Latest news

In early July Xhabu the Siamang, one of our most special residents, became poorly, showing symptoms consistent with having a stroke. Our vets have been liaising with specialists around the world to decide which tests are most appropriate, given the geographical challenges faced with being on the Isle of Wight with limited specialists scanners.

Xhabu had a tough couple of weeks, with our Animal Care team providing around-the-clock support to keep him fed and clean. Due to the nature of his condition it adds complexities in sedating him for further tests without compromising his recovery.

In the last week or so he has started regaining his appetite and is currently in a specially adapted room, next to his friends Bog the Siamang, and Kajan and Bono the Müeller Gibbons. Although they are still separated at present, they can see each other and communicate through the wire.

Despite facing some challenges, like developing bed sores, Xhabu has been incredibly cooperative with our keepers, allowing them to apply cream regularly to aid his healing. He’s moving around with his one good arm and leg and is eating well on his own. We’re hopeful for his continued improvement!

We’ll keep you updated on our social channels.

We’re so excited to announce the official opening of our new eco-enclosure built for Peppino, Lulu and their tribe of White-throated capuchins.

The gang were outgrowing their previous house so needed something a bit more spacious… and that’s exactly what they’ve got! This fab new home is one of our largest and greenest enclosures. It’s built using timber sourced from sustainable forests, with eco insulation and cedar roofs, which are very energy efficient and drastically reduce heat loss. There’s a bank of solar panels to power the enclosure, providing light and heat to keep the monkeys nice and snug in the winter.

The Capuchins have been acclimatising and getting settled in to their new space while our building team have been completing the finishing touches around the enclosure. The new home has an inside walkthrough that is now open, so you can get up close and see these fascinating animals.

They are such intelligent and inquisitive monkeys and are enjoying exploring their new surroundings, complete with waterfall, plenty of ropes to play on, and even a trampoline! Capuchins are very active and love playing, foraging, jumping and bouncing around.

Our sanctuary recently won a gold award for Best Green business 2022 and we’ve started building another eco-friendly home to accommodate more arrivals later this year.

And a huge thank you to Red Funnel and all of the generous supporters who helped fund the new enclosure.

Pop in and say hello!

We have just welcomed two critically endangered Yellow-breasted Capuchins (also known as Golden-bellied Capuchins) to their forever home at the Haven. Dennis and Juan are brothers who were born at Edinburgh Zoo as part of the European Endangered Species Programme. In recent years the family had fallen apart so our charity was asked to rehome them.

Monkey Haven’s founder, Don Walser, said: “We are very fortunate to be in a position to help these lovely animals. We were only able to offer them a home once we had moved our family of White-throated capuchins into their fancy new home, which we have just built. We have now finishing the refurb of the old enclosure, in time for the Dennis and Juan’s arrival on 3^rd May.”

Don added: “It takes a huge amount of planning to ensure the animals are moved to the Haven with as little stress as possible. And we’re grateful to Wightlink for providing ferry travel and also donating rope for the Capuchins to play on,”

Wightlink Commercial Director Phil Delaney said: “We’re really pleased to be supporting the Monkey Haven with travel to bring Dennis and Juan to their new home on the Island. We hope they quickly settle into their new surroundings and enjoy playing on the old mooring rope we have donated for their enclosure.”

The Yellow-breasted Capuchins are native to the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil. Hunting and habitat loss has led to the population dropping by 80% over the past 50 years – there are less than 3,000 left in the wild.

In the 1980s the Brazilian government got involved with the European Endangered Species Programme to ensure that there was a genetically healthy backup population bred in captivity. So although Dennis and Juan are living at Monkey Haven, they will always belong to Brazil.

These monkeys are mostly brown and black, but get their name from the golden yellow fur that covers their upper arms, chest and stomach. They are highly vocal and communicate with each other using barks, screams, whistles and chattering.

“We are all extremely excited, it’s going to be a very happy May at Monkey Haven! Our animal carers have ensured Dennis and Juan get a VIP welcome, with lots of treats – including their favourite live bugs!” said Don.

