WILDLIFE campaigners have launched an appeal to rescue Jerry the marmoset so he can start a new life in South East Cornwall.

Wild Futures, the primate welfare charity, want to save Jerry from a life in the UK primate pet trade – but say it will cost £3,000 to bring him from North Wales to The Monkey Sanctuary, near Looe.

Jerry’s exact age is unknown but it’s thought that he is three or four. He has been kept as a pet in at least two different homes and it is likely that he was taken from his mother at just weeks old.

Monkey care manager Tania El Dik said: ‘We must pick up Jerry on Friday and urgently need to raise the funds to be able to transport him safely to the Sanctuary, pay for his initial veterinary check, provide another temporary enclosure and cover the costs of his ongoing care.

‘We are asking for people to pledge their support and make a donation, to change Jerry’s life.’

She said Jerry currently lives in a cage inside a house; he has no access to any natural vegetation and makes contact and alarm vocalisations daily.

‘Tragically for a highly social monkey, he has been kept in a life of isolation,’ she said.

His owners, who are expecting their first baby, contacted Wild Futures when they realised they couldn’t cope.

In the wild, common marmosets live in extended family groups of three to 15 individuals. The group usually consists of one adult breeding pair and their offspring, but can include two breeding males.

The dominant adults will be the only members of the group to produce young; however the rest of the group will all help take care of them. The group will forage for food and sleep together, always with a sentry watching for predators.

Wild Futures has recently rescued two other marmosets, Coco and Kiki, and have another two marmosets on a waiting list. The charity says it and other organisations are experiencing a huge increase in requests to rescue marmosets, but sadly most rescue facilities are filling up fast and few have any space available.

That is why Wild Futures launched the Mission Marmoset appeal, to raise funds to build specialist enclosures.

Tania added: ‘Every rescue must be funded to ensure their long term care.

‘The more people who know about Jerry, and the plight of others like him in the UK primate pet trade, the better.’