OneKind was surprised to hear from a supporter that a marmoset was being advertised last month - among the discount cosmetics and ear-piercing accessories in a shop window in Kilmarnock.
The marmoset was said to be female, five years old and “ready for breeding”. The price? £1,000.
This novel approach to primate-marketing drew the attention of the local newspaper, the Kilmarnock Standard. The owner explained to the reporter that she had six monkeys at home, in a big cage in the living room, and that anyone buying this one would need a second monkey if they wanted to breed from her. The owner also said that she would ensure that the marmoset went to a good home.
Brooke Aldrich of Wild Futures, The Monkey Sanctuary, wrote to the Kilmarnock Standard to explain that monkeys are not suited to life as pets, being essentially undomesticated, and designed for their own natural habitats and social groupings. “They simply cannot, and never will, thrive in cages in people’s homes” said Brooke. “They are highly intelligent, fully aware of their surroundings and situations and are capable of feeling emotions very much like our own.”
Nonetheless, as the law stands at present, a monkey can be taken out of the living room and sold for breeding via a shop window, and then she, and more little monkeys, can live in cages for most of their lives.
Reassuringly, the owner said she would be particular about selecting the marmoset’s new owner, but shouldn’t exotic animals like these be traded – if at all – only through specialist channels?
Of course most people try to obtain their pets from recommended or well-known outlets, or from sanctuaries. But do we think enough about the route that our new pet travelled, before he or she got there? When we hand over money to a breeder, a pet shop, an internet supplier, how many of us ask where the animal started from in the first place?
OneKind has been campaigning for years to modernise pet vending legislation. Now we want to empower and encourage people to be far more inquisitive about their new pet’s start in life. That in turn will make the trade more accountable and will highlight why some animals are not suitable as pets at all.
Our new Pet Origins campaign focuses on the wide range of sources, apart from licensed pet shops and breeders, that are involved in the pet trade. So - what do YOU know about your pet’s origins? Please take a couple of minutes to complete our new Pet Origins survey, tell us what you can and help us to make our case for change.