Care home residents go bananas over monkey visit

Ruth Cox said she had been looking forward to the visit and would tell her grandchildren about it

Residents in a care home were delighted and emotional after a couple of squirrel monkeys swung by for a visit.

Amazing Animals - a zoo specialising in exotic animal training - brought the playful primates to Caddington Grove Care Home in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, on Tuesday.

"I never dreamt I'd have that happen to me. He's so beautiful," said Ruth Cox, 83, who got tearful after holding Antonio.

"To be so close to a little animal like that is lovely."

Handler Barbara Marquez (centre right) introduced Antonio and Gracie to the residents

Handler Barbara Marquez said the pair - Antonio and one of his girlfriends Gracie - found visits like the one in Caddington stimulating.

"They love it," she said.

"They get out and about and get to travel. They get to meet different people and see different places. It's not the same thing day to day.

"We monitor and make sure they're comfortable... the animals' welfare always comes first above anyone else."

The same care home was visited by penguins in October

There were about 20 residents waiting to greet their new furry friends.

Sally Leighton, 85, said she was "lucky" to be one of the first people the monkeys met and described how the pair "jumped on my shoulder."

"It is a buzz. It brings you into the outside world."

Emma Burns, home manager at Caddington Grove, said they arranged the event after seeing how much residents enjoyed a penguin visit from Amazing Animals in October.

She said the appreciative comments from residents "meant a lot" to her.

Amazing Animals was founded in 1977 and has specialised in training exotic creatures for the audio-visual industry.

The company operates Heythrop Zoological Gardens, near Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire.