International Monkey Day

Mon­key Day, cel­e­brat­ed annu­al­ly on Decem­ber 14, is an unof­fi­cial glob­al hol­i­day ded­i­cat­ed to appre­ci­at­ing mon­keys, apes, and oth­er pri­mates. It is wide­ly used by activists and wildlife orga­ni­za­tions to raise aware­ness about pri­mate con­ser­va­tion, protest the exot­ic pet trade, and advo­cate for eth­i­cal ani­mal rights.
 
If you dis­ap­prove of zoos, you can cel­e­brate Mon­key Day through eth­i­cal, zoo-free activ­i­ties that cen­ter on con­ser­va­tion and respect:
  • Sup­port Eth­i­cal Sanc­tu­ar­ies: Instead of a zoo, donate to or vir­tu­al­ly adopt a pri­mate at a ver­i­fied, accred­it­ed sanc­tu­ary. Rep­utable orga­ni­za­tions like the Pan African Sanc­tu­ary Alliance pro­vide life­long, humane care to res­cued chim­panzees and goril­las.
  • Avoid Exploita­tive Media: The exot­ic pet and “enter­tain­ment” trades are major threats to mon­keys. You can observe the day by tak­ing a pledge nev­er to like, share, or engage with social media posts fea­tur­ing cap­tive mon­keys per­form­ing tricks or dressed as humans.
  • Edu­cate and Advo­cate: Learn about the threats mon­keys face in the wild, such as habi­tat destruc­tion and the ille­gal wildlife trade. Use your voice to World Ani­mal Pro­tec­tion by sign­ing peti­tions to end the glob­al wildlife trade and sup­port res­cue projects.
  • Host a Themed Gath­er­ing: Cel­e­brate with friends by mak­ing mon­key-shaped foods, watch­ing doc­u­men­taries about pri­mates in the wild (such as David Attenborough’s series), or cre­at­ing your own mon­key-themed art.
  • Learn About Local Pri­mates: If you want to see pri­mates local­ly, sup­port research and reha­bil­i­ta­tion efforts rather than tra­di­tion­al exhibits. Check out the wildlife reha­bil­i­ta­tion and pro­tec­tion work done in Ger­many by orga­ni­za­tions like Pro Wildlife to see how you can help wild habi­tats flour­ish