Monkey Sanctuary
| The Monkey Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of The Monkey Sanctuary | |
| 50°21′55″N 4°24′49″W / 50.3654°N 4.4136°W | |
| Date opened | 1964 |
| Date closed | 2026 |
| Location | Looe, Cornwall, England |
| No. of animals | 30[1] |
| No. of species | 5[1] |
| Owner | Wild Futures |
| Director | Sarah Hanson |
| Website | www |
The Monkey Sanctuary was a sanctuary founded in 1964 by Len Williams, father of classical guitarist John Williams,[2][3] as a cooperative to care for rescued woolly monkeys. Based in Looe, Cornwall, it was home to woolly monkeys descended from the original residents, capuchin monkeys rescued from the British pet trade,[4] marmosets, and a small group of macaques.[5]
A colony of rare lesser horseshoe bats live in the cellar of Murrayton House, a 19th-century building that was used for offices and for accommodation for staff and volunteers.
After a period as a workers' cooperative, the Monkey Sanctuary attained charitable status in 2004, named The Monkey Sanctuary Trust.[6]
In 2025, the Sanctuary site Murrayton House was placed up for sale citing growing financial pressure.[7]
In August 2026, the final and complete closure of The Monkey Sanctuary was announced due to structural instability of the house and site, failure to secure a buyer, and the charity running out of money.
Notes
https://wildfutures.org/the-monkey-sanctuary/
- 1 2 "Monkeys". monkeysanctuary.org. The Monkey Sanctuary. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- ↑ Martin Lewin. "John Williams and John Etheridge: Hey, Joe!". www.camdennewjournal.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
- ↑ "John Williams biography". plum.cream.org. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025.
- ↑ "Gold for Sanctuary". BBC. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- ↑ "Barbary Macaques". monkeysanctuary.org. The Monkey Sanctuary. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- ↑ "About Us – Wild Futures". wildfutures.org. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Cornwall monkey sanctuary site for sale amid funding struggles". BBC News. 12 June 2025. Archived from the original on 8 October 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
References
- Tudge, Colin (21 April 1990). "More room for the woollies: The Monkey Sanctuary at Looe in Cornwall has been so successful that it must now expand and perhaps divide. What lessons does it hold for traditional zoos?". New Scientist. Retrieved 9 January 2013.