Galveston, Texas (KTRK) — One woman hopes the city of Galveston will let her choose the home of a former pet monkey she and her son purchased while on vacation.
Lilly is a 4-year-old capuchin monkey purchased by Leigh Kuchera for her son who was having a hard time.
“I took him out of the country on vacation and took him to Honduras to try and regroup,” Kuchera said. “He met a capuchin and fell in love completely. And he said, ‘Would you like to get one?'”
They didn’t live in Galveston at the time, but once a monkey named Lily rang a bell, it was She ran away from Galveston’s house It went missing in January 2020 during a break-in.
Kuchera told ABC13 that’s when she learned it wasn’t legal to keep animals on the island. “She tracked her down later that night and found out it was illegal to have her here,” she said.
Related: Galveston monkey goes missing
As a result, Lilly began living in Brazoria County shortly after the 2020 breakout, Kuchera said.
Lily returned to Galveston for three days in July as a temporary shelter while preparations were made to take her to Huntsville.
Kuchera said he wasn’t sure how animal control knew about Lily’s existence.
The city of Galveston said in a statement that the primate is being managed at Moody Gardens.
Additionally, part of that statement included:
“The Animal Services Department is happy to consider placement options from Ms. Kuchera as long as they demonstrate their ability to provide humane, long-term care to animals with a lifespan of 30 years or more.”
Galveston says Lily has a place on her ranch in Murchison, Texas, but her owners say they want to choose where their beloved primate ends up because of capuchin complexes. .
“She’s stuck in a cage and has no human interaction,” Kuchera said.
“If they’re raised by humans, they need it. They’re like human babies.”
She added that the city did not cooperate with her in sending the monkeys to places she deems appropriate.
A court hearing related to the decision is scheduled for August 10, but Kuchera said he hopes it need not reach that point.
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Source: abc13.com
