Baby monkey TikTok rescued from 'miserable life' in Grays

Marmoset "TikTok" was being kept in a bird cage as a pet

A baby monkey which was kept in a bird cage "living a miserable life" as a pet has been rehomed at a rescue centre.

The RSPCA said the marmoset, named TikTok, was just a few months old and had been prematurely taken from his parents.

It was reported by a housing officer who had visited a property in Grays, Essex, in June.

The animal charity said the primate was taken to Monkey World in Dorset and adopted by an adult pair of marmosets.

The primate has since been adopted by a pair of adults at a monkey rescue centre

RSPCA inspector Jack Taylor said: "I was shocked by the conditions this poor boy was living in. He was living a miserable life, left all alone in a parrot cage with none of his essential needs being met.

"Just like humans, primates can become depressed without adequate stimulation.

"Sadly, inspectors like me are still seeing shocking situations where monkeys are cooped up in bird cages, fed fast food, sugary drinks or even Class A drugs, living in dirt and squalor and suffering from disease."

About marmosets

• Primarily found in the tropical rainforests of South America

• Can live up to 18 years

• Mainly eat sap and gum from trees but also eat the leaves, fruit, seeds and flowers

• In the wild, they create stable social groups

• The most commonly kept and traded species of primate as pets

Source: RSPCA

Rescue centre staff said TikTok's adopted mum Clydie loves to spend time grooming him

Staff at the rescue centre said it was "an emotional scene" when TikTok cried out to a female marmoset called Clydie, who has since been caring for him alongside her partner Ronnie.

"The baby is now being doted on by both adoptive parents," the RSPCA said.

The government pledged to stop people keeping primates as part of the Queen's Speech in May and promised the UK would be a "global leader" on animal welfare.

The RSPCA urged it to go further with the proposed laws and called for a ban on the keeping and trading of pet primates.

The RSPCA said it wanted to see a total ban on keeping and trading primates as pets