Primates are not domesticated animals, bred by humans over generations to be companions. They are wild creatures, unfortunate enough to be held captive in unnatural circumstances. However well meaning their human
captors, primates should not be kept as pets. They need the company of their own kind in settings as naturalistic as possible, if they cannot be returned to the wild.
Professor William McGrew
University of Cambridge
Macer Parton – Primate Welfare Team
Macer is a qualified mechanic with a lifelong passion for animal welfare. He began working with animals at the age of 12 when he volunteered his weekends to work at Pat Woods Cat Sanctuary in Leek. During 1998 he spent time volunteering for ‘Harness’, a wildlife sanctuary in Namibia. Here he contributed to animal care, outreach programmes and site maintenance. He has also worked with rescued dogs in Liverpool and contributed to minimising the stray dog population in Wolverhampton with a rescue and re-homing programme. He spent most of 2000 volunteering at Green Meadows Animal Sanctuary, just outside Wolverhampton.
Between 2001 and 2003 he completed a City and Guilds Level 3 Mechanics qualification, which he hoped would allow him to contribute more extensively to animal welfare organisations.
In 2003 he volunteered at The Monkey Sanctuary Trust and was employed shortly after as a member of the Primate Welfare Team.
