A monkey sanctuary charity has been forced to close its site in Cornwall after a sale to a potential buyer and partner fell through "without notice".

The sanctuary announced it was struggling financially last year when it was forced to close its doors to the public due to rising costs.

Also last year it made the decision to put the sanctuary up for sale as it looked to find a buyer that would work in partnership with the charity to keep the site open.

“Towards the end of 2025, we believed that we had found that buyer,” said the charity in a statement this week.

“The plan was to work in partnership with the new site owners to continue the work of the sanctuary, while they took on responsibility for the long-term maintenance and care of the site.

But it added: “To our dismay, following six months of intense negotiations, those buyers dropped out without notice, leaving our long-term plan for the sanctuary up in the air.”

The charity has already started to rehome the monkeys at the site “to carefully selected sanctuaries and organisations where they will continue to receive the expert care they deserve”

The sanctuary site had been in operation for around 60 years and started as a centre for rescued woolly monkeys from pet traders in the 1960s.

Another factor in the announcement by Wild Futures is the results of a land assessment that found the site had developed structural issues that made it “unfit for purpose and no longer suitable as a long-term sanctuary".

“We do not believe it would be responsible to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds into a site that is no longer suitable for the sanctuary’s long-term future, and whose ongoing maintenance now far surpasses the financial resources we have available to us,” it said.

“As such, we have made the difficult decision to direct funds towards securing a safe future for the monkeys. We are working with carefully selected organisations that share Wild Futures’ values and ethics, with welfare at the forefront of their work.”

The charity is to shortly launch an emergency appeal to cover “the significant costs” of safely rehoming monkeys.

It stresses that the charity “will continue its important charity work in campaigning and education around primate welfare and conservation, including ending the primate trade”.

Wild Futures added: “Whilst we feel deep sadness at the closure of the sanctuary, we are filled with hope for the future and the next chapter of Wild Futures, as there is still important work to be done.

“Although this chapter is coming to an end, our mission is not. We remain determined to protect primates through campaigning, education and conservation, and we hope you will continue to stand with us as we begin this next chapter."

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