BAD MONKEY BUSINESS
A marmoset at Manchester Pets & Aquatics A shocked reader has alerted me to adverts for monkeys on sale at a pet shop.
“I thought that selling monkeys in this country was illegal,” says Carole Hilton. Tragically, that’s not the case. “In Britain today there are 85 species of primate that can be sold over the counter like goldfish,” says the Dorset rescue centre Monkey World, which is full and has a waiting list of 50 unwanted pet monkeys to take in.
The monkeys it rescues from homes have numerous physical and mental problems caused by inappropriate diets and environments.
“We have found the people buying monkeys to be generally well-meaning and kind, but with no education as to how difficult it would be to care for them,” said spokeswoman Charlie Crowther.
In 2016 more than 114,000 people signed a petition calling for tougher controls, including making anyone who keeps monkeys domestically match the standards required by zoos. But the Government decided that the current law was enough.
Groups calling for a ban on keeping primates as pets include the British Veterinary Association, animal charity Four Paws, and the RSPCA, which argues: “Primates are very intelligent, social, wild animals with complicated needs that can’t be met in a home environment.”
As long as keeping monkeys as pets is legal, shops such as Manchester Pets & Aquatics can advertise and sell them.
This week it had a pair of Geoffroy’s marmosets priced at £2,800, while in another cage were cottoneared marmosets at £2,600 for a pair.
My colleague Paul Byrne visited the shop and was told he could buy them immediately, a sales assistant saying: “There’s no licence or paperwork.”
I phoned to speak to the manager, who gave his name as Ronnie and insisted they do carry out checks on buyers, before ending the call saying: “I do not want to get involved, sorry.”
Back to Carole Hilton: “If this isn’t illegal, it should be.” WEBSITE Marmosets for sale
He was told he could buy a marmoset, immediately, no paperwork