Primate welfare charity Wild Futures is celebrating ten years since Joey the capuchin monkey was rescued.
Taken from the Suriname rainforest when he was three months old, Joey spent the next nine years inside a tiny cage in Hampstead. Deprived of interaction with his own kind, exercise and natural sunlight, Joey’s life as a pet left him disabled and traumatised.
When Wild Futures rescued Joey in 2007, they said he was one of the worst cases they had ever seen.
Luckily, Joey adapted quickly to his new life in The Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall.
Wild Futures director Rachel Hevesi said: “Seeing Joey step outside for the first time in nine years brought tears to our eyes.
Every monkey deserves this opportunity and Joey inspires us all to continue our work to end the primate pet trade.” It is estimated that some 5,000 privately owned primates are kept in the UK.
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