Two Monkeys Dead and One Missing in One Week – Time for Change in Legislation?
In a week when the Prime Minister stated that there was no need for a regulatory regime to protect primates kept in captivity, two monkeys, who would naturally inhabit the lush rainforests of South America have been reduced to roadkill on the streets of the UK. Another, as yet unidentified, has escaped and is on the loose in Lincolnshire. The sad events have added weight to the argument of the primate welfare and conservation charity, Wild Futures, who have asserted that the trade is poorly regulated and animals are not sufficiently protected by UK laws.
Said Brooke Aldrich, Campaigns Manager for Wild Futures:
“All owners of larger monkey species, such as the spider monkey that was killed by a car in Derbyshire, are required by law to have a Dangerous Wild Animals License. Health and welfare standards are then imposed on those owners by way of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Code of Practice that we developed, in conjunction with the RSPCA to act as guidance on the act. The enforcement of these welfare standards, however, is only made possible if the licensing legislation is effectively implemented.
On hearing the news this morning that a spider monkey has been hit and killed by a car in Derbyshire, we checked our records and found no licenses for spider monkeys in the area. We maintain a comprehensive register of licensed monkeys and, on checking, found that two monkeys of this species that were previously licensed had “disappeared” from the records, in that the license for them was never renewed. We contacted the council in question and they confirmed that the only two that were previously on record are no longer with them, and that the previous owner has sold them on. As no new application has been submitted, we would speculate that it is one of these two monkeys that died today; either that, or the monkey is another one that has slipped through the net completely, as so many do.
Monkeys are wild animals and inherently unsuitable to be kept as pets – something which has been recognised by 31,486 people in the UK and 360 experts in the field of primatology*. The events of this week go to show that the legislation in place is in need of review to ensure the welfare, health and safety of these complex, sentient and long-lived animals”.
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Notes to Editors:
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.
*Signatories of the Wild Futures Petition against the Primate Pet Trade.
The code can be found by visiting:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/cruelty/documents/primate-cop.pdf
For more information please contact:
Brooke Aldrich, Campaigns Manager
www.wildfutures.org +44 (0) 1503 262 532