Milly the monkey who was flushed down a toilet has a new lease on life

2022-08-24

Milly the monkey who was flushed down a toilet and offered cocaine in campaign of abuse has a new lease on life after her rescue and is now learning to trust again with the help of her boyfriend Moon

Mother-of-four Vicki Holland was filmed trying to get a dog to chase terrified pet
Other footage shows her trying to flush the petrified monkey down the toilet
Milly the monkey was rescued after Holland was sentenced for drug offences
The monkey now lives at Monkey World in Dorset and has made a good recovery

An abused monkey who was flushed down a toilet and offered cocaine in a campaign of abuse from its drug-dealing owner has a new lease on life after being rescued.

Mother-of-four Vicki Holland, 39, was was filmed feeding kebabs, sausages and burgers to Milly the Marmoset at her home in Newport, Gwent.

One video even showed her encouraging a dog to chase the poor monkey as it cowered away.

The animal’s cruel treatment was shown to the RSPCA after videos were found on Holland’s phone by police following a drugs bust at her home.

Milly the monkey was rescued after Holland was sentenced for drug offences and has been rehomed at a specialist facility.

Mother-of-four Vicki Holland, 39, was was filmed feeding kebabs, sausages and burgers to Milly the Marmoset at her home in Newport, Gwent. Pictured: Still image from footage showing Holland trying to flush the monkey down the toilet

Milly the monkey was rescued after Holland (pictured with partner Russell Cox) was sentenced for drug offences and has been rehomed at a specialist facility

One clip showed her hand holding cocaine while the monkey cowered in the corner of her home. She is heard saying to the monkey: ‘Want some coke… lick my fingers’

The RSPCA say Milly even now has a boyfriend called Moon – and the pair are inseparable at Monkey World in Dorset.

Holland was banned from keeping all animals for life after pleading guilty to three Animal Welfare Act offences in December last year.

One clip showed her hand holding cocaine while the monkey cowered in the corner of her home.

She is heard saying to the monkey: ‘Want some coke… lick my fingers.’

Another showed Holland laughing as she tried to flush the animal down the toilet as it clung to the rim. She said: ‘Come out… I wanna pee.’

RSPCA inspector and exotics officer Sophie Daniels, who rescued Milly, said: ‘This was a very disturbing case but I am pleased to see Milly is doing well in a fantastic environment with her boyfriend Moon by her side.’

Other footage showed Holland laughing as she tried to flush the animal down the toilet as it clung to the rim. She said: ‘Come out… I wanna pee

The charity shared Milly’s ordeal as part of its ‘Cancel Out Cruelty’ campaign.

The RSPCA said: ‘Milly was struggling to settle at first and staff at the centre were worried about the effects the abuse had on her as she was terrified of people. She would hide at the back of the enclosure and make an alarm call whenever anyone walked past.

Are marmosets legal to own in the UK?

It is technically legal to own a marmoset in the UK, but the RSPCA are campaigning against primates as pets and for the governments of England and Wales to change this.

Animal rights charities, including the RSPCA, have campaigned to make primate ownership illegal in the UK.

RSPCA senior scientific manager Dr Ros Clubb added: ‘Sadly our inspectors see monkeys cooped up in bird cages, fed fast food and sugary drinks, deprived of friends of their own kind and suffering from disease as a result of poor care.

‘We fear many are suffering behind closed doors because people do not know how to look after these animals properly.’

Source: RSPCA

‘They slowly had to build up her confidence and provided her with a fellow marmoset mate called Moon who was rescued from the pet trade.

‘Moon was quick to respond to Milly’s alarm calls and would stand by her side to reassure her – which has helped her learn to trust again.

‘Now the pair are inseparable and love spending time in their large enclosure hunting insects and enjoying each other’s company.’

Inspector Daniels added: ‘This is why our Cancel Out Cruelty campaign is so important – so we can continue to help rescue desperate animals like Milly..’

Holland was handed a suspended sentence at Newport Magistrates Court last year.

Prosecutor Aled Watkins said the marmosets have a ‘very particular set of needs’.

But he said Holland provided no UVB lighting for the monkey, its cage was ‘devoid of decor needed for environmental enrichment’, and she fed it ‘inappropriate food’ including processed ham.

Her phone had 22 ‘very disturbing’ videos involving the marmoset.

Three were shown to the court, including one which Mr Watkins said showed the marmoset in a ‘very distressed state’, cowering inside a toilet bowl.

Holland could be heard on the video saying ‘I need the toilet’ and ‘shall I flush it?’ The toilet was then flushed, and Holland called the animal a ‘f****** t**t’ and told it ‘don’t attack me’.

In another video, Holland could be heard saying ‘Want some coke? Lick my fingers’ to the marmoset.

A third video showed Holland’s pet dog close to the monkey. Mr Watkins said there was other evidence of the dog chasing the marmoset, which had ‘free rein’ of the house in a ‘dangerous environment’ around knives and electrical outlets.

He said instead of feeding it suitable food, Holland gave the monkey kebabs, burgers and sausages, the court was told.

A court heard the primate was ‘terrified’ of Holland and that Holland was aggressive towards the pet. Pictured: Vicki Holland

Holland (above) was banned from keeping all animals for life after pleading guilty to three Animal Welfare Act 2006 offences at Newport Magistrates’ Court

Mr Watkins said Holland had ‘shown total disregard to the basic care and needs’ of her pet.

‘This is deliberate infliction, this isn’t neglect,’ he told magistrates.

Scott Bowen, defending, said Holland was ‘deeply embarrassed and deeply ashamed of her behaviour’.

‘In hindsight, Ms Holland fully accepts she shouldn’t have had the animal in the first place.’

Mr Bowen said the monkey had experienced ‘distress’ but there was ‘no long-term damage’ to the animal, which was handed over to the RSPCA during the investigation.

The court heard the animal was ‘terrified as a result of her aggression and abuse whilst it was within a toilet bowl’.

The monkey’s treatment was uncovered after Holland and partner Russell Cox were found to have cocaine hidden in Kinder Eggs at their home.

Police found drug paraphernalia and Kinder Eggs containing £1,600 worth of cocaine.

Holland and Cox, 44, both admitted possession with intent to supply a class-A drug at Newport Crown Court

Cox, from Cwmbran, south Wales was jailed for 30 months and Holland was jailed for 20 months, suspended for two years in November 2020.

A Proceeds of Crime hearing was told the couple made almost £40,000 from their cocaine business.

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