Wales Ape & Monkey Sanctuary Cefn-yr-Erw Primate Sanctuary

OrangePerson said:
I think it's about time this place had a new thread.

8 monkeys are currently being transported to the sanctuary from this pet shop.

Bankrupt Ballymena pet shop owner's fears for exotic animals as they move to new homes
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I don't know the background, beyond what's in the article, but this is an outstanding quote from the pet shop owner:

"These are our pets. We built this place to give them refuge. They were rescued from the pet trade in 2009," Mr Potter said.
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Rescued from the pet trade... to be pets? Not the best choice of words! He also seems to think CITES means the iguana and crocodile aren't allowed to be moved at all (which it doesn't), although that could easily be the journalist misunderstanding.
 
OrangePerson said:
8 monkeys including 2 spider monkeys are currently being transported to the sanctuary from this pet shop.
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there's a little video on the link as well which shows some macaques (in terms of primates, the sign at the entrance notes only macaques and spider monkeys). The state of the place is disgusting.
 
Chlidonias said:
there's a little video on the link as well which shows some macaques (in terms of primates, the sign at the entrance notes only macaques and spider monkeys). The state of the place is disgusting.
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Hate to say this having visited the place,but they showed its best bits!!!!!
 
The whole storyline is beyond the bizarre: saved from the pet trade by a pet store and end up in a dump like WAMS.

I wonder what kind of spider monkey is involved?
(I can think of a few good zoos there ...)
 
Without a doubt they do a fantastic job looking after the primates, but many other animals have found this place as home porcupines, raccoons, foxs, donkeys, horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, cats and much much more. And to those they couldn't look after but support the relocation to famous Anne the elephant!!
 
From the little that I have been told:
There were more animals held at this place. It all looks very dodgy.
The two spider monkeys are over 30 years old, and bred in the last year or so (what happened to the offspring?). They appear to be brown/variegated spiders (Ateles hybridus) so they are pretty rare. At their age I'm not sure how important they would be. Apparently it was due to one of the spiders biting a visitor that the insurers pulled the plug.
There were a number of macaques - rhesus and a crab-eater..
Also a good size retic, aldabran tortoises and alligator. Some of these have gone back into the private keeper trade.
All the animals needed to move asap.
 
tetrapod said:
The two spider monkeys are over 30 years old, and bred in the last year or so (what happened to the offspring?). They appear to be brown/variegated spiders (Ateles hybridus) so they are pretty rare. At their age I'm not sure how important they would be.
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the female might be pregnant at the moment. This article - ?I will get my animals back? pledges exotic pet shop owner - Ballymena Times - has a quote from the owner saying "Some of them are, in my opinion, distressed, I would be particularly worried about a heavily pregnant spider-monkey."
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
The whole storyline is beyond the bizarre: saved from the pet trade by a pet store and end up in a dump like WAMS.

I wonder what kind of spider monkey is involved?
(I can think of a few good zoos there ...)
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Absolutely typical - I bet you'd like the spider moneys, (but only if considered of interest), to go to a 'good zoo' and the rest of the monkeys killed, or 'euthanased' as people like say, to sanitise it.

WAMS isn't a dump. I accept it's not aesthetically pleasing, and many of the enclosures are not as big as you'd provide if money were no object (although some are purposely not as large as they could be because the animals weren't used to the big space and chose not to use it) but I did a keeper day here and was very happy to see how warm and clean the housing is when you are in it, what excellent diets the animals have (with some indulgent treats) and what efforts they make to keep the animals happy. Whilst most zoos are packed up for the night the owners here are still spending time with the animals, most of whom were deemed too uninteresting, disruptive or numerous to be of interest to zoos.
 
OrangePerson said:
Absolutely typical - I bet you'd like the spider moneys, (but only if considered of interest), to go to a 'good zoo' and the rest of the monkeys killed, or 'euthanased' as people like say, to sanitise it.

WAMS isn't a dump. I accept it's not aesthetically pleasing, and many of the enclosures are not as big as you'd provide if money were no object (although some are purposely not as large as they could be because the animals weren't used to the big space and chose not to use it) but I did a keeper day here and was very happy to see how warm and clean the housing is when you are in it, what excellent diets the animals have (with some indulgent treats) and what efforts they make to keep the animals happy. Whilst most zoos are packed up for the night the owners here are still spending time with the animals, most of whom were deemed too uninteresting, disruptive or numerous to be of interest to zoos.
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Good post.
 
OrangePerson said:
Absolutely typical - I bet you'd like the spider moneys, (but only if considered of interest), to go to a 'good zoo' and the rest of the monkeys killed, or 'euthanased' as people like say, to sanitise it.
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It is one thing to enquire about a couple of spider monkeys out of sheer interest by myself. It is quite another for another forumster to want to read into my scribblings and mind something that is surely not there nor meant to be. It is your invention alone, so let us keep it civil right!

For the record: I do not have a great regard for sanctuaries per se, but that should not come as a surprise to most on here. I have seen too many of those in my lifetime already. And for what it is worth: I do not wish for clinical euthanasia for any sanctuary inhabitants, just better housing for these as would be seen in many a zoo in good standing.

Let us leave it at that.
 
Visit report 1st September 2016

I visited yesterday , at the end of the school holidays it was busy .

The pair of spider monkeys fron Ballymena have very recently been put on display in a newly built enclosure . They looked like variegated , not possible to get a decent photo though . The male was very vocal , not heard a spider monkey making much noise before . A pair of rhesus monkey and their 2 male offspring , also from Ballymena , are in a nearby new enclosure , behind the male mandrill .

The old 'wolf enclosure' has been rebuilt and houses 1.2 animals that look like wolves but probably are dog crosses to some extent according to their Facebook page , lovely looking animals .

Two new chimps Uschi and Kaspar have arrived and are in the small enclosure attached to the main one , the whole complex is under quarantine with new barriers . I saw 9 chimps in all . A new enclosure is being built on the back of the barn which houses offshow stock .

I was really pleased to find old black mangabey Alfie back on show with spider monkey Jon-Jon , they were enjoying the sun and interacting . There was no sign of them last year .

A group of male Mayotte brown lemurs are on show as well as the black-and -white ruffed and female black lemur .

Will post some photos later .
 
Bele. said:
I was really pleased to find old black mangabey Alfie back on show with spider monkey Jon-Jon
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The black Mangabey must be the only one in the UK. Do you know his source?
 
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