Monkey Sanctuary | How You Can Help

Monkey Sanctuary Trust is a unique environmental charity dedicated to:

Woolly monkey welfare, including the welfare, conservation and survival of primates, particularly woolly monkeys and capuchin monkeys.
Capuchin monkey welfare, including Working to end the primate and monkey trade and abuse of primates and monkeys in captivity.
Conserving natural habitats of woolly and capuchin monkeys through education and sustainable living.
monkey rescue, including promoting the rehabilitation of rescued woolly and capuchin monkeys and primates to natural habitats.

Woolly Monkey - what is it?

The woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha) is one of the largest and most beautiful of the South American primates. They live in the middle and upper Amazon basin to the west of the rivers Negro and Tapajos. There are four recognised sub-species of woolly monkey. These are mountain or long-haired woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha lugens), the brown woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha poepiggii), the grey woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha cana) and the brown-headed woolly monkey (lagothrix lagothricha lagothricha).

Woolly monkeys are arboreal (meaning tree-dwelling), spending most of their time high in the canopy of the trees and rarely venturing to the forest floor.

Woolly monkeys have evolved in a way which enables them to exploit this tree-top niche, to travel easily along narrow limbs, to reach nuts, seedpods and fruits at the end of branches, to leap between gaps safely and even to sleep securely 150 feet above the ground.

Capuchin Monkey - what is it?

Capuchins were named after capuchin monks because the dark fur that forms a cap on their heads and extends down in 'side-burns' resembles the cowl or headdress of the capuchin priests.

Capuchin monkeys are one of the most intelligent and adaptable of all South American primates. The first capuchins (Cebus species) appeared 16.3 million years ago in South America and, like all monkeys capuchin monkeys share about 97% of their DNA with humans. All capuchin species are neotropical, in other words capuchin monkeys are mainly found in northern and central South America. Within this range only the howler monkey is as widespread, and the black-capped capuchin or tufted capuchin has the widest distribution of any new world monkey, as capuchin monkeys are found in every South American country except Uruguay and Chile.

Monkey Sanctuary Trust is based at The Monkey Sanctuary in Looe, Cornwall, UK. The Monkey Sanctuary is home to a social colony of Woolly monkeys and a group of rescued ex-pet Capuchin monkeys. The Trust provides advice and support for primate, woolly and capuchin monkey rescue centres and sanctuaries around the world.

Each year the Monkey Sanctuary Trust educates thousands of visitors on monkey life in the wild and in captivity, on the ethics and problems of captivity for woolly monkeys, about ideas for rehabilitation as well as other animal welfare and conservation issues for woolly and capuchin monkeys.

Monkey Sanctuary Trust Home page

The Monkey Sanctuary Trust's Work

History of the Monkey Sanctuary

Contact the monkey sanctuary

Support the woolly monkeys

Adopt a woolly or capuchin Monkey

International Adoptions of capuchin monkeys

Donate to help woolly monkeys

Volunteer to help the Monkay Sanctuary

Become a woolly monkey Keeper for the Day

Jobs at the monkey sanctuary

The Monkeys - woolly capuchin

The Bats that live alongside the woolly monkeys

Woolly monkey Rehabilitation Programme

About Woolly Monkeys

About Capuchin Monkeys

Wildzone - all about capuchins and woollies

Monkey Rehabilitation Programme

Monkey Sanctuary Visits and Talks

Monkey Sanctuary - Educational Resources

Sanctuary Links

Volunteer

The Monkey Sanctuary relies upon the help of volunteers for many things and the Sanctuary literally could not function without them. Many people who visit or read about the Sanctuary are Helping to lay new turf interested in learning more about the monkeys and about the people who take care of them. Volunteering at the Sanctuary is the best way of doing this.

The Monkey Sanctuary is visited by thirty to forty thousand people every year. These people come to the Sanctuary for the opportunity to meet monkeys and to see them living in a natural colony. A lot of effort goes into providing people with an enjoyable and educational experience. Although volunteers cannot directly handle monkeys, they do help make sure that things run smoothly. In summer volunteers help prepare food for the monkeys, run our shop, help serving in the kiosk, run workshops in the Activity room and help keep the Sanctuary tidy. Longer term volunteers may help at the admission desk or answer visitors' questions at the enclosures.

In the winter, volunteers help us maintain the house and monkey territory, Volunteers help to prepare food prepare the monkeys' food and treats, do street collections, design and make displays, work in the Sanctuary gardens and help with the daily cleaning of the monkey territory. Volunteers with special practical skills have been very important in helping us build new enclosures and improve the monkey territory.

For many volunteers their time at the Sanctuary is their first experience of communal living. The Sanctuary provides volunteers with a chance to become part of the community and to share our commitment to care for the monkeys. You do not need any special skills to become a volunteer, but you need to be over 18 and have a basic knowledge of the English language and a general concern for animals and nature.

If you are interested to know what happens with monkeys, keepers and visitors from behind the Volunteering is great fun! scenes, contact the Volunteer Co-ordinator on 01503 262 532 or volunteer@monkeysanctuary.org for more information or write to (including a SAE):

The Monkey Sanctuary
Looe
Cornwall
PL13 1NZ
UK