Happiness for Daisy the Monkey in the New Year
8th January 2015
Following a public appeal, an animal charity has rescued a capuchin monkey named Daisy and transported her to Cornwall to give her a home for life at their sanctuary.
Thanks to generous public support, Wild Futures have raised the necessary £6000 to bring the monkey from Gloucestershire to The Monkey Sanctuary, near Looe, where they will offer specialist care and attention to help Daisy to live a full and interesting life.
A small team of experienced primate keepers set off in the early hours of yesterday morning to make the journey to collect Daisy. Monkey Sanctuary Site Manager, Tjark Plat, was also involved in the rescue. Tjark said: “Everything went very smoothly on the day. We spent some time preparing to collect Daisy and we custom-build special catching equipment for each rescue that we do to ensure it is as stress free as possible for the monkey.”
Daisy was originally confiscated from an exotic animal breeder in Wales, where she was being kept in terrible conditions. Isolated and alone from any of her kind, when she was rescued she had healed cigarette burns and badly mended, fractured fingers from her previous life. Likely taken from her mother as a tiny infant, she also has a laparotomy scar- allegedly from her time imprisoned in a laboratory breeding facility.
A caring couple nursed Daisy back to health and found her another capuchin monkey for company, but after many years together he died, leaving her alone and desperate for company. Capuchins are a particularly intelligent, social species that naturally live in the rainforests of South and Central America. At Wild Futures’ Monkey Sanctuary, Daisy now has the chance to join other capuchin monkeys of her species, rescued from the pet trade. She will live in specially designed enclosures and be afforded expert care.
Primate Keeper, Sharon Perry, said: “It is just fantastic that we managed to raise the funds to be able to transport Daisy safely to the Sanctuary and cover the costs of her ongoing care. She has been to visit the vets for a thorough check-up and will now spend a month in isolation before she can be introduced to some new monkey friends. We are extremely grateful to everyone who supported Daisy’s appeal and helped us to change Daisy’s life for the better.”
Wild Futures have taken in over 30 capuchins; many rescued from conditions of abuse and neglect in the primate pet trade. Each individual has been socialised with other monkeys and now live in spacious, natural enclosures at The Monkey Sanctuary.
Sharon added: “Although Daisy is now safe at our sanctuary, her appeal is still running, as any extra funds raised are also vital to help cover costs of a specialist diet. We spend £30,000 a year on monkey food here at the sanctuary and there are other monkeys on our waiting list that also need rescuing. The more people that know about Daisy’s story and the plight of others like her in the UK primate pet trade, the better.”
You can visit www.wildfutures.org/daisyrescueappeal to find out more or follow her progress on Wild Futures’ Facebook page www.facebook.com/wildfutures.
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Notes to Editors:
About Wild Futures
Wild Futures (Charity reg. No. 1102532) is an educational and environmental charity promoting the welfare and conservation of primates, and working to end the abuse of primates in captivity. Its flagship project, The Monkey Sanctuary, in Cornwall, is home to victims of the primate pet trade. The Monkey Sanctuary is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) and is a founder member of EARS (European Alliance of Rescue Centres and Sanctuaries). Drawing on 50 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.
The Monkey Sanctuary Information:
Telephone: 0844 272 1271
Opening Times: Next open February half term (14th– 22nd February)
For more information or pictures, please contact:
Claire Turnbull (Senior Keeper) [email protected]
Rachel Hevesi (Director) [email protected]
Tel; 0844 272 1271