Monkey Sanctuary Trust is a unique environmental charity dedicated to:

Woolly monkey welfare, including the welfare, conservation and survival of primates, particularly woolly monkeys and capuchin monkeys.
Capuchin monkey welfare, including Working to end the primate and monkey trade and abuse of primates and monkeys in captivity.
Conserving natural habitats of woolly and capuchin monkeys through education and sustainable living.
monkey rescue, including promoting the rehabilitation of rescued woolly and capuchin monkeys and primates to natural habitats.

Woolly Monkey - what is it?

The woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha) is one of the largest and most beautiful of the South American primates. They live in the middle and upper Amazon basin to the west of the rivers Negro and Tapajos. There are four recognised sub-species of woolly monkey. These are mountain or long-haired woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha lugens), the brown woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha poepiggii), the grey woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha cana) and the brown-headed woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha lagothricha).

Woolly monkeys are arboreal (meaning tree-dwelling), spending most of their time high in the canopy of the trees and rarely venturing to the forest floor.

Woolly monkeys have evolved in a way which enables them to exploit this tree-top niche, to travel easily along narrow limbs, to reach nuts, seedpods and fruits at the end of branches, to leap between gaps safely and even to sleep securely 150 feet above the ground.

Capuchin Monkey - what is it?

Capuchins were named after capuchin monks because the dark fur that forms a cap on their heads and extends down in 'side-burns' resembles the cowl or headdress of the capuchin priests.

Capuchin monkeys are one of the most intelligent and adaptable of all South American primates. The first capuchins (Cebus species) appeared 16.3 million years ago in South America and, like all monkeys capuchin monkeys share about 97% of their DNA with humans. All capuchin species are neotropical, in other words capuchin monkeys are mainly found in northern and central South America. Within this range only the howler monkey is as widespread, and the black-capped capuchin or tufted capuchin has the widest distribution of any new world monkey, as capuchin monkeys are found in every South American country except Uruguay and Chile.

Monkey Sanctuary Trust is based at The Monkey Sanctuary in Looe, Cornwall, UK. The Monkey Sanctuary is home to a social colony of Woolly monkeys and a group of rescued ex-pet Capuchin monkeys. The Trust provides advice and support for primate, woolly and capuchin monkey rescue centres and sanctuaries around the world.

Each year the Monkey Sanctuary Trust educates thousands of visitors on monkey life in the wild and in captivity, on the ethics and problems of captivity for woolly monkeys, about ideas for rehabilitation as well as other animal welfare and conservation issues for woolly and capuchin monkeys.

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Rhesus Monkeys to Stay in Nepal

(Direct Translation. Source: IPPL)

Around three hundred monkeys that were to be exported to the United States of America from this week will be able to find their food in freedom, in their own country. A letter from the Ministry of Forestry for the immediate their immediate release will be send to Pravesh Man Shrestha, who has been breeding monkeys for the past five years.

Forestry Minister Deepak Bohra said, "We have decided not to allow the monkeys to be exported. He further added, "We will ask Pravesh Man to release the monkeys within a week."

After consulting the Department Heads of the Ministry Minster Bohara came to conclusion that it was illegal to export the monkeys. As a first step toward exporting monkeys Shrestha had planned to export 25
of the 300 monkeys to the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research Center.

Shrestha was breeding the monkeys under the auspices of Nepal Biomedical Research Center. American citizens had also financially supported this venture. They have now landed in Kathmandu looking for
compensation. Shrestha had paid twenty five thousand rupees per monkey as tax to the Department of National Park and Wildlife Protection to procure 200 monkeys per the Forest animal breeding and
research program Working Guidelines, 2060.

"The law does not permit the export of any wild animals, thus, giving approval to export the monkeys would contravene the law," said an Under Secretary of the Ministry. "The Ministry has come to the
conclusion that the monkeys should be released to their natural environment."

Red monkey [Rhesus monkeys] are listed in the Appendix 2 of the CITES Convention. CITES has banned the export of wildlife in this list.