We’re open every day from 10am if you want to swing by and meet Dennis and Juan.

Monkey Haven Keeper, LilyMae, reports from Africa:

I have had the best time, it’s been truly incredible. I’m volunteering at West African Primate Conservation Action (WAPCA), in Ghana, and am getting a really good insight into the vital work it undertakes.

The organisation is based in Accra, the capital of Ghana, but its important work is carried out in several Ghanaian regions. The mission is to safeguard the future of endangered primates and their habitat in West Africa. The organisation primarily focuses on the critically endangered Roloway monkey, Miss Waldron’s colobus, white-thighed black and white colobus and the endangered White-naped mangabey. But WAPCA also assists in the confiscation of primates stolen for the illegal pet trade, in particular, Patas Monkeys.

I’m based at its Endangered Primate Breeding Centre at Accra Zoo. Most of the White-naped mangabeys at the centre are a part of the EEP (Eaza Ex-situ Programme). These monkeys are important for increasing genetic diversity within the captive white-naped mangabey population. I have been involved with the daily care of the primates, including building enrichment items. I’ve learnt a lot from this experience and it has been a good knowledge exchange, for both parties.

It’s been amazing to experience the Ghanaian culture, everyone has been so welcoming and they’ve really made me feel like part of the family. I’m now hoping to raise awareness about WAPCA’s incredible work. As we care for Western African primate species at Monkey Haven (Djimmy and Buna, the Cherry-crowned mangabeys), I would really love to publicise Mangabey Awareness Day in August. I’m hoping to revisit Ghana in a year’s time to bring new skills and share new ideas for the welfare of the primates at Accra Zoo.

I’m sad to be leaving but so happy to be coming home to the Haven, I’ve missed everyone terribly.

LilyMae xx

Over the past four weeks our wonderful keeper team have been out most evenings braving the elements to assist in Toad Patrol over at Alverstone 🐸💚

Every year hundreds of toads migrate across the road to the local pond to breed.  They usually move on warm, wet evenings, so when the temperature is right our keepers go along for a few hours to patrol the area.

All of our animal care team have been involved, alongside a couple of members of the Froglife team, taking it in turns to patrol the road and ensuring the toads cross safely.

There can be up to 400 toads during the breeding period and we can now rest easy knowing these little guys have made it safely to the other side.

Great effort team 🙌🐸💚

Swing on by and fall in love with the rescued gibbons, monkeys, owls, meerkats and other exotic creatures. Our award-winning sanctuary is hosting Love Week during half term (11-19^th February). There will be rescue stories to warm your heart, plus daily keeper talks focusing on love in its many forms – romances, bromances and there’s even a monkey who’s found happiness with his squeaky toy pig!

Rescued marmosets, Rosa, Gizmo and Winston were all ex-pets with troubled pasts but through gradual introductions we have been able to integrate them into a happy trio. Find out how all three came to live at the Haven and watch them enjoying an enriched new life with monkeys of their own kind – A happy love story for these three little monkeys.

Javan langurs, Wheat and Treacle, will no doubt be spotted having one of their many cuddles and learn of the love story between our Siamangs and Muellers gibbons. They were once living as neighbours but now live happily together under one roof in a very special and unique love story at the Haven.

There will be tasty treats in the tea room, and a chance for children to make Valentines’ card for the animals in our craft lodge. There are kids’ activity sheets and a love heart trail (you can win a treat), plus plenty of opportunities to get up close to some of the animals, including meeting the owls and seeing the rescued reptiles in the Reptile Lodge.

We’re open every day from 10am, with play areas, Wi-fi, trails, disabled access and free return within seven days. There’s a great little shop where you can snap up some unique gifts for your loved one, such as a Valentine’s adoption or a keeper for the day experience!

All proceeds from your visit will help support the animals you’ll meet. We look forward to welcoming you soon.

