Once used for medical experimentation, 55-monkeys now have a new home.
The four to six- year-old Java macaque monkeys were packed up into crates on Thursday destined for the likes of New Castle, Oklahoma and South Texas.
Saturday 25 of those long tailed monkeys arrived at the Primarily Primates reserve near Leon Springs.
The monkeys had been housed in the Aniclin Preclinical Services lab owned by Azopharma until the lab went into receivership and a court ordered the monkeys released to sanctuaries.
“It’s an extraordinary rescue situation with many young primates, multiple destinations, unprecedented collaborations, and new enclosures being built and fitted quickly at four sites,” said Priscilla Feral, president of Primarily Primates. “We call it Operation Monkey Trek.”
Next, 15 of the monkeys will be delivered to Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary in Dilley, Texas.
A team of volunteers and vets checked out each monkey before releasing them into their new homes.
