Help arrived too late for Cuca
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News -
News
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Monday, 27 April 2009
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End of July 2008 AAP received a reporting from the Algarve in Portugal. A Dutch lady living there wrote to us regarding a monkey staying in a garden in her neighbourhood. She passed him almost daily and could no longer bear his situation. The animal was tied to a high pole by a chain. A birdhouse on top of the pole was the only shelter he had against wind, rain and the burning sun.
The photos sent to us made it clear this was a grivet, but it was hard to make out which kind. The poor animal's head was almost completely bold, probably because it had gotten used to pulling out its own hair from stress.
 Confiscation
We passed on our report to two Portuguese animal protection societies. They checked out the situation and discovered the animal was a female of an unknown age, but certainly not young anymore. The local authorities were willing to confiscate the animal only if a place in a rescue centre would be available, so we needed to look for this first. The Lake View Monkey Sanctuary in the UK, one of AAP's partners, was willing to take the animal in. AAP then proposed that Cuca (as was her name) be transferred to Almere first, where she could join a group of older animals that was already to be moved to the Lake View Monkey Sanctuary.
 Cancellation
We sent crates for transportation to Monte Selvagem, another partner of AAP, where Cuca was allowed to stay until her departure for AAP's centre in Almere. Quarantine facilities were prepared for her arrival. But instead, we received a telephone call. We had better cancel Cuca's flight arrangements. Almost rescued, Cuca's miserable past had caught up with her and she had not made it...
photos: Alice Stotter
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