New York

Confiscated Monkey Won't be Going Home: SPCA

Its new home has yet to be selected

An exotic 22-year-old monkey that lived with its Long Island, New York, owner since it was a baby cannot go home again — because it was kept without a permit.

Chief Roy Gross of the Suffolk County SPCA said during a news conference Sunday that the Capuchin monkey named Luna will now be cared for in a licensed facility.

The small dark monkey with a white face was seized from its owner's Brentwood home after authorities received an anonymous tip.

Gross says Capuchin monkeys are native to Central and South America and can be dangerous and spread disease. They live up to about 50 years.

The chief says Luna appears healthy. Its new home has yet to be selected.

The monkey's owner, whose name wasn't disclosed by authorities, was cited for unlicensed possession of a primate, which carries a $250 penalty.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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