Luke Pollard MP has this week welcomed the news that government legislation will be introduced to end the practice of keeping primates as pets.

Luke visited a monkey sanctuary in Looe, Cornwall, in August 2019 to show his support for the long-running campaign to end the primate pet trade. He spoke to staff there about the dangers of keeping primates in small, confined spaces such as cages. Keeping monkeys as pets can cause significant physical and mental health trauma to the creatures, and calls for it to be outlawed have grown in recent years. 

Luke Pollard MP said:

“Many of us in Plymouth will have visited the monkey sanctuary in Looe, either as a child or you will have taken your family there. They do a fantastic job, and I want to thank them, and staff and volunteers at monkey sanctuaries around the country for their work.

 

“I am delighted that the government has followed Labour’s lead on this and announced a ban on keeping primates as pets.”

Luke’s visit to the Looe monkey coincided with the launch of the 2019 Labour Animal Welfare manifesto. Labour has built on its animal welfare commitment in recent months, as the party has stated its ambition of putting an end to animal cruelty in the coming years. 

Watch Luke’s visit to Looe monkey sanctuary here.

Click here to learn more about the work done by Looe monkey sanctuary.