THE Isle of Wight Monkey Haven has two new residents in Dennis and Juan – a pair of endangered, yellow-breasted capuchins.
The brothers were born at Edinburgh Zoo as part of the European Endangered Species Programme.
In recent years, the family had fallen apart, so the Island’s primate rescue charity was asked to rehome them.
The Newport sanctuary's founder, Don Walser, said: “We are very fortunate to be in a position to help these lovely animals.
“We were only able to offer them a home once we had moved our family of white-throated capuchins into their fancy new home, which we have just built.
“We finished the refurb of the old enclosure in time for Dennis and Juan’s arrival.”
Yellow-breasted capuchins, also known as golden-bellied capuchins, are native to the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil.
Hunting and habitat loss has led to the population dropping by 80 per cent over the past 50 years.
There are less than 3,000 left in the wild.
In the 1980s, the Brazilian government partnered with the European Endangered Species Programme to ensure there was a genetically healthy backup population bred in captivity.
So, although Dennis and Juan are living at Monkey Haven, they will always belong to Brazil.
Animal carers at the sanctuary ensured Dennis and Juan got a VIP welcome, with lots of treats, including their favourite live bugs.
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