Monkey found in conservatory given new home in Dorset
Marcel the marmoset will now live at Monkey World
Last updated 17th May 2024
A monkey discovered in a conservatory in the West Midlands is settling into a new home in Dorset.
Marcel the marmoset made national headlines when he was found in Wolverhampton last month and checks failed to find a legitimate owner.
Charity Wings and Paws took Marcel in but sought expert advice after realising they couldn't care for him appropriately.
Monkey World in Wareham has now taken him into their enclosures, and he's settling in well.
Marcel's been checked over by vets and found to have rickets and is missing half his tail, so he's now getting the correct care for a South American primate.
He's been put into a natural overgrown outdoor space where he can sunbathe, catch insects, and branch run and jump as a marmoset should; possibly for the first time in his life.
Monkey World has rescued over 130 primates from the UK pet trade alone, all the while campaigning for UK laws to be changed to protect marmosets, and other monkeys.
The centre is currently home to over 250 primates.
Director of Monkey World, Dr Alison Cronin said:
“It is most likely that Marcel escaped from his cage as part of the British pet trade. His injured and amputated tail as well as his distorted spine and hips are indicative of a marmoset that has been kept in inappropriate circumstances and fed a bad diet for a significant period of time.
"Marcel got lucky, he did not freeze to death while loose on the streets of Wolverhampton and was cared for by Wings & Paws until a specialist home was found at Monkey World. It doesn’t matter where he was born or how he was kept previously, marmosets like Marcel need the correct diet, environment, and companionship of their own kind that they can groom, communicate, and form close social bonds with. All monkeys in the UK pet trade are deserving of these basic needs.”