Monkey trade business flourishes in Turkey

Monkeys, mainly rhesus monkeys and velvet monkeys, have been transferred into Turkish territory illegally, after being sold on the internet, according to Daily Milliyet.

Even though the monkey trade is forbidden in Turkey under the article NO: 4915 Land Hunting Law, the buyers pay TL 500 for a baby monkey, while an adult monkey can find an animal keeper for TL 2,000 over the internet.

In the event of being caught, the violators of the hunting law face a higher fine ranging from TL 1,000 to TL 4,500. The monkeys, confiscated by the security officials as they had been fed in their cages at private properties and offices,  have been taken to Karacabey Celal Acar Wild Animals Rescue Center; a wildlife center which is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and its habitat in Turkey.

After being collected in several provinces across the country, the monkeys have been fed in the Rescue Center, built on 110-acre land in Bursa province, in northwestern Turkey, until a better home for them is found.

A total of 40 monkeys have been cared for at the Rescue Center, which also hosts bears, deer, foxes and wolves.  These animals are either referred to one of Turkey’s zoos or sent back to their homeland after they had received medical treatment and rehabilitation at the Center.