Wings and Paws: UK animal rescue seeking home for marmoset monkey - found 'leaping about' Wolverhampton house

A Wolverhampton woman got the surprise of her life after discovering a marmoset monkey in her conservatory - before the unusual animal went charging around her house.

Rescuers from local animal charity Wings and Paws expected to find a squirrel or a fox when they were called to reports of a "strange wild animal with a bushy tail" leaping about the distressed homeowner’s property. They instead arrived to a monkey sitting on the kitchen countertop. Volunteers were able to entice the creature into a cage and transport him back to their rescue centre - where he has since been named Marcel.

Wings and Paws told SWNS they believe Marcel - who was 5,400 miles away from his native South America - was dumped as an unwanted pet, as he was tame and friendly around humans. The animal charity is now trying to find the white-headed marmoset a suitable home, after spending two weeks getting him back to full strength.

Volunteer Gemma Warner said the monkey was “very skinny and hungry” when they found him, but “was clever enough to know he needed to find the humans” for help. “We assume he must have been a pet which was sadly dumped or released when the owner no longer wanted him.

“We're more used to dealing with domestic pets and farmyard animals like dogs, cats and horses so it was certainly a shock to discover a monkey,” she continued. “Its lucky we found him because the cold would have killed him if he'd been left on the streets of Wolverhampton. It's not their usual habitat.”

Marcel liked to sit on volunteers’ laps and groom their hair “in order to make friends”, Ms Warner said. “He has been with us a couple of weeks now and he is a lovely little chap. He will sit in the palm of your hands, he is very relaxed around humans - hence why he broke into somebody's house and we think he is a pet rather than from a zoo.”

The charity, which covers the wider West Midlands area, has tried to find his owners, she added, but no one has come forward. Although they believe he’s now ready to move on, the charity doesn’t want Marcel “to become another pet in a cage”.

They are looking into ideally finding another animal centre where he can live long-term, preferably with others of his own kind. “We will do what is right for Marcel, whether this is rehoming him or him staying with us.”

Monkeys as pets in the UK

Marmosets - of which there are 22 species - are native to the tropical rainforests of South and Central America. They can live up to 18 years. They eat sap and gum from trees, as well as fruit, leaves, seeds and flowers - and also the odd insect or small animal.

It is legal in the UK to keep them as pets, but animal welfare charities like the RSPCA advise against it due to their complex social, environmental, and care needs, which have unfortunately lead to some horrific cases of neglect. One Welsh couple were recently banned from keeping pets for ten years, after a marmoset monkey in their care developed severe metabolic bone disease - which left the animal screaming in pain - from being fed an incorrect diet.

The House of Commons recently passed a bill which will make it harder to keep monkeys as pets in the UK, currently under consideration in the House of Lords. The new policy would see it become illegal for a primate to be kept in a domestic setting in England - unless owners meet certain licensing conditions equivalent to those required in zoos.