Four Monkeys Rescued From The Exotic Pet Trade Return To Their Home In The Amazon Rainforest

Four monkeys who were rescued from the illegal pet trade begin a new chapter of their lives after they were recently released as a family at Animal Defenders International’s monkey sanctuary at Pilpintuwasi Animal Orphanage in the Amazon rainforest.

The capuchin monkeys, named Chepa, Pirate, Otto, and Matias, were stolen from the wild as babies, sold as pets, and then found themselves in Lima, the capital city of Peru, hundreds of miles from their rainforest home. Peruvian wildlife officials from SERFOR confiscated two of them, and the other two were abandoned at a restaurant, where they were cared for until a home could be found.

Before their long journey, the monkeys were all given health checks and cleared. ADI, Unidos por los Animales (UPA), SERFOR, LATAM Cargo, and Pilpintuwasi Amazon Animal Orphanage transported the monkeys by road, air, and river in order to get them to their forever home in the Amazon basin.

ADI release video footage of Pirate, who is blind in one eye, as well as Matias, Otto, and Chepa as they stepped out of their travel crates and into their new rainforest habitat.

“These monkeys are the lucky ones and will live out their lives together in a sanctuary habitat back in the rainforest from which they were stolen,” ADI’s President Jan Creamer told WAN. “It is wonderful to see them amongst the trees again, but we must not forget the animals that are not so lucky. People should not keep wild animals as pets, especially monkeys which are highly intelligent and have complex social needs.”

The ADI monkey facility was built in 2015 as the organization helped the animals needed after Peru’s national ban on animal circuses. The complex of habitats in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest was one of the most difficult construction projects for ADI.

Built around trees and including a stream, the seven enclosures initially provided a home for almost 50 monkeys and coati mundis, rescued as part of ADI’s seizures from circuses and the illegal wildlife trade. More survivors of the wildlife trade have since joined them. These monkey habitats have become a lifeline for animals and a vital part of ADI’s campaign to put a stop to the wildlife trade.

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