About 4500 primates are in private hands in the UK – many of them suffering poor conditions. Is it time for a ban?Primate owner Laura was scanning the internet adverts for monkeys she could try to rescue when she spotted one from a man in the Cotswolds who was clearly finding caring for two common marmosets extremely difficult. This is a common problem: primates are wild animals and keeping them is complex,expensive and demanding.
She contacted the man and agreed to gather the two adult monkeys – one male and one female. They had been kept in a tiny shed in his garden and were in a terrible condition. “He’d fed them nearly entirely on porridge, baby food and fish fingers. When I asked whether he had given them any fruit or vegetables, and he remembered that he’d occasionally fed them grapes. Neither monkey had ever been seen by a vet. The male had severe dental problems and his tail was a mixture of matted hair and bald patches.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com