Monkey World

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monkey World is a 65-acre (0.26 km²) ape and monkey sanctuary and zoo in Dorset, England. Set up in 1987 by Jim Cronin and later operated by both he and his wife Alison Cronin. Originally to provide a home for abused chimpanzees used by Spanish beach photographers; the centre is now home to many different species of primates.

Contents 1 The Beginning 2 Growth 3 Present Times 3.1 Television Appearances 3.2 Death of Jim Cronin 4 External links

[edit] The Beginning

The sanctuary was founded by Jim Cronin after Spain introduced legislation that prevented the use of Chimps as props on the Spanish beaches. These Chimps would be smuggled in from their natural habitats - the mother chimps being killed in order to take the babies - and dressed in human clothes to be used as a photographer's prop in tourist resorts, and often killed at ages 4 or 5 because they would become too large to handle. During their time as props they would be mistreated, abused, drugged and disfigured.

The treatment of the animals meant that they would be very damaged mentally and physically, Cronin set out to provide them with a place that they could settle into a happy existance.

[edit] Growth

Today Monkey World houses over 150 different primates of 15 different species, which makes it the largest collection outside of Africa. The other species of primates include orangutans, marmosets, lemurs, many different gibbons, woolly monkeys and even some rabbits and ponies in a farm area.

The centre works closely with foreign governments and conservation bodies to stop the illegal smuggling of apes out of Africa and Asia, and has rescued many abused primates living in laboratories, in circuses, as pets, as well as photographers' props. The park is world renowned for the work that they do.

[edit] Present Times

At Monkey World they rehabilitate the chimps into large social groups, much like they would exist in the wild. They keep the females on birth control because they are still actively rescuing chimps and they need space and funding to continue. Monkey World is also works in Asia with the Pingtung Rescue Centre for Endangered Wild Animals to try to stop the smuggling of gibbons and orangutans from the wild for use as pets. They also conduct undercover surveys of the illegal pet trade in South East Asia.

Within the centre there is a hospital and operating theatre where most of the medical examination and operations on the chimps and monkeys happen. There is a local vet and a specialist primate vet and the staff at Monkey World are recognised as experts in primate rehabilitation and health.

[edit] Television Appearances

Awareness in the park has grown due to the ongoing TV documentary Monkey Business which has now completed its 9th series as well as general TV coverage across the world:

• ITV Nature Watch
• BBC Operation Chimpanzee
• BBC State of the Ark
• BBC Animal Hospital
• CNN & Sky TV Highlighting a rescue operation in Turkey of smuggled chimpanzees
• ITV GMTV Covering the illegal pet trade in Turkey.
• BBC QED Saving Trudy
• ITV1 and Animal Planet Monkey Business; a continuing series produced by Meridian Television focusing on Monkey World. Nine series have been broadcast to date.
• Russell Brand often talks about Monkey World in his BBC Radio 2 programme & podcast.
• Karl Pilkington made a visit to Monkey World and was mentioned in his & Ricky Gervais' radio show on XFM.

[edit] Death of Jim Cronin

On 20th March 2007, it was made public that on Saturday the 17th March 2007, the founder of Monkey World, Jim Cronin, had died in hospital in New York aged 55 years, from liver cancer, a short time after contracting it.

His widow, Alison, and the staff at Monkey World have promised to continue the legacy of Monkey World: "Monkey World will carry on with Alison at the forefront. We will make sure it is Jim’s lasting legacy." ^[1]

[edit] External links

• Monkey World official site