New England Primate Sanctuary

 


 

Monkeys

Featured Monkeys

In this growing collection, from our Staying Connected newsletters, you can learn about a variety of monkeys, their physical characteristics, habitats, diets, social behaviors, communication styles, and conservation status. Click on the photo of the monkey that you'd like to read about.

Tufted Brown Capuchin          Colobus Monkey       Japanese Snow Macaque        Rhesus Macaque 

                           

 

Owl or Night Monkey              Spider Monkey                Squirrel Monkey                      Woolly Monkey

                         

 

                                                        

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Wild animals fascinate us all. Primates are particularly intriguing because they remind us of ourselves. Since seeing them in their natural habitats is unlikely for most of us, they are brought to us to satisfy our curiosity and interest. Since we are primates, monkeys and apes are used in research on our behalf.

Nonhuman primates, mostly monkeys, are imported into the US by the tens of thousands annually. At the same time, they are bred here for trade, entertainment, research and display. Many are kept in inadequate, even squalid conditions. Many are recycled as they become uncooperative pets, too old for entertainment, surplused from zoos, or no longer needed in research. If they are lucky their keepers seek sanctuary for them at the end of their service.

These may not seem like common problems, especially in New England. It may be surprising to learn that over 5,000 monkeys live in the conspicuously not-tropical northeastern climate of New England. Our booming biotechnology and medical industries use thousands of primates in research -- over 16,000 in the northeast. That's one-fourth of the nation's total. Learn more about the numbers of nonhuman primates in the United States on our FAQs page.

Despite their numbers, there are fewer than a dozen accredited primate sanctuaries in North America. New England Primate Sanctuary is the only primate sanctuary in the northeast. Most sanctuaries are filled to capacity. Thousands of monkeys need placement and the need continues to grow. Once captive, they cannot be returned to their wild roots. Find out why on our FAQs page.

The outlook for their futures is dismal unless we produce reasonable and humane options. Although captivity is never natural, sanctuary provides a more natural alternative for their captive lives.

 

 

Rhesus Macaque

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Black Howler is a

New World Monkey

 

 

 

The Baboon is an

Old World Monkey

 

 

New England Primate Sanctuary, Inc.
P.O. Box 520174, Winthrop, Massachusetts 02152 USA
Tel:  (617) 846-1574     E-mail: info@neprimatesanctuary.org