THE director of Dorset’s ape rescue centre Monkey World has objected to a woman’s plans to build enclosures in her garden to accommodate her pet primates.

East Dorset District Council is yet to make a decision on whether to grant planning permission for the six log cabins and connecting enclosures at Slough House in Horton.

As reported previously in the Daily Echo, the applicant, Dawn Groom, had to relocate from her home in Maidenhead due to upcoming roadworks on the M4 motorway, which have involved the compulsory purchase of part of her garden by Highways England.

Although the planning application does not state which species of primates would be living in the enclosures, Ms Groom’s Facebook page reveals she owns a number of Capuchins, cotton-top tamarins, squirrel monkeys, and ring-tailed lemurs.

Dr Alison Cronin, director of Monkey World, has written a letter of objection to the plans to the council.

Listing a number of concerns, she says her objection to the proposals is “not purely on the basis of keeping monkeys privately” but due to a lack of information in the application that raises questions about the health and welfare of the monkeys and the local community.

Dr Cronin has questioned the number of each species proposed to be kept in the enclosures and whether they will be bred.

She says “most concerning” is that neither the proposed sheds nor the enclosures show any safety porches, which limit the chance for monkeys to escape when a person enters their enclosure.

She adds: “With the potential of having large groups of monkeys there should be adequate water and waste/sewage disposal associated with the monkey houses. This is not indicated on the planning application.

“As primates, the monkeys can share any number of diseases and parasites that can be passed onto people. Effective and good hygiene, i.e. waste disposal, is essential when keeping monkeys.”

“Until all of these issues are clarified and then considered, it would not be appropriate to grant this planning application,” she says.

The RSPCA has also objected to the proposals. Although in Britain it is legal to keep monkeys as pets under licence, the charity has long called for a ban on the practice.

In its objection letter, the RSPCA says: “Meeting the complex physical and behavioural needs of these wild animals in captivity is incredibly difficult and even modern zoos and research facilities, with all their resources and expertise are still trying to overcome welfare problems.”