The Monkey Sanctuary Gets Set to Welcome Three New Arrivals
On the 3rd of February, the Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary will be welcoming three new arrivals to its ever-expanding group of rescued ex-pet capuchins, with final touches being put in place to ensure that the monkeys’ new home is as comfortable and enriching for these intelligent primates as possible.
The three black-capped capuchins, Gizzie, Grips and Kiwi, are native to the rainforests of South America but were all born in the UK to feed the popular trade in monkeys as pets. The monkeys’ current owner approached the sanctuary around four months ago when she realised that she could not offer an appropriate level of care to her charges and the logistics are now in place to bring the three to the sanctuary next week, where they will be given a home for life.
Says Petra Osterberg, member of the Primate Welfare Team at the sanctuary:
“Receiving new monkeys is always exciting for both staff and monkeys alike. The new arrivals are already booked in at the vets for a thorough medical examination which will help us to identify any potential or current health issues quickly, though we obviously hope that all three come out with a clean bill of health. It will be a number of weeks before Gizzie, Grips and Kiwi begin to meet the current residents as socialisation is a long process which can take months, or even years, to achieve successfully. We are looking forward to getting to know them and we hope that they will be able to lead a full and interesting life here at the sanctuary”.
Wild Futures has been campaigning for many years to see an end to the trade in primates as pets in the UK and were pleased to announce the launch of the Code of Practice for Privately Kept Non-human Primates by DEFRA last week, which is seen as a positive move towards an ultimate change in UK law.
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Notes to Editors
The code of practice can be found by visiting http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/cruelty/documents/primate-cop.pdf
Wild Futures (Charity reg. No. 1102532) is an educational and environmental charity promoting the welfare and conservation of primates, and working to end the abuses of primates in captivity. Its flagship project, The Monkey Sanctuary, in Cornwall, is home to victims of the primate pet trade. Drawing on over 40 years of primate expertise, Wild Futures acts as an advisory body to sanctuaries and conservation organisations in the UK and overseas and advises DEFRA on UK animal welfare legislation.
For more information or further pictures contact:
Liz Tyson, Public Relations and Communication Manager
+44 (0) 1503 262 532