A woman in the city of Wolverhampton, England, suddenly discovered a South American monkey in her greenhouse, and scrambled to figure out who to call.
The animal charity Wings and Paws said they were contacted by a distressed woman who reported a “strange wild animal with a bushy tail” leaping about her property.
Volunteers who arrived on the scene expected to find a squirrel or a fox but were left shocked to see a monkey casually sitting on the kitchen countertop.
“We’re more used to dealing with domestic pets and farmyard animals like dogs, cats and horses so it was certainly a shock to discover a monkey,” said volunteer Gemma Warner.
It turned out to be a marmoset—5,400 miles away from his native South America—most likely an unwanted pet left to fend for himself in the West Midlands of Great Britain.
“Its lucky we found him because the cold would have killed him if he’d been left on the streets of Wolverhampton.”
They were able to entice ‘Marcel’ into a cage to take back to their rescue centre—and things only got better from there.
Volunteers spent several weeks nursing him back to full health—and now they’ve found him a suitable home, which had the added bonus of a potential new girlfriend.
He was offered a place at Monkey World 200 miles away in Wareham, Dorset, and made the journey there on Wednesday.
Once he has settled into his new enclosure, Marcel will be introduced to a female in residence, and it’s hoped the pair will hit it off.
“It was mixed emotions seeing him go because he was such a sweetheart who we had grown really fond of,” said Gemma.
“But we are obviously ecstatic for him as it’s undoubtedly the best place for him. We were really happy to find him somewhere suitable.”
It wasn’t an easy task though, Monkey World—like Wings and Paws, and other rescue facilities—was full.
“The owner jiggled some things around and he now has a lovely big enclosure to explore.
“Our volunteers worked relentlessly to make this happen and Monkey World could see he deserved a new start. We’re really grateful.”
“We are sad to see him go but over the moon for him.
Marmosets are mainly found in the tropical rainforests of South America, with a few populations in Central America.
It is currently legal in the UK to keep them as pets, but new rules adopted earlier this year by the government will make it illegal to keep monkeys, lemurs, and other primates without a license beginning in 2026.
Sharing the news on social media, Wings and Paws added: “What a fabulous end to our rescue mission – this is what it’s all about! Rescues helping rescues and saving lives!”
This article was first published by The Good News Network on 12 May 2024. Lead Image: South American marmoset monkey named Marcel – Wings and Paws / SWNS.
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