Jim Cronin (zookeeper) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Cronin
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| Born |
James Michael Cronin
15 November 1951 Yonkers, New York, U.S.
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| Died | 17 March 2007 (aged 55) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Zookeeper |
| Years active | 1987–2007 |
| Known for | Monkey World |
| Spouse(s) | Ros Cronin (?-1980s) (divorced) Alison Cronin (m. 1996–2007) (his death) |
| Children | 1 |
James Michael Cronin MBE (November 15, 1951 – March 17, 2007) was an American zookeeper. He co-founded Monkey World in Dorset, England in 1987. This special place helps monkeys and apes who have been hurt or neglected.
Jim Cronin was known around the world for rescuing and helping primates. He also worked hard to stop the illegal trade of animals. In 2006, Queen Elizabeth II gave him an MBE award for his amazing work helping animals.
Contents
Early Life and Animal Passion
Jim Cronin was born on November 15, 1951, in Yonkers, New York. His parents were from Italy and Ireland. After finishing school, he had several jobs. In the 1970s, he became a zookeeper at Bronx Zoo. Working there made him realize he wanted to spend his life helping animals.
In 1980, Jim moved to Kent in the UK. He got a job at Howletts Wild Animal Park, which was owned by John Aspinall.
Working with Primates
Jim started his career by working as a zookeeper in different zoos. At Howletts, he became very skilled at helping primates recover and caring for them. John Aspinall had a special program to help gorillas, which were an endangered species.
Jim's strong passion for primates made him very successful. He began to dream of building a safe home for mistreated primates. His years at John Aspinall's Zoo gave him important experience. He learned how to care for apes and small monkeys with their complex needs.
Creating Monkey World
While working at Howletts Zoo, Jim heard about chimpanzees being abused. These chimps were being taken from the wild by illegal hunters. They were then brought to Europe, especially Spain. There, young chimpanzees were used as photo props by photographers on beaches. Jim was very angry about what was happening to these amazing apes. He decided to dedicate his life to solving this problem.
In the mid-1980s, Spain passed a law that stopped the use of chimpanzees as photo props. This news gave Jim hope that he could help the chimps. In 1986, he met a British couple, Simon and Peggy Templer. They had started rescuing the beach chimps in 1978. Jim worked with the Templers, who had a temporary home for the rescued chimps. However, the chimps could not stay there forever.
Jim had an idea to help more. He talked with the Templers about how he could assist. With help from the Spanish police, the Guardia Civil, more chimps were being rescued. This meant even more animals would need a safe place to go.
Building the Sanctuary
In 1987, Jim Cronin returned to England. He focused on how to build a sanctuary for the chimps. The Templers agreed to send the chimps to the new home Jim promised to build. Jim asked his best friend, Jeremy Keeling, a fellow zookeeper, for help. Together, they set out to create their primate sanctuary.
Jim found an old pig farm near Wool, Dorset. The land was 65 acres, which was perfect for a primate rescue center. After getting a small loan, Jim received permission to build the first enclosure for the chimps. He knew the animals needed to learn how to live naturally again. So, he designed a two-acre enclosure with grass, shrubs, and climbing structures made from telephone poles. An electric fence surrounded the area. After adding things like a café and a children's playground for visitors, the sanctuary was complete. It was named Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre.
Opening and Expanding Monkey World
In July 1987, Jim brought the first group of nine chimps from the Templers' temporary home to Monkey World. Once at the park, the chimpanzees were helped to recover and settled into their new homes. Jeremy Keeling also brought a hand-reared female Bornean orangutan named Amy to the park. She was his job to look after. Soon, more primates arrived, including Barbary macaques, pig-tailed macaques, and ring-tailed lemurs. More chimpanzees from Spain also came to the park.
Jim Cronin opened Monkey World to the public on August 7, 1987. He wanted it to be a rescue center, not just a zoo. Monkey World rescued chimps not only from Spain but also those used as exotic pets, circus entertainers, or in medical research. In 1993, Jim met Alison Ames. She was an expert in animal behavior and had studied biological anthropology at Cambridge. Jim and Alison married in 1996. From then on, they ran Monkey World together.
Jim was amazed that his small rescue center had grown so much. Monkey World worked with the Ping Tung Rescue Centre in Taiwan to stop the illegal smuggling of apes. Monkey World was able to give homes to some of these primates, including Bornean orangutans and different types of gibbons. Monkey World also started working with governments to prevent primate smuggling for the pet trade. This included the pet trade in Britain, where people kept small exotic monkeys without knowing how to care for them properly. Jim and Alison traveled worldwide, investigating animal trades, especially the exploitation of primates.
Monkey World hired many Primate Care Staff to meet the daily needs of the animals. Veterinary experts were brought in to help treat the animals. Adoption Schemes were also set up to help the park continue its rescue work. The center's biggest rescue was 19 retired stump-tailed macaques from a UK medical research lab. However, the rescue of 88 capuchin monkeys from a medical research lab in Chile in 2008 became the largest primate rescue in the world.
In 2006, Jim Cronin received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II for his work in animal welfare. He also received the Jane Goodall Award.
The TV show Monkey Business showed Jim and Alison's rescue missions and investigations across Europe and Asia. This show was replaced by Monkey Life in 2007, which also shows what happens at Monkey World.
Jim Cronin's Legacy
Jim Cronin became ill and passed away on March 17, 2007, in Manhattan, New York. He was survived by his daughter, Eleanor, from his first marriage, and his wife, Alison Cronin. Since his death, Alison has continued to run Monkey World.
Jim Cronin Memorial Fund
The Jim Cronin Memorial Fund for Primate Welfare and Conservation was created to continue Jim's important work. It supports primate conservation and welfare around the world. It is a charity in the UK and is sponsored by Monkey World.
