Capuchin monkey in Wappapello attracts film crew from Britain

WAPPAPELLO, Mo. -- Even though Jessica Marie Johnson weighs only 5 pounds and stands slightly less than 2 feet tall, she is well known internationally.

Jessie, as she is called, recently attracted a British film crew to her home in Wappapello.

In looking for families in the United States that have a certain passion for primates, with an estimated 15,000 households to choose from, the film crew was able to link up with Jessie after discovering an article about her published a year ago in the Orlando Sentinel. The 19-year-old capuchin also has appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America," "20/20" and "Primetime."

"In Britain it is not possible to import a monkey, and there is a lot of interest in owning one as a pet," said Lynn Alleway, a freelance director with the London-based production company Glasshead, known for its documentaries aired on public television in the United Kingdom.

"She is really a fascinating creature with humanlike qualities, childlike behavior, and really it is much like owning a toddler," Alleway said.

Lori Johnson pushes Jessie in a bucket seat swing in their Wappapello yard.

The capuchin's owners, Lori and Jim Johnson, treat the animal like a human.

"That's not a monkey, that's my daughter," said Jim, reciting his response to negative comments made when he takes Jessie out in public.

When Jim met Lori in 1998, he said, he was willing to accept that she and the capuchin would be a package deal as he quickly fell in love with the two of them.

Lori first laid eyes on the 7-week-old capuchin when she attended an auction for the sale of exotic animals in Macon, Mo. She bought the monkey with a $4,500 bid.

The woman had already raised six children and said Jessie helped alleviate her empty nest syndrome.

Jessie, a 19-year-old capuchin monkey, alerts Lori Johnson when she needs to take her medication.

"It's a lifetime commitment that takes devotion and patience," said Lori, noting that a capuchin can live in captivity for 45 to 50 years and in the wild for 30 to 35 years. "You can't just give them a bowl of food, put them in a cage and forget about them."

Jessie is normally only kept in her 7-foot-tall cage while she eats. The mainstay of her diet is eight monkey biscuits a day, which are ordered in bulk from a pet store in St. Louis.

Jessie also eats fruit, including strawberries, grapes, cherries and papaya. She does not like bananas. She enjoys vegetables, particularly corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. She also likes sweets such as cookies and candy, according to her owners. The only meat she will eat is a Slim Jim.

When she is out of her cage, Jessie wears a toddler diaper with a hole cut for her tail to fit through.

As a result of the nurturing she has received, Jessie has become protective of Lori to the extent that the capuchin qualified as a certified medical assistant in 2003.

Lori Johnson and her medical assist capuchin monkey, Jessie, try on clothes in Poplar Bluff~s Kalliope store while being filmed by a British documentary crew.

Lori has transient ischemic attacks, which are mini-strokes that can be suppressed by medication.

Highly trained capuchins have been known to assist quadriplegics with daily activities under the sponsorship of the national not-for-profit program, Helping Hands.

As for Lori, her temporary blood clots come on quickly without much warning, she said. When the blood to her brain begins to become restricted, Lori is reminded to take her medicine because Jessie acts more hyper than usual and won't settle down until the owner realizes something is wrong.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, businesses and organizations open to the public are required to allow service animals and their guardians into their establishments. There are no restrictions for monkeys as pets in Missouri, although this type of companionship is banned in 19 states.

During the British film crew's four-day stay in Southeast Missouri, they shot footage of Jessie's everyday life.

Each day, Jessie woke up, ate breakfast, had a bath, got dressed and went to town to run errands with her owners.

In Poplar Bluff, the retired married couple and Jessie went shopping for clothing, had a family portrait done and ate dinner at a restaurant. At night, they watched TV, put on their pajamas, indulged in ice cream and went to bed together.

"When we turned out the lights, Jessie kissed me and then curled up perfectly between us like everything was on cue," recalled Lori.