monkeys

[emily89]

i was told the other day that monkeys were being taken off dwa? is it only me who thinks this is a really bad move? i think there maybe a increase in monkeys being taken into rescue homes in the near future?

[Declan123]

Its....Bull mate, a few would and have come off the DWAL but Not all

[Nerys]

tamarins, squirrel monkeys and wooly lemurs came off the DWA on october the 1st last year..

and i have to say, we have not seen a huge leap in people keeping them.. there were some around before, there have been some around since.. but nothing vastly different from before..

in fact, i think the only animal that came off, that i would say has really suffered as a result, is the Mangrove Snake..

far too many (IMHO) of these are being brought in WC and not adjusted to captivity before being sold on to inexperienced keepers..

i think there would be a rather larger fuss made, if there were numbers of wild caught squirrel monkey's arriving in the UK and going into retail... this is not to say i am totally against wild caught, but i do think the mangrove snake suffered a bit as a result of coming off the DWA and becoming the next "must have" snake.. seeing as there is no-one much breeding them in captivity, most of the casualties would have been wild caught animals.. and that part of the WC side i am not keen on i must admit..

N

[htf666]

It is unfortunate that this handsome snake usually arrives in a heavily parasitesed condition and stresses easily as well. I do tend to see the bright side though and think that before long we will have enough captive bred specimens to meet the demand. If other species like the Sunbeam snake and the Red-tailed rat snake are anything to go by the youngsters will be a totally different kettle of fish.I personally think the more species we breed the more chance they have of surviving when their environment shrinks to an unsustainable size.What other hope have they got? Harry

[Ryegeckoman123]

I don't know if they are making a bad move. If people are willing to give the monkeys the room and the social structure (other monkeys) then maybe it is so bad but if someone doesn't then it is a bad idea. I am not completely sure this is bad if they right care is given.

[glidergirl]

Marmosets have never been on license and I've seen lots more ads for them rather than those that have just come off.

The prices increased when they came off license, which is a pain to those who are serious keepers, but would hopefully put off the type of person that would have the primate as a substitute child!

Oh, and I agree with Nerys, the mangroves really have taken a hit, for some bizarre reason everyone wanted a mangrove as soon as they came off license, I personally think MOST (not all) of them are to do with ego 'you needed a license to keep this snake not so long back' type of thing. A bit like those people who walk into the shop who all of a sudden want the biggest snake in the shop, or an iguana having never even touched a reptile! You know the type ... 'I'll kill it if it bites me'!!!

Anyway, back on topic ... the main problem from where I'm sitting is that NOW they are untraceable, before they had to be listed on the license, NOW there are no vet or council checks in order to keep a primate, so no one knows what kind of environment they're living in, whether the correct diet is being fed, whether they're in good health or not!

Before anyone jumps on me - MY council had a vet that was experienced with zoo animals, he inspected the premises, the enclosures, he asked questions about their diet and actually looked at the individuals, granted not all councils would do this anyway, but when I'm paying over £200 for a half hour visit then I want it done properly!!!! Usually the vet would then go away and make recommendations to the council of what changes (if any) he would like to see, on the condition that these changes are made the license was granted.

So while they were on license they were at least regulated a little bit!