Exotic monkey found in a Thousand Palms home during investigation
A 2-year-old exotic monkey was being cared for at an animal shelter following its discovery by sheriff’s deputies investigating an unrelated matter at a Thousand Palms home, a county official said.
The female marmoset named “Penny” was found wearing a diaper Friday night at a home on the 31600 block of Christy Way. The animal appeared docile and not aggressive, John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services, said.
It was not known how long the marmoset had been kept there, but Welsh said it is illegal to own an exotic animal without a permit from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Service.
The animal was taken to the Coachella Valley Animal Shelter. Welsh told City News Service he believed a citation won’t be issued because the monkey was voluntarily surrendered to to animal control workers.
Riverside County Sheriff’s officials declined to release any details about what they were looking for at the Thousand Palms home, or reveal if anyone was arrested, because the investigation, they said, was ongoing.
Welsh said he couldn’t recall the last time a monkey was retrieved from a home in Riverside County. Marmosets are primitive monkey species found in the New World, reference sources state.
