Keeping capuchin monkeys as pets

Capuchins live in trees in the forests of South and Central America. They are highly social animals and in the wild usually live in large groups of 10 to 20 animals. In the wild, these small monkeys eat a varied diet of fruit, leaves, nectar, nuts, buds, bugs, eggs, frogs, lizards, birds and even shellfish.

Capuchin monkeys are found in the UK pet trade. The black-capped, or tufted, capuchin appears to be the most common species kept.

Keeping capuchin monkeys as pets

Capuchins, like other primates, don't make good pets. They are wild animals who are unhappy in a home environment and can become aggressive. They need the company of other capuchins and lots of space for exercise, which they simply can't get in a domestic environment.

When kept as pets, capuchins often suffer from life-threatening and expensive health problems.

Taken from the wild: Joey's story

Joey was a capuchin who was taken from the wild in South America at just three months old and traded as a pet.

He was kept in a wardrobe-sized cage in a flat in Camden, London for nine years before being rescued by Wild Futures.

Joey received little exercise, a poor diet and lived in cramped conditions with not enough sunlight. He developed rickets (metabolic bone disease) which led to many irreversible disabilities.

The future for Joey looked bleak, but his zest for life shone through. He was truly a resilient and inspiring little character.

Joey was one of the lucky ones and lived his final years at the Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary in Looe, Cornwall – but there are so many others out there who aren't so lucky.

Capuchin monkeys and the law

Despite Government advice that primates can't be taken from the wild and imported to the UK as a pet, Joey's import permit was for 'personal use'.

Capuchin monkeys are a species that require a licence to be kept under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976. Licences have to be renewed annually, alongside a vet inspection. It appears that Camden Council issued a licence to Joey's owner, without the appropriate checks. Nor was the renewal process carried out after the first year.

The laws that should have been there to protect Joey failed him.

We're campaigning to end the keeping of primates as pets.