AN animal charity is fuming after baby chimpanzees were offered for sale to people in a small Mid Wales town.
The RSPCA says it is shocked that these “highly intelligent, complex and ultimately dangerous creatures” should be on the open market.
And it is puzzled that the website carrying the ad seems to be concentrating its sales effort on Llandrindod Wells.
The advert carries photos of cuddly baby chimps and asks for £1,500 for the primates, all said to be nine-weeks-old and living on milk and fruit.
But the RSPCA says it has huge concerns about the ad and warns there are strict laws governing the ownership of wild animals.
The ad claims to have two male and one female chimpanzee for sale and says they are currently in Belgium.
“They all have health certificates, vaccination and ownership certificates,” the seller claims.
The website has been highlighted as a scam website, and it is also against the law in Belgium to keep primates as pets.
The high price tag means consumers should not hand over cash, says the RSPCA.
A spokesman said: “If a member of the public is seriously considering buying one of these animals we would refer them to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as we have huge concerns over primates as pets.”
It is possible to get a licence for dangerous animals, but the process is heavily legislated and is generally discouraged by animal rights groups.
The Dangerous Wild Animals Act came about following a fashion in the 1970s for keeping exotic animals such as lions and tigers.
According to Defra the primary purpose of the Act is to seek to protect the public from risks arising from the keeping of dangerous wild animals.
Although Defra has policy responsibility for the Act, local councils are responsible for administering and enforcing it.
A licence will only be granted when the council is satisfied that it would not be contrary to public interest.