Reward offered to help solve mystery of monkey abandoned on London bus

A reward of up to £3,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction after a female common marmoset was abandoned on a London bus. The monkey, named Oyster, was discovered on a 302 bus in Kensal Rise, north-west London on Friday.

A mother had been unable to manoeuvre her buggy down the aisle because a laundry bag protruded from the luggage bay. When the driver moved it aside, the monkey began chirping and jumping.

Oyster was inside a small white metal bird cage wrapped in a plastic chequered laundry bag with handles. She had been left with some apple but was very stressed and dehydrated.

Animal charity Peta is offering the reward. Elisa Allen, Peta vice-president of programmes, said: "We're calling on anyone with information about this case to come forward so that whoever abandoned Oyster can be held accountable before endangering anyone else. Abandoning an animal is an extraordinary betrayal. This monkey deserved care and protection not to be discarded like rubbish."

The monkey has been examined by a vet and given a clean bill of health. She is now at a sanctuary where she has settled well.

Claire Dew, RSPCA London chief inspector, said: "We'd like to say a big thank you to the bus driver and the team at Metroline who stayed calm, took the monkey back to their station, put her somewhere dark and cool to keep her calm and contacted us for help. They've been incredibly helpful and are now assisting with our enquiries so we can trace the person responsible for dumping her."

Authorities will examine CCTV footage and bus scanning logs. The incident is feared to be the first of many abandonments following new legislation introduced in April requiring all primates kept in England to be licensed.