What we do with them
All of our chimpanzees and macaques living in MONA are animals that have been confiscated from a very difficult and, sometimes, an even abusively cruel past. Many of them come from the entertainment industry. Others have been raised by humans in households like children until they reach adolescence and become inevitably out of control and are locked away in cages. All were separated from their mothers far too young and, throughout their lives, have lacked the opportunity to establish proper social bonds with their own species. They have a hard time understanding what they really are: wild animals or humans. Previous years of isolation, loneliness, mistreatment, and abuse have caused our animals severe physical conditions and psychological problems. Fundació MONA offers them a new life of recovery with physical and psychological care in a family group of their own kind.
Rescue & Rehabilitation
The mission of the Mona Foundation is to rescue those primates barely surviving in appalling conditions. In our center we rehabilitate our primates physically and mentally and offer them a life in a group of their own kind. Primates are social, long-lived, and very intelligent animals who greatly suffer in captivity. Unfortunately, it is impossible to return them completely back to the wild, but here at MONA we strive to offer them the next best thing: an enriched and natural environment in a group of their peers, giving them the respect and space they deserve.
Education & Awareness
We strive to teach our work to the public because we know the problems these species face (extinction, wildlife trafficking, abuse on behalf of the entertainment industry…) can be solved by raising awareness about the need to protect nature and our closest living relatives.
Research & Courses
We are committed to ethological research for two reasons. First, it is a way to monitor and improve the welfare of our rescued animals. Second, it is a path to discover the unknown behavior of our ancestors. We offer a master degree in primatology and other post graduate courses in the scientific field for both professionals and those interested.
