A capuchin monkey rescued from captivity could emulate legendary Nintendo star Donkey Kong when he becomes immortalised in his own videogame, to be released on Facebook later this month.

Kodak’s Jungle Rumble has been designed to help raise awareness of the plight of primates such as the titular star, who was captured in the wild from French Guyana in 2003.

Kodak was sold to the pet trade in Greece but was later handed over to a rescue organisation and is now one of the happy residents – and star attractions – at the Monkey Sanctuary in Looe, Cornwall.

On the 9th July 2010, at a public event marking the first time that David Cameron has visited Cornwall since his election, Wild Futures’ campaigns staff took the opportunity to ask the Prime Minister what his government intended to do on the issue of keeping primates as pets in the UK. After admitting that he had “absolutely no idea” about the current policy governing the cruel, and still legal, trade in this country, he allowed the charity’s representative to explain the case to him.

Wild Futures, a charity known as a leader in primate welfare and conservation, has shown that it has more than one string to its bow by winning a grant from the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Scheme of over £4,000 in recognition of its efforts in sustainability and local food production. The grant was won in support of the development of a new forest garden area, greenhouse and a series of workshops which will offer training and information to visitors to the charity’s Monkey Sanctuary site on how they too can grow their own food.

To celebrate National Vegetarian Week, which runs this year from the 24^th – 30^th May 2010, Wild Futures is enlisting people to “Go Veggie” for the week and gain sponsorship for doing so. People taking up the challenge include Keith Thompson, who is based in Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi, Africa, where he works with ex-Sanctuary keeper, Andrea Donaldson, in the reintroduction of baboons and vervet monkeys into the wild as part of a programme funded by the Born Free Foundation.

The week will be a true challenge for keen fisherman, Keith, who says:

On the 5th May 2010, a small and frightened capuchin monkey named Josh was introduced to his new home at the Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall. His new enclosure overlooks the territory of the centre’s existing residents – it was the first time he had seen another capuchin in over a decade. 19 year-old Josh has had a sad start to his life, but staff at the rescue centre hope that this new chapter will be a long-overdue happy ending for the little monkey.

On the 31^st March, just days after the Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary opened its doors to the public for the 2010 season, staff were delighted to welcome Member of European Parliament for the South West, Graham Watson, through the gates on a special visit.

Mr Watson met with Wild Futures’ Campaigns Officer, Brooke Aldrich, to express his concern about the worrying trend to keep primates as pets in the UK; something which the charity has been campaigning against now for a number of years.

Speaking on the day, he said:

On the 28^th of March 2010, the Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary will be opening its gates to visitors for the special price of just £1 to mark the beginning of the 2010 open season for this long-established tourist attraction, which has been running since 1964.

Work has been carried out over the closed season to improve the site and provide more information and services to visitors to this working sanctuary for rescued ex-pet monkeys. Says Liz Tyson, PR and Communications Manager for the parent charity, Wild Futures:

On Monday of last week, Wild Futures launched a special appeal for urgent financial support for partner organisation, Centro de Rescate de Primates Peñaflor, after the devastating earthquake that hit Chile in the early hours of Saturday morning destroyed parts of the only rescue centre for primates in the country.

In the wake of the devastating earthquake in the early hours of Saturday morning, UK charity, Wild Futures, has launched a campaign to support Chilean partner organisation, Centro de Rescate de Primates, Peñaflor, a rescue centre based just outside of the country’s capital, Santiago. Following the destruction of parts of the monkeys’ territory, the team must now undertake the extensive repairs necessary before the rainy season begins in around a month’s time.

On the 3^rd 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.