Monkeys in Chile? - No, you have not read wrongly! It's true that Guanacos are native to Chile, condors, llamas, sea lions, pelicans, penguins and whales, but not monkeys. Nevertheless, there is actually a monkey sanctuary in Chile.
The monkeys, who are cared for in this project, were rescued by the center’s staff from different, bad situations: some found themselves at the customs in the hands of illegal animal dealers, others come from the circus and still others from private owners. Many are injured or ill and almost all disturbed because of the non-species-appropriate attitude.
If you are committed to animal welfare and want to help stopping the illegal pet trade, volunteering at the Primate Center is just the thing for you. The project has been working since 1994 to free monkeys from captivity and to return them to their natural environment, if that's possible at all. Unfortunately, over the years, this has often turned out to be utopian, as many of the animals suffer serious, incurable damage. In these cases, the monkeys remain in the center. Some years ago, however, some chimpanzees could be transferred back to Zambia (Africa) to the jungle and released to freedom.
Since the foundation of the center about 200 monkeys of 12 different species have been cared for. With the help of volunteers and donors, the monkey sanctuary will hopefully be able to continue this important work for a long time to come.
The animal rights activists in the center are working hard to make rehabilitation for the monkeys as comfortable as possible. To ensure this, the center is not accessible to the public, so the animals have as little contact with humans as possible.
The staff take care of the monkeys and nurse them back to health. When the physical needs are satisfied, they observe them, analyze personality and examine how the animals behave in the group.