It is with a heavy heart that we sadly announce the passing of our beloved Barbary macaque Nanushka. Our beautiful girl, known as Nushy was surrounded by her animal carers and the incredible team at The Carisbrooke Vets as we said our last goodbyes and laid her to rest. 💔

Nanushka was sadly once a victim of the illegal pet trade, found at a pet shop with no legal paperwork and seized by our partners, Stichting AAP. It was claimed she was brought at a market and dumped in the pet shop, but her true story and previous traumas will never truly be known. The AAP successfully integrated Nanushka into a troop of rescued Barbary’s, all from similar backgrounds, before being transferred to our sanctuary in 2014. However, due to her previous ordeal, she had developed unnatural compulsive behaviours including foot-biting and obsessive grooming, which are common behaviours of rescued Macaques who have been victim to isolation. Through our rehabilitation plan we managed to keep these behaviours under control, but Nanushka suffered a minor injury to her foot earlier in the year which had caused her to over-groom the wound, making it progressively worse and unable to heal.

Despite our keepers best efforts at distracting and training Nanushka, we reached out to behavioural experts and vets at the AAP who collaborated with us to help attain a recovery plan. Sadly though as all options were explored and exhausted, we had to make the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to our lovely Nushy and as you can imagine we are all devastated. 💔

It has been a really sad few days for our sanctuary and it’s animal carers. None of them could have done anymore to make Nanushka feel safe and loved and we would like to share a few words from each of them…

💕Lisa: “My darling Nanushka, it’s not going to be the same without you, I’m going to miss your sassy but secretly loving nature. We’ve lost a big part of our family, but our memories of you will live on. Our hearts are broken but we take comfort knowing you are now at peace.”

💕Lily: “Nanushka had such a beautiful soul and loved her carers unconditionally but sadly her previous traumas had taken it’s toll on her mental health. Our hearts are broken knowing there was no more we could possibly do to help our Nushy. We will all miss her terribly and she will never be forgotten, sleep well my darling.”

💕Terri – “Nushka was the sweetest girl, she absolutely loved being cuddled up with her house mates, and enjoyed a little ear tickle from her keepers. She arrived with some deeply embedded emotional scars and the reality is we can heal most wounds but the emotional issues never really go away. It’s heartbreaking there are still primates being kept as pets – people have no idea what lasting damage these primates endure. Sleep tight beautiful.”

💕Nicole: “Nushy, even though I hadn’t worked with you for long, the bond we developed was amazing and the trust and vulnerability you showed towards me was a privilege. Rest in peace Nushy, we love you.”

💕Jordon: “No one could deny that Nanushka was a supermodel amongst Barbary Macaques, with her stunning eyes, long face and pouting expression she was always very unique. After a tough start as a victim of the illegal pet trade, I’m glad our Haven was able to give Nush a safe and loving home for over 8 years. It’s horrible to see the animals in our care suffer due to past psychological trauma and as hard as these decisions are, we are all relieved that the suffering has now come to an end. We will miss you beautiful Nanushka.”

💕Sarah: “Despite her early traumas with humans, Nush was able to learn to trust and bond with her keepers and I will miss her with all my heart.  She would come and seek comfort from her keepers during times of stress. She would lean up against the enclosure and stretch her arms to gently groom you. Rest in peace my beautiful little lady. You will always be in our hearts.“

Here at Monkey Haven, our main aim is to rescue and rehabilitate primates, most commonly from the illegal pet trade. We make it our priority to ensure all of our animals live a happy and enriched life, but unfortunately in some cases the previous mental trauma they have suffered can have a lasting impact.

By sharing Nanushka’s story, we hope it will help us in our mission to educate people about the negative impact of keeping primates as pets, such as the damaging implications this can have on their mental health and well being. 

We also hope Nanushka’s story helps highlight the importance of the Governments “Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill” which aims to introduce a ban on keeping primates as pets. 

Rest in peace Nushy. We will all miss you and it was an honour and a privilege to care for you ❤️