Two Coconut Monkeys Rescued in 1 week – Part 1 – Phil

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Late on the evening of Sunday the 21st of March we got a call from Phil of Samui Snake Rescue, one of our long-term collaborators, regarding an urgent rescue of a large male macaque. The animal in question was a Northern Pig-tailed Macaque that had been found in an urban area on the island of Koh Samui. He had been entering houses and causing problems. He was clearly an ex-coconut monkey that had been dumped; he had a metal collar around his neck. Phil acted fast and caught the monkey to protect him and the humans he was harassing. Phil then called us to ask if we could help. The monkey started to self mutilate, biting his arms and legs, adding urgency to the case. Phil headed towards WFFT without haste, an 8-hour journey. The WFFT Rescue Team including Kwan and Cherry, WFFT veterinarians, headed out to meet Phil on the road to provide the monkey with emergency treatment. After a 4-hour drive the team met Phil on the road and quickly got to work immobilizing and treating him. After treatment they rushed back to the WFFT Wildlife Hospital.

We have named this special boy ‘Phil’ after his rescuer. Just one week later he has had a full health check, and is settling into his new life, Free from work, Free from chains and Free from beatings. His physical wounds will heal fast; we do not know if his psychological wounds with ever heal. We will sure give him the best possible chance at a new life.

Coconut monkeys are trained from a young age to climb trees and collect coconuts. The farm owner then pays the owner of the monkey around 3 thb per coconut; a well-trained monkey may harvest 200-700 coconuts a day. Unwanted animals like Phil are often dumped at temples, left on a chain for years, or let go in a forest area, often resulting in a death sentence.

Help Us Help More Like Phil. Please consider making a donation at https://www.wfft.org/donate/ or sponsoring Phil or one of our other animals at https://covidsupport.wfft.org.

We would like to send a huge thank you PETA Asia and Ampol Food Processing Company Limited for facilitating this rescue.

Report wildlife crime to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) by calling 1362. Please report to WFFT at https://www.wfft.org/contact/report-illegal-wildlife-trade-animal-abuse/.