“Cute” smiling faces with big baby eyes and tiny hands that grab your heart hides the terrible traumatic truth of the monkey trade in T&T.

Have you ever seen someone with a ‘pet’ monkey and wondered where it came from, or what having one is really like? The Nurture Nature Campaign presents a webinar with wildlife rehabilitator Ricardo Meade on the history and practice of monkey keeping in Trinidad and Tobago, how it is impacting lives and ecosystems today, and what we can do about it.

Despite numerous legal, ethical, and safety issues, “pet” monkey keeping is on the rise due to misconceptions and ignorance of the true cost of the trade which trafficks them. This trade is rife with animal abuse and disease risk, and threatens monkey populations both locally and in South America.

Ricardo Meade, the founder and director of the El Socorro Centre for Wildlife Conservation (ECWC), will tell us all about these challenges and more. Ricardo has 16 years of experience in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. The ECWC has rescued 40+ monkeys from the harmful pet wildlife trade over the years, along with many other animals. The ECWC is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife in Trinidad & Tobago through education, rehabilitation and propagation, is a member of the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC), and a valued member of The Nurture Nature Campaign’s NGO Coalition.

The webinar was originally broadcasted on Feb. 11, 2022 @ 6:30pm (-4GMT) time on Zoom and FB Live.