Monkey Rescued from Tiny, Filthy Cage Begins New Life at Texas Sanctuary

In March, an unusual custody case was decided in a Texas court. Instead of a human family, the focus of the case was a young rhesus macaque monkey called Lyla, who had been seized from the illegal hoarding situation she had been kept in for seven years. Following consultation with her previous owner, a court order was issued that granted the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary permanent custody of Lyla. The court decided that Lyla had been “cruelly treated” and that she should now live out the remainder of her life at the 175-acre GFAS-accredited facility in south Texas.

Laws around pet monkeys are difficult to enforce

Lyla’s rescue journey began when Born Free USA was contacted by Round Rock Animal Control after another local sanctuary owner had suggested the primate experts might be able to help with the seizure. Importantly, even though keeping a primate without a permit in Round Rock, TX, is illegal, Animal Control was unable to do anything to seize the young monkey as they did not have the experience to safely take custody of a primate. Not only this but until Born Free USA agreed to offer Lyla a home for life if the seizure went ahead, there was simply nowhere for Lyla to go. Had Born Free not stepped up, Lyla may have had to either stay in her miserable conditions or even be destroyed.

Animal Control Officer Heather Hernandez, who was in charge of the case, said: “After speaking with people familiar with monkeys we were referred to Born Free USA. We reached out to our local zoos and explained the situation and never received a call back. We are extremely grateful to Born Free USA for assisting us in this case. This is a case where we see citizens continue to purchase exotics and they are not educated or equipped on how to take care of them. The monkeys get bigger and ‘wild,’ and the owners can no longer physically handle or control them. These animals are lacking veterinary care because they cannot be handled by their owners, and most veterinarians are not willing to see monkeys. People who own monkeys make our job difficult due to the lack of resources Animal Control has to remove them.”

Lyla’s sad past

On the day of the rescue, sanctuary staff were required to wear respirators to enter the property due to the potentially dangerous air quality. The team’s first sight of Lyla was just a blur, as she paced backwards and forwards frantically in her tiny cage. This is a sign of serious long-term stress known as stereotypic behavior. The small cage was filthy, and the owner confirmed that Lyla never left its confines. She was extremely pale and noticeably underweight. She hid under a tiny scrap of dirty blue fabric, which was the only item in the cage with her, during momentary breaks in pacing. This had been her life for seven miserably long years.

After safely sedating little Lyla, she was monitored by Born Free USA’s staff veterinarian for the three-hour journey back to the sanctuary, where her new life began in earnest. A health check on arrival revealed a previously undiagnosed heart condition, which will require lifelong treatment. Other than that, and being underweight, she was otherwise largely healthy.

Lyla’s bright future

Six weeks have now passed since her arrival and Lyla lives in a large enclosure with plenty of toys to play with, warm blankets to sleep on, a nutritious diet, and on-hand veterinary care for her needs. She lives alongside other monkeys and has made the first tentative steps in spending time with others of her kind. Despite her unnatural upbringing, Lyla appears to understand monkey body language, vocalizations, and social cues, which bodes well for her future integration into a permanent social group.

She is also, however, gaining a reputation for being somewhat feisty. No longer the nervous, pacing, newcomer, Lyla will stand her ground in a dispute and fight her corner if any of her neighbors challenge her (as monkeys are wont to do!). This has meant we have to be a little careful when introducing her to others but is a good sign that she will be able to look after herself in the future in larger and more challenging social situations. Overall, Lyla’s future looks bright and the Born Free USA team is delighted to have been allowed to care for her and help her to thrive after her many years of trauma.

The fight to protect monkeys continues

The Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary is home to hundreds of monkeys rescued from the pet trade, laboratories, and from zoos. The non-profit organization also lobbies for legislative change to protect animals. A significant focus for Born Free USA’s lobbying efforts is the Captive Primate Safety Act, a federal bill that would outlaw the private ownership of monkeys as pets. It is thought that there may be up to 15,000 primates kept as pets in the United States, both legally and illegally. This law is necessary to remedy the ineffective patchwork of legislation at the state level, which does not effectively protect animals like Lyla from harm.

Related Content:

• Four Monkeys Rescued from the Pet Trade Return Home to the Amazon Rainforest [Video]
• Family of Nine Spider Monkeys Rescued from Illegal Zoo and Returned to Rainforest
• Last Circus Monkey in Peru Rescued and Released Back into the Wild
• What It’s Like to Care for 600 Rescued Monkeys
• Monkeys Retired From a Lab Now Living at a Sanctuary in Texas [Video]

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