MONA-UK

MONA-UK was set up to work with the Mona Foundation in Spain to end the exploitation of primates in captivity. The foundation has established a sanctuary near Girona in Spain, which provides a home where rescued chimpanzees and other primates can live in a natural environment and where people can be inspired to understand and respect wild animals.

The first group of rescued chimpanzees arrived in 2001 having spent their lives in total darkness, in filthy conditions, inside an old truck. The chimps could barely stand in their small cages but today they have an area the size of a football field, where they can roam, forage and climb.

We are very happy with our progress but we cannot forget that there are still more than 35 chimps and hundreds of monkeys languishing in awful conditions in Spain alone. Many of these animals are being illegally kept and cannot be confiscated by the authorities because there are currently few sanctuaries in Europe with the proper facilities needed to keep these animals. This means that many of them could remain in these conditions for many years.

Chimpanzees can live for up to fifty years which is an awful prospect for them.