There Could Soon Be a Retirement Home for Monkeys in Boston

Well, I’ve heard of service dogs and other animals to help with PTSD, blindness and other medical conditions but today I learned of something new.

Monkeys are being used to assist adults living with spinal cord injuries and mobility issues.

According to necn.com, a monkey college in Boston needs your help.  Yes, I said a monkey college!  The Alliston facility is a non-profit organization that helps train capuchin monkeys that are then used to assist adults with medical conditions.

Necn.com reports that there are 114 monkeys in the program, with 70 living on-site.  As the monkeys start to age out, they need a “retirement home”.  Executive Director Angela Lett tells necn.com that they are looking to add over 500 square feet to create more living space for the “retired” monkeys.

Lett continues “ because of changes in the federal law, they’re not eligible for adoption.”   Adding that space may be complicated though.  Getting approval from the zoning board was the first hurdle, but now they need your help with the second.

Lett tells necn.com that the group needs to raise five million dollars to get the project done, which is five times more than the annual budget for the organization.

How to do that? Well, Lett says they plan on doing fundraising and are hoping for private donations.