Marmoset rescued from ‘inappropriate’ bird cage

A marmoset has been rescued after being kept in a small bird cage.

The two-year-old male monkey was retrieved by the RSPCA from a property in East Lancashire last month after being sold numerous times to various owners.

He is now being rehabilitated at a specialist wildlife centre, said the animal charity.

The unnamed officer who rescued him said: “It’s a sad sight to see this marmoset in such poor conditions and so clearly terrified.

“These animals may look cute and cuddly but that’s far from reality. Their needs cannot be met in a domestic environment as they are highly intelligent animals and are very complex to care for.”

Dr Ros Clubb, senior scientific manager at the RSPCA, said: “This is just one of many marmosets rescued by the RSPCA from completely inappropriate conditions.

“The RSPCA has been calling for a complete ban on the keeping and trade of primates as pets for many years and we are delighted to see this being seriously considered.

“We don’t believe that primates should be kept as pets because their needs simply cannot be met in a domestic environment. They are intelligent, sentient and highly social animals with complex needs.

“Just like humans, primates can become depressed without adequate stimulation. They need a spacious and enriched environment that challenges their intelligent brains and allows for them to behave like primates should, yet we find them kept alone in indoor bird cages in living rooms.

“The RSPCA regularly sees primates that have been kept as pets with behaviour problems and very poor health, especially metabolic bone disease (rickets in humans), as a result of totally inappropriate care.

“Keeping primates as pets should simply not be allowed. But until a ban is introduced, and properly enforced, we’ll continue to see marmosets being kept in bird cages in people’s living rooms.”

Last week the Government announced that it would consult on proposals for an outright ban.