Our Mission
MONA-UK is the UK branch of the Mona Foundation, a Spanish registered charity dedicated to the rescue of primates suffering in captivity.
History
The origins of the Mona Foundation dates back to 1984, when Simon and Peggy Templer, an English couple living in Catalonia, Northern Spain, established a small sanctuary to re-home chimpanzees being used illegally by beach photographers. During this time, a local vet, Olga Feliu, helped the Templers in their work. Following in footsteps of the Templers, Olga established a permanent sanctuary to offer abused primates a healthy and happy future. This became the Mona Foundation, located in Girona, Northern Spain. The first group of rescued chimpanzees arrived in 2001. Most having spent their lives in total darkness, in filthy conditions, inside an old truck. The chimps could barely stand in their small cages but today they have an area the size of a football field, where they can roam, forage and climb.