International Macaque Day

This Wednesday the 16th of March we celebrate the first International Macaque’s Day, a great oportunity for them to stop being, once for all, the one forgoten primate.

Did you know that the Barbary macaque is the only primate, except from humans, that can be found in the wild in Europe?

The Barbary macaque populations are decreesing by vast amounts every year… The destruction of their habitat and illegal pet trade are leading this unique species to extinction.

About 300 babies are captured every year, snatched away from their habitat, their home, their family… to be sold illegaly as pets in Europe. However the day will arrive when this baby, obtained on a whim to be a pet, becomes an animal far different from the exemplary pet that they were suposed to be… What are the options now? Abandoning it, or locking it away in a little cage, depriving it from the little social contact you could offer so far, leaving it to a life in solitude with little or no stimulation. This situation forbides them developing the social abilities which are essencial for their physical and mental wellbeing , this can causes some abnormal behaviours to appear as repetitive movements or, in more severe cases, self inflicted agression.

In Fundació MONA we fight daily to rise awareness of the terrible situation the Barbary macaque is facing, and we work tirelessly to offer them the worthy life they were taken from.

Nevertherless, and despite the extreme situation of the specie, the Barbary macaque illegal traffic is increassing.
But you can now help us! Join us on this day and give voice to those who dont have it. We have a commitment to them, and every single act no matter […]