BASINGSTOKE MAN BANNED FOR CRUELTY TO MONKEY MILO
A man has been banned from keeping animals for life after a South American monkey was found captive in a birdcage.Milo the marmoset was malnourished and kept in the bedroom of Richard Walton, 32, of Whitgift Close, Basingstoke.
Dr Alison Cronin from Monkey World in Dorset, where Milo was taken to, described his treatment as 'appalling'.
Walton had previously pleaded guilty to animal welfare charges and was also sentenced to a nine-month community order at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.
The case was highlighted when Milo was discovered in May after Walton was spotted with the marmoset on a lead at a local pub.
Milo was kept in a birdcage in an upstairs bedroom, and the RSPCA noted that the animal was in poor health, being only a quarter of the weight of his species.
An RSPCA inspector emphasized that marmosets are social and active animals, and keeping them alone in a cage causes significant stress, resulting in Milo's 'miserable life' which compromised his welfare.
Although Milo is now recovering well at Monkey World, Dr Cronin stated he was 'one of the lucky ones’, as many monkeys experience similar fates in the British pet trade.
The RSPCA advocates for a ban on keeping primates as pets, as it remains legal to own a primate in Britain without most owners obtaining a Dangerous Wild Animal Act license, a requirement many reportedly ignore.
