Survival fears for stolen monkey pair

Jun 24 2009 by Neil McKay, The Journal

Tweddle farm had also been victim of thieves last month when two African grey parrots were stolen, and Denise added: “We don’t know if the monkeys were stolen to order, but they are very difficult to pick up and to handle. When we moved them from one enclosure to another recently it took our staff an awful long time, they are so agile.

“We were hoping they would breed, although we were still waiting.”

Denise said she was offering a £1,000 reward for any information leading to the return of the monkeys, which are worth £4,000 in total. Four walkie-talkie radios and chargers, and a £50 cash float were also taken by the burglars.

PC George Gaskin of Peterlee police said: “There are believed to be only 10 of these rare animals in captivity in this country and they were kept at the farm in the hope they would breed.

“The main concern is their welfare as, if they don’t get the correct care they need, they could come to serious harm. It’s believed the monkeys were taken from their cage while they were asleep as they are extremely agile and would have been very difficult to catch had they been alert. I would urge anyone with information regarding their whereabouts to contact police.”

Peterlee police can be contacted on 0345 606-0365 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.