Rare monkeys put down over fights

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Two rare male monkeys have been put down at a Cornish zoo because they would not stop fighting.

Officials at Newquay Zoo said they tried to re-home the endangered Sulawesi Black Crested Macaques but no other zoo or sanctuary could help.

A zoo spokesperson said the animals, which had become aggressive with each other, could not live alone either.

But staff at Cornwall's Monkey Sanctuary said they were disappointed not to have been approached for help.

'Not compatible'

Staff at Newquay Zoo said the relationship between the three male macaques had broken down irreversibly and they were forced to make a difficult decision.

Newquay Zoo Director Stewart Muir said: "We looked into re-homing two of the males but they were not compatible and tensions already existed between them."

They are troop animals, one on its own would have gone mad Phil Knowling, Paignton Zoo

A spokesperson for the Monkey Sanctuary Trust said in a statement: "If Newquay Zoo had approached us for assistance we would have been happy to explore alternatives for the macaques through our links with other primate sanctuaries."

The monkeys are an endangered species and their natural habitat is an island in Indonesia.

Phil Knowling, from Paignton Zoo, said: "Newquay did its utmost to re-house these animals by following every possible avenue.

"They are troop animals, one on its own would have gone mad."

Mr Muir said: "The enclosure at Newquay Zoo is valuable to future breeding and survival of this species.

"This will give us the opportunity to bring in young females to join our breeding male, so we can continue with this much-needed breeding programme."

The Cornish zoo confirmed both euthanased males had been castrated.