Britain's pet monkeys suffering obesity epidemic caused by their couch potato lifestyle

Animal welfare experts have warned that growing numbers of Britain's pet monkeys are facing problems with their weight, as a result of sugar-rich diets and lack of exercise. There are an estimated 5,000 monkeys kept as pets in the UK. But welfare experts report seeing an increasing number of health problems among the animals, apparently caused by unhealthy lifestyles.

Staff at sanctuaries devoted to caring for primates say they are dealing with many former pets being handed over to them suffering from the effects of “couch potato” lifestyles, where they have been indulged on unsuitable human foods and not given enough exercise. Jean Smith, who runs the Yorkshire Monkey Sanctuary, said: “We have had them too fat to move sometimes. It is just a question of the wrong diet. They are fed on things like sweets, pizza, chips and cake - whatever their owner is eating. And many don’t have enclosures large enough to run it all off.”



The sanctuary currently has more than 40 monkeys around half of those that come in are suffering from health problems linked to nutrition and exercise.  Hayley Dann, from the Wild Futures’ Monkey Sanctuary, near Looe, Cornwall, added: “They are fed unsuitable human food and kept in small cages and it causes real health problems. We have to get their weight down.” She said that although the monkeys’ weight can be controlled once they are admitted to the sanctuary, many have developed diabetes by that stage. (News video).

Around a third of the 37 currently kept there have diabetes. It means that unlike their cousins in the wild, many of the monkeys are not permitted to eat bananas, because of their high sugar content. Instead, they are fed vegetables and oatcake. The most recent study of the size of Britain's pet monkey population was in 2009 and found around 5,000, although others have put the figure at up to 20,000. The majority are marmosets, tamarins, or squirrel monkeys, which do not require a licence.