LAS VEGAS (AP) - Officials have denied a Las Vegas-area man's request to keep four chimps and a capuchin monkey in a residential neighborhood.
Clark County commissioners voted 5-1 Wednesday to deny a permit for owner James "Mike" Casey, saying his neighborhood is too densely populated and nearby families could be at risk if the animals escaped.
Casey has been keeping the primates at the home and has 30 days to move them out.
Animal rights activists in a county already jittery from two chimp escapes this summer had protested the request, calling it "a public safety issue."
They point out the chimp responsible for mauling a Connecticut woman in 2009 was born at Casey's home.
Casey defended himself, saying he has a history of rescuing abandoned animals and providing them a happy home.
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