Monkey World facts for kids
 |
|
| Date opened | 7 August 1987 |
|---|---|
| Location | Dorset, England |
| Land area | 65 acres (26.3 ha) |
| No. of animals | Over 250 |
| No. of species | 20 |
| Website | monkeyworld.org |
Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre is a special place in Dorset, England. It's a large home, about 65 acres (26 hectares), for apes and monkeys. It's a rescue centre and sanctuary, meaning it helps animals who have been hurt or need a safe place to live.
Contents
History of Monkey World
Monkey World was started in 1987 by a man named Jim Cronin. He had help from Jeremy Keeling. Later, Jim and his wife Alison ran the centre with a team of animal carers. The main goal was to give a home to chimpanzees who had been used by photographers in Spain. Now, Monkey World helps many different kinds of primates.
First Animals and Early Rescues
The first animal to live at Monkey World was an orangutan named Amy. She was a female Bornean orangutan. Amy later had a son named Gordon with a male orangutan called Banghi.
On July 13, 1987, the first chimpanzees arrived. Their names were Paddy, Busta, Jimmy, Micky, Sammy, Taffy, Beth, Cindy, and Zoe. Over the years, Monkey World continued to rescue more animals. In April 1998, they rescued a young female chimpanzee named Trudy. She had been in a difficult situation involving animal cruelty.
Continuing the Mission
Sadly, Jim Cronin passed away in March 2007. His wife, Alison Cronin, and the dedicated staff have continued his important work.
Monkey World often works with governments in other countries. They help stop the illegal trade of wild primates. In January 2008, they carried out a huge rescue mission. They saved 88 capuchin monkeys from a laboratory in Chile. Some of these monkeys had been kept alone for up to 20 years. The Chilean Air Force even helped fly the monkeys to England!
More rescues followed. In August 2010, a Bornean orangutan named Oshine was rescued from South Africa. In December 2010, a baby Sumatran orangutan named Silvestre was saved from a zoo in Spain. A chimpanzee named Kiki was rescued from Lebanon in January 2011.
In September 2018, Monkey World rescued a female chimpanzee named Toprish. She had been stolen from the wild for the illegal pet trade. In October of the same year, another female chimpanzee, Naree, was rescued. In February 2020, a 37-year-old chimpanzee named Kalu was rescued from South Africa. She had been a pet on a farm.
During a big storm in February 2022, a very rare woolly monkey was born at the park. Another one was born in March. The storm also caused damage to the park's trees and fences.
About Monkey World
Monkey World is home to the largest group of chimpanzees outside of Africa. These chimpanzees live in four different social groups. Many of the animals at the park have been rescued from the illegal pet trade, laboratories, or from being used for tourist photos.
The park also has three groups of orangutans. These include two different types: Bornean and Sumatran orangutans. Monkey World has Europe's only orangutan crèche. This is a special nursery that cares for orphaned or abandoned orangutans in Europe. While they are open to helping gorillas, they haven't yet found any that need rescue.
Additionally, Monkey World houses five different types of gibbons. These include agile gibbons, lar gibbons, Müller's gibbons, siamangs, and golden-cheeked gibbons. They also care for 14 different species of monkeys and prosimians. Some of these are capuchins, common marmosets, cotton-top tamarins, patas monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, spider monkeys, and woolly monkeys.
Dao Tien Rescue Centre
In 2008, Monkey World teamed up with other groups to create the Dao Tien Rescue Centre. This centre is located in South Vietnam. Its goal is to save gibbons and other primates from the pet trade, smuggling, and being used in theme parks or restaurants.
Since it opened, Dao Tien has rescued over 50 endangered primates. These include golden-cheeked gibbons, pygmy slow lorises, and black-shanked doucs. So far, 27 of these primates have been helped and released back into their natural homes. After they are released, they are tracked using special radio collars. The charity Endangered Asian Species Trust (EAST) runs Dao Tien. Their work has been shown in the TV series Monkey Life.
Monkey World on TV
Monkey World has been featured in several TV shows. The documentary series Monkey Business ran for nine seasons from 1998 to 2006. Its follow-up show, Monkey Life, started in 2008. As of 2024, 16 seasons have been shown, and a 17th season is being made.
Other TV appearances include:
- Monkey Life on National Geographic Channel and Animal Planet.
- Monkey Business on ITV and Animal Planet.
- Challenge Anneka on BBC.
- Animal Hospital on BBC.
- CNN and Sky TV, showing a rescue of smuggled chimpanzees in Turkey.
- ITV GMTV, covering the illegal pet trade in Turkey.
- QED Saving Trudy on BBC.
- Animals in Love on BBC, which talked about a siamang gibbon named Sam.
Awards and Recognition
Monkey World has received several awards for its important work:
- Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2011, 2012, and 2014.
- Highly Commended Bournemouth Tourism Awards in 2012.
- The Independent 50 Best Spring Days out in Britain in 2004.
- The Good Britain Guide, Family Attraction of the Year for Dorset in 2000.
Both Jim Cronin and Alison Cronin were given the Jane Goodall Award. This award recognized their amazing work with Monkey World.
See also
- List of animal sanctuaries
