Now safely in a national park rescue centre, the two macaques have formed a bond and could be re-released despite amputated leg.

When a male macaque called Tet was found wounded in a garden in Nha Trang, Vietnam, he was in a desperate state.

He had a metal cable tied around his neck – signifying he had previously been held captive – and was suffering from a necrotic wound in his leg.

But thanks to the kindness of strangers and rescuers, Tet is now safe and has been integrated with another rescued macaque called Lit at a shelter in Yok Don National Park.

Animals Asia Animal Welfare Director Dave Neale said:

“Tragically far too many macaques are poached for the exotic pet trade. They uniformly suffer from neglect, stress and malnutrition as owners are simply unable to provide for their welfare needs.

“But Lit and Tet are the lucky ones. They are in the care of professionals now and we are working to ensure that they are given an opportunity to be released back into the wild where they belong in the future.”

Tet’s leg has been amputated but experts feel – with the support of a large enough troupe – he will still be able to survive in the wild. Once a large enough group of macaques is integrated together in the rescue centre, a wild release will be considered.

Pig-tailed macaque Lit had also been poached from the wild and had been successively sold over Facebook to a variety of owners. Whenever one owner lost interest, another ad was posted on the social networking site.

The cycle of abuse ended when Animals Asia saw a post advertising the sale of Lit and stepped in to rescue him.

By the time Lit was rescued from Gia Lai province, he was malnourished from neglect by successive owners.

But now, he and his new friend Tet have each other. They have a large new enclosure within the national park and their carers are hopeful that release back to the wild will be possible.

Dave said:

“Our team is continuing to work with Yok Don to give the macaques the healthcare they need and to provide them with the best possible welfare. The park staff have learned to make a variety of enrichment structures which will give Lit and Tet opportunities to exercise and express natural behaviours and increase their chances of being released.” 

Vietnam is home to five macaque species all of which are at risk from illegal hunting and habitat destruction. Poached macaques captured alive end up as exotic pets or as performers in the animal entertainment industry. Those killed by poachers are hunted for their use in traditional medicine or the bushmeat trade.

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