A marmoset who was found leaping along scaffolding poles in London has been rescued by Monkey World.

Earlier this month, the director of Monkey World – Ape Rescue Centre, Dr Alison Cronin, was called upon to rescue the female marmoset monkey spotted in the capital.

The geoffroy’s marmoset (named Freya) was herded into the lobby of a tower block in Tower Hamlet where concerned locals managed to grab the monkey and secure her in a reptile vivarium until Monkey World came to the rescue.

Watch the video here: 

Video provided by Monkey World

Dr Cronin explained that the current laws in the UK allow more than 80 species of monkey to be kept legally with no license, register, or need to check the suitability of their living arrangements and owners. These primates, (which include all species of squirrel monkey, night monkey, titi monkey and all marmosets and tamarins) can be bought as easily as goldfish, often by well-meaning animal lovers from unscrupulous breeders. 

Not knowing the specialist diets, social needs and appropriate environments these primates require, owners are unwittingly neglecting the monkeys, and Monkey World have rescued 115 primates from private homes. 

She said: "Worryingly, the trade is on the rise, with over half of these rescues taking place in the last five years. Many suffer from rickets, aggression and mobility issues, often from being kept alone in bird cages, with no outside access and a diet of table scraps. As an international rescue centre, working with governments around the world to stop the smuggling of primates from the wild, it is tragic that the home-grown legal UK pet trade is the largest ongoing problem Monkey World faces.

"Antiquated animal laws are failing to protect the primates from cruelty or neglect, and instead only occasionally lead to prosecution once it has occurred."

Dr Cronin, with support from musician Peter Gabriel and MP Richard Drax handed a petition of more than 110,000 signatures to Downing Street requesting a change in the law to protect the victims of the pet trade. This was dismissed by Minster of Environment, Food and Rural affairs, MP George Eustice, who during a parliament adjournment debate of the issue stated he believes the current laws are doing their jobs. 

Dr Cronin added: "The Minister was proved wrong by a Brazilian monkey running loose on the streets of London.

"The female numbers 116 in a long list of primates rescued from the UK pet trade by Monkey World. The Animal Welfare Act, the Primate Code of Practice, and the Pet Animals Act are failing to protect pet primates and the victims are piling up, spilling out onto the street and leaving Monkey World to mop up the mess."