Hematological parameters of captive capuchin monkeys (<i>Sapajus libidinosus</i> and <i>S. apella</i>) illegally kept in homes in northeast Brazil

This study presents the hematological parameters of captive capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus and S. apella) kept in homes in the state of Ceará, in Northeast Brazil. Morphometry measurements and blood samples were taken from 35 individuals illegally kept as pets in 34 houses across 12 municipalities. The sample consists of 20 females and 15 males, classified in juvenile (n = 15), adult (n = 17) and senior (n = 3) age groups. The majority of animals were chained (74.2%) and dehydrated (62.8%), and almost half of them had injuries (48.57%). Except for three obese individuals, the animals weighed less than that described in other studies (2.08 kg ± 0.65, n=24), with greater differences in adult males (1.97 kg ± 0.55, n=3). Evidence for anemia included lower median red blood cell count (4.95 x 10⁶/µl ± 0.8) and higher mean corpuscular volume (76.6 fl ± 7.12) in the sample relative to other studies. Very low values of neutrophils (3.82 x 10³/µl ± 1.8) suggest a bone marrow condition or a severe active infection. In general, animals illegally kept as pets were in worse condition (with low body weight, dehydration, anemia and worse immunological conditions) when compared to reported data from wild animal populations, indicating a need to rescue these animals and rehabilitate them in rescue centers before releasing them back to their natural habitat.