For 19 years, Frankie the capuchin monkey has lived inside a pet store in Shawnee, Kansas. Now, a billboard beside Interstate 35 is calling on Pet Stop to finally let him retire to a true sanctuary.

In Defense of Animals and Kansas City Action for Animals launched the billboard on Aug. 31 with a clear message: “FRANKIE NEEDS A SANCTUARY NOT A STORE.” It follows more than a year of protests, letters, and advocacy urging Pet Stop to release Frankie.

Frankie was purchased as a baby and has spent his entire life inside an approximately 10-foot enclosure. He has never climbed a real tree, touched grass, or lived with another monkey.

Capuchin monkeys are highly intelligent, social animals who naturally live in groups, form close bonds, climb, explore, and constantly interact with their surroundings. Frankie may have decades of life ahead of him, and a dedicated primate sanctuary in Texas has offered him a home where he could have far more space, enrichment, and the possibility of companionship with other monkeys.

More than 40,000 messages have been sent to Pet Stop and the U.S. Department of Agriculture through our alert. The campaign is also asking the USDA to investigate Frankie’s living conditions.

Frankie has already spent nearly two decades inside a store. He should not have to spend the rest of his life there.

Please visit FreeFrankie.com to take all the actions needed to urge Pet Stop to accept the sanctuary placement, ask the USDA to investigate, and help spread the word for Frankie.