Treats making pet monkeys diabetic
As we indulge ourselves over the Christmas period, many of us might also allow our pets a treat.
But for some animals, being fed the wrong type of food can be permanently damaging. The charity Wild Futures says a third of the monkeys at its sanctuary in Cornwall - most of which have been rescued from the pet trade - have developed chronic diabetes after being fed inappropriate food by their owners.
The charity says it is just one way in which these animals are harmed by being kept as pets. And the government has now announced that a committee of MPs will carry out an inquiry into whether keeping primates as pets should be banned.
Here, Brooke Aldrich from Wild Futures and Claire Turnbull, senior keeper from the Monkey Sanctuary, explain how the diabetic monkeys at the sanctuary are cared for and treated.
Video journalist: Victoria Gill
26 Dec 2013
- From the section Science & Environment