There are an estimated 5,000 or more primates kept by private individuals in the UK today.  Primates are intelligent, socially complex wild animals that suffer greatly in captivity, but they are currently afforded very little protection under UK law.  What protection does exist is often flouted or ignored – which presents a significant risk to human health as well as compromising the welfare of individual primates.  82% of all rescued primates residing at Wild Futures’ Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall were either improperly licensed or not licensed at all before arrival at the Sanctuary.

All primates are listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) due to the threat posed by international trade to their continued existence in the wild.  Conservationists working in primate habitat countries agree that the existence of a legal trade in primates in places like the UK and the USA has a negative impact on wild populations of primates, both directly (through capture for sale as pets to people from these countries) and indirectly (through example).  Nevertheless, Critically Endangered species such as cotton-top tamarins continue to be traded as pets without regulation here in the UK.

The Code of Practice on the Welfare of Privately Kept Non-Human Primates (which can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/welfare-cop-primates/code-practice-primates.pdf), for which the public consultation period closed on 30 November 2009, is an important first step towards protecting primates in the UK (see below) but it will not end trade in pet primates.  Please go to http://www.edms.org.uk/edms/2009-2010/73.htm to see if your MP has signed Early Day Motion 73 (EDM73), which calls for adoption of the Code.  If they have signed, please write and thank them!  If they have not, please encourage them to do so as soon as possible.  Contact information for all MPs can be found at http://www.writetothem.com/.

Send a Letter

Send our template letter to your local MP, encouraging them to support the campaign.  You can print the letter, sign and send it; or you can copy and paste it into an email. Download letter.

Spread the word!

Few people are aware that it is still legal to keep monkeys as pets in the UK.  Word of mouth is a powerful tool – help the campaign to end this cruel trade by informing others about the trade and encourage people to support Wild Futures.

I've done that, what now?!

You’ve signed the petition and written to your MP – what else can you do to help primates in the UK and abroad?  Be an online activist!  If you would like to receive alerts about issues affecting primates that you can help with by writing letters, making phone calls or otherwise lending your support, please send your email address to campaign@wildfutures.org.  We will add you to our online activists distribution list and you will hear from us when we need to call on you for help!

Feel free to contact the campaigns team for any further information or advice campaigns@wildfutures.org