BBC Wildlife - UK (2021-12)

Partly due to this kind of content, baby

monkeys are at a premium. TikTok was taken

from his mother at an age when, in the wild,

he would have still been reliant on her for

full-time care and nursing. This separation

and lack of parental care will have had lasting

effects on such a young animal.

TikTok’s salvation came in the form of

a housing officer, who called the RSPCA

after seeing the conditions the youngster

was living in. Rescuers found him living a

‘miserable’ and solitary life in a parrot cage,

weighing just 110g.

This particular story does have a happy

ending. On the day of his rescue, TikTok was

introduced to and instantly adopted by an

adult pair of marmosets at Monkey World

(both also victims of the pet trade) and is

now receiving that vital parental care and

social interaction. But not all are so lucky.

U

nder the proposed new

regulations, stories like

TikTok’s should hopefully

become a thing of the past.

Once the bill becomes law,

there should no longer be such unrestricted

trade. All privately kept primates will need to

be kept to ‘zoo-level standards’ and only by

licensed individuals.

Some do not think these new rules go

far enough, however, and that enforcement

will be challenging. “The rules would

be administered and enforced by local

authorities who are already overburdened

and under-resourced,” says Ros Clubb, senior

scientific manager at the RSPCA. “We’d like

to see a comprehensive ban on the keeping

of primates, with very limited exceptions

(to allow genuine rescues to continue, for

instance) and the enforcement role taken

on by central government.”

There are also lingering questions about

what will happen to primates currently being

kept. Some news outlets have reported that

the bill will lead to mass euthanisations.

This is likely sensationalist, but they will

need to go somewhere.

“We are anticipating more primates

coming to us as owners are not willing

or able to improve their facilities,” says

Crowther. “To avoid an impossible

situation where the RSPCA, sanctuaries

and rescue centres find themselves

having to suddenly rehome thousands

“We’d like to see a comprehensive ban

on the keeping of primates, with very

limited exceptions”

ROS CLUBB, RSPCA SENIOR SCIENTIFIC MANAGER Stats reveal the shocking

reality for UK pet primates

4, 000

to 5, 000

pet primates in the UK,

according to estimates from

the RSPCA

14

species of primate have

been rescued from the UK

pet trade. This includes

marmosets, lemurs, and

even a chimpanzee.

60 %

of cases investigated by the

RSPCA involve primates

kept in social isolation

116

primates have been

rescued by Monkey World

from the UK pet trade

since 1989

50

is the average number of

calls the RSPCA gets a year

from people concerned

about the welfare of a

pet primate

85

species can currently be

kept legally in the UK

without a licence

5 to 1 5%

The percentage of people

that should have a

Dangerous Wild Animals

Act licence who actually do.

£ 2 , 000

is the approximate cost of

a marmoset.

0. 27 m

2

is the smallest size of

cage found holding a pet

primate, as reported by

RSPCA field staff.

IN NUMBERS

Behind

bars

of former pets, primates currently being kept

should be subject to a transition period, as

has been the case in several other countries,”

says Clubb.

“Owners should have to register their

primates and be subject to inspections to

ensure their ongoing welfare,” she explains.

“This should prevent a situation where

animals are euthanised due to a lack of

space for rehoming.”

Despite the misgivings, the new bill

has been met with delight and enthusiasm

by those who have been campaigning for

legislative change for more than 30 years.

“These rules are a great starting point,”

says Charlie. “It is important not to let

perfect be the enemy of good. We are pleased

that there will no longer be a free trade in

primates, and no incentive for breeders and

dealers to continue.”

At the time of writing, the bill is still

meandering through parliament. Yet we can

now entertain hope that an embarrassing

chapter in our country’s history will finally

be closed. A chapter in which some of our

closest living relatives suffered neglect,

illness and solitary confinement

without adequate reprisals. It’s

about time.

Just some of the

primates rescued

by Monkey

World

ANIMAL WELFARE O

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