calogero is only the latest monkey seized in the last year and a half. And finally he was able to go back to playing and living with his kind thanks to the Lav project Born to be Wild. Deprived of his nature, the primate had been illegally detained in a house, in a villa on the slopes of Etna, in Sicily. She was fed with lasagna and Coca Cola in open contrast to her needs as a wild animal. So for years, until the family that “welcomed” did not report the theft. For Calogero it was the end of a nightmare.
Animals at risk, international trade does not stop
The Carabinieri found it and entrusted it to the Lav. The man who kept her in the house was convicted of the crime of irregular detention of Cites species (those – and they are 38700 – protected by Cites, the Convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora).
Now Calogero has been reinserted into a “family” of primates (Rocket Lucy, Buddy and Pepa) in spaces and ways suited to its ethological needs. This is one of the central objectives of the Born To Be Wild Project. But it’s not easy: upon their arrival at the Center of Recovery for wild animals of Semproniano, in Tuscany, which hosts them, the macaques they all showed signs of severe discomfort. Very strong, bordering on insane, with stereotyped behavior and displays of self-harm. Surpassed only thanks to the work of the LAV and the competence of the Veterinarian Marco Aloisi who took care of it.
The business of animals at risk and the #acasaloro campaign
It is not known exactly how it was possible for the reported family to get hold of the barbary ape (a species of macaque native to the mountains of North Africa). But «we are certain that Calogero did it caught in the wild, snatched from its mother when young and taken to Europe. The undeclared business of wild species has worrying dimensions, and very often in the hands of organized crime», said Roberto Bennati, General Manager of LAV. «Because of this business, the Calogero species, at serious risk of conservation, has gone from over 25,000 individuals to around 7,000 in just a few years. Determining the need for protection at the highest level as foreseen by Cites».
They are not collectibles
In the case of these animals, really, the slogan makes sense #home to them which gives the title to the Lav campaign that concerns them. Not only those plucked from the wild but also those born in captivity. The intervention of the Minister of the Environment Picetto Fratin is expected for March 2023 for increase the number of exotic and wild species included in the so-called “negative list”. Or those for which, from tigers to crocodiles, it must be reproduction and possession are prohibited in any case, even if born in captivity, precisely. That’s another million animals every year, treated as collector’s items.
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