Wild Futures have made the difficult decision to close the Monkey Sanctuary at our site in Cornwall. This is the announcement we all fought hard not to make, and we are devastated to share this news. We have already begun the careful process of rehoming the monkeys to carefully selected sanctuaries and organisations where they will continue to receive the expert care they deserve.
I appreciate this news may be shocking, and it is not a decision we have taken lightly nor without significant care and thought. We feel that it is in the best interests of the monkeys, whose welfare remains our top priority. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the events and considerations that led us to this decision.
When we listed our home and sanctuary site for sale in June 2025, we were extremely hopeful that we would find a sympathetic buyer who would allow us to stay here and help us improve our sanctuary; allowing it to move forward. Towards the end of 2025, we believed that we had found that buyer. The plan was to work in partnership with the new site owners to continue the work of the sanctuary, while they took on responsibility for the long-term maintenance and care of the site. To our dismay, following six months of intense negotiations, those buyers dropped out without notice, leaving our long-term plan for the sanctuary up in the air.
Furthermore, a detailed land assessment carried out during the negotiations highlighted that our sanctuary site has begun to develop structural issues that increasingly make it unfit for purpose and no longer suitable as a long-term sanctuary. We do not believe it would be responsible to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds into a site that is no longer suitable for the sanctuary’s long-term future, and whose ongoing maintenance now far surpasses the financial resources we have available to us. As such, we have made the difficult decision to direct funds towards securing a safe future for the monkeys. We are working with carefully selected organisations that share Wild Futures’ values and ethics, with welfare at the forefront of their work. We will shortly launch an emergency appeal to help cover the significant costs of safely rehoming every monkey and ensuring they receive the very best care throughout this transition.
While our decision to close the sanctuary has been difficult for all involved, we want to acknowledge just what has been achieved with your support over the last 60 years. What started as rescuing woolly monkeys from a thriving pet trade in the 1960’s, grew into a world class sanctuary for rescued monkeys adapting to suit the evolving and demanding needs of the UK primate pet trade. We are proud that we were the first GFAS accredited wildlife sanctuary in Europe, and we educated hundreds of thousands of visitors on animal welfare, conservation, and the need for a ban. We are humbled by the number of people doing wonderful work around the world after having trained with Wild Futures at The Monkey Sanctuary.
We are immensely grateful to our hardworking and compassionate team, who continue to go above and beyond in caring for the monkeys while their long-term placements are finalised. We will be forever thankful to them for their love and devotion to Wild Futures’ Monkey Sanctuary.
We want to say a huge thank you to all of our supporters, donors, our community of volunteers, our staff past and present, and everyone who has been a part of The Monkey Sanctuary over the past 60 years. Together we have achieved incredible things. None of this would have been possible without your belief in our mission and your commitment to improving the lives of primates. Thank you for standing with us.
We are sure you may have questions and we have compiled a list of FAQs that can be found here: http://www.wildfutures.org/sanctuary-closure-faqs
If you have any further questions, please contact [email protected] and we will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible. If you currently support one of our monkeys through our adoption scheme, we will be in touch with you personally in the coming weeks with more information.
We remain determined that Wild Futures will continue its important charity work in campaigning and education around primate welfare and conservation, including ending the primate trade. Whilst we feel deep sadness at the closure of the sanctuary, we are filled with hope for the future and the next chapter of Wild Futures, as there is still important work to be done. Although this chapter is coming to an end, our mission is not. We remain determined to protect primates through campaigning, education and conservation, and we hope you will continue to stand with us as we begin this next chapter.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Sarah Hanson
Director, Wild Futures
