1. A monkey is not a person; therefore, it has no standing in a human court {Sorry, Professor ... hand grenade or no ... that's jest the facks, Jack. Here's your beer back.}
2. Slater owns the camera and he copyrighted the photos. So, yes - he owns the photo - but, since when does actual ownership of anything deter a repressive group like PETA from trying to steal from others to benefit themselves?
The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted. ~ D.H. Lawrence