A primate welfare and conservation charity has made “drastic but necessary changes” and announced redundancies after closing its monkey sanctuary to the public for a year, the charity has said.

Wild Futures said its sanctuary would remain closed after much consideration due largely to rising costs.

The charity runs a monkey sanctuary in Looe, Cornwall, and was set up to promote the welfare, conservation and future survival of all primates.

It said the financial strain had had a negative impact on the organisation and it had to make “drastic but necessary” changes to its model while it carried out a strategic assessment of its outcomes.

“Simply put, we cannot afford to open our doors to the public,” the charity said in a statement. 

“As a true sanctuary, the monkeys in our care will always come first, and we are dedicating our entire efforts to them during this challenging time. 

“We understand that this news may be disappointing for some, and we hope you can understand our reasons.”

Wild Futures recorded an income of £559,690 according to its latest accounts for the year to the end of March 2024, down from £692,639 the previous year.

The charity’s expenditure increased to £630,756 in 2023/24 compared with £603,044 in 2022/23.

According to the BBC, Wild Futures said it could not afford to open to the public as monthly outgoings would increase from about £40,000 a month to between £55,000 and £65,000 because of factors including staffing costs.

Three members of staff have been made redundant and the charity said it could not take on additional rescue animals for the time being, according to the BBC.

Wild Futures has 18 employees according to its latest accounts.

“We are still in the process of finalising our next steps while we carry out a strategic assessment of our operation,” the charity said.

Wild Futures has been contacted for further comment.