an outright monkey ban, the Prairie Village City Council on Dec. 1 signaled interest in making an exception for one spider monkey, Oakley, who currently lives in the city with her owner, Toni Skelton. Skelton told the Shawnee Mission East Harbinger earlier this year that she first obtained Oakley in September 2024. City staff confirmed to the Post that Skelton got Oakley licensed through the city in April 2025. The proposed monkey ban is coming back before the city council for a third discussion at a future meeting. This time, the ban will appear with an option for a conditional license that would allow Oakley to legally remain in Prairie Village, even with a monkey ban in place. Currently, Prairie Village’s animal code allows monkey species whose adult weight is 20 pounds or less. (Oakley weighs 2 pounds, according to the Harbinger report.) The proposed updated language bans all monkey species, no matter the adult weight. This language mirrors animal codes in a majority of neighboring cities, with exceptions like the city of Shawnee that allow small monkeys with a special use permit for pet shops.
Read more: Johnson County Post
