THE High Court has dismissed a legal challenge by nature park operators over the seizure of a red howler monkey named Raja, ruling that their claim had no realistic chance of success.

Justice Robin Mohammed set aside the court’s previous order granting them permission to file for judicial review and struck out their case entirely. The park's operators, Johnny Hardial and Gayatrie Mahabirsingh, have also been ordered to pay the state’s legal costs.

Hardial and Mahabirsingh, who run Massa Nature Park in Brasso, argued that they had applied for and were granted a permit to keep Raja. They claimed the seizure of the monkey by wildlife officers in 2021 was unlawful and that there was an unreasonable delay in processing their permit.