A Kansas City animal activist group has taken out a billboard urging a Shawnee pet store to release a capuchin monkey it’s had for almost two decades.

On Thursday, the group Kansas City Action for Animals unveiled a billboard asking for the Pet Stop in Shawnee to release Frankie, a Capuchin monkey the store has had in its possession for about 19 years.

The billboard is located on Carter Avenue in Merriam, about one mile from the Pet Shop and close to I-35. Sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, it will be on display for one month, according to Kansas City Action for Animals. After that, the organization will look into a second billboard for June, with the help of In Defense of Animals.

“The billboard is the message that ‘This is not right. This is wrong.’ You don’t keep an intelligent, emotionally complex being in a 10-foot cage for two decades. That’s just, on its face, wrong. And the billboards are a literal representation of that,” Amanda Williams, a community activist with Kansas City Action for Animals, said in an interview with the Post.

The billboard epitomizes the ongoing clash between the Kansas City animal rights organization and The Pet Stop, which has had Frankie in its possession for almost two decades.

In December 2024, Kansas City Action for Animals protested outside the store, asking it to release Frankie. In September 2025, it issued an open letter to the Kansas Pet Animal Advisory Board accusing the Pet Stop in Shawnee of providing an inhumane environment for Frankie

Neither campaign resulted in Frankie getting released.

The Pet Stop owner Greg Smith declined an interview with The Post concerning the billboard. When asked for comment, he referred to the statement he made in September 2025.

“Pet Stop was founded nearly 50 years ago with the mission to provide the highest level of care for our animals and to educate and equip our community to do the same,” he wrote at that time. “We are excited about what the future holds and look forward to your first or next visit.”

The Pet Stop has had Frankie for almost 20 years

Almost 20 years old, Frankie has been in the care of Pet Stop since around his first year of life, according to Kansas City Action for Animals’ website. He lives in a large cage in the center of the store.

The United States Department of Agriculture regulates the store for Frankie’s safety, and the store has passed those inspections every year.

Released in April 2025, the most recent Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service report on the business by the USDA showed no “non-compliant items.”

The billboard is an “escalation” of activism

After organizing the two protests, Williams said they wanted to do something bigger.

We’ve tried letter writing, phone calls, emails. We tried begging the animal advisory board and filing with the FDA,” she said. “The federal government doesn’t really care, state government doesn’t really care. And the (Kansas Pet) Animal Advisory Board has Greg as its president, so it’s not going to care, obviously.”

KC Action for Animal’s ultimate goal is to release Frankie to one of two animal rehabilitation programs, including Wildlife Animal and Rehabilitation in Kendalia, Texas, that have experience with capuchin monkeys.

The lack of progress over the past two years left Williams and other protesters disappointed.

“I think most people who I’ve worked with on this campaign are frustrated, burnt out. They feel like the chances of Frankie going to a sanctuary are pretty slim at this point. But it kind of feels wrong to give up on him,” she said.

With the help of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as well as In Defense of Animals, Williams said billboards like the one for Frankie are the group’s biggest attempt at getting people involved.

“We’re just trying to pull whatever levers we have left, not to leave Frankie behind, not to forget about him, but hopefully, just keep doing what we can to get him into a sanctuary and give him a better life,” she said.

A representative for the Wildlife Animal and Rehabilitation was not available for comment.

Residents’ reactions are mixed

Shawnee residents have had mixed reactions to the billboard.

“If the monkey’s been there for a long a time and it’s alright, just let it be,” Steven Gray, a Shawnee resident, said to The Post, while standing outside the Shawnee Petsmart

Comments on social media for previous stories about Frankie echoed that sentiment, with multiple saying that Frankie should stay at the store because that’s where he was raised.

“Frankie is already exactly where he belongs. Leave him and his owner be. Shawnee loves Frankie,” Neecole Boolin said in a comment on Facebook.

Others would like to see Frankie get released.

“I used to go to the Pet Stop and it kind of bummed me out to see him stuck in the middle of the store. He should be swinging around freely somewhere,” Chris Castle, a Shawnee resident, said to The Post.

On its Free Frankie page, In Defense of Animals states the reasons it wants Frankie to be released, including him living in nature.

“He’s never climbed a tree, never touched grass, never met another monkey. This life-long isolation is inhumane, and it must end,” it stated.

What’s next

After several attempts at protesting to free Frankie, Williams said the campaign is in a “somber period.”

On the billboard, it calls for people to visit Kansas Action for Animal’s website to get involved. If the response is sparse, Williams said she’s not sure what their next approach will be.

“It’s not like we don’t have the support. It’s just there’s no legal levers to pull, and someone is being stubborn and selfish like Greg …. We’re just trying our best to do what we have left with our influence to help our community,” Williams said.