The Story Of… Monkey World – Ape Rescue Centre in Dorset, UK

By Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of Monkey World

Monkey World – A 65 acres, Ape Rescue Centre, a sanctuary for 260 rescued monkeys and apes in Dorset. The park was set up in 1987 by New Yorker Jim Cronin to provide a permanent, stable home for chimpanzees who were victims of the Spanish beach photography trade. The park is home to 250 individuals of 25 different species, rescued from 29 different countries. Monkey Life is the park’s reality show: the documentary follows Dr Alison Cronin and the team, as she rescues primates in need from around the world and rehabilitates them into groups of their own kind. Monkey World’s enclosures are all designed with the primate’s welfare in mind- not with the interests of the vising public. This makes the park different to a lot of zoos. The primates have free access to both inside & outside enclosures with off-show areas in both.

They can choose their environment- and whether to be visible to the public. This keeps stress low for the primates. Go visit Monkey World and combine fun with conservation and animal education, free daily talks by the dedicated Primate Care Staff explain all about man’s closest living relative. They love to share their knowledge of all the individuals in their care, so they welcome questions! And if you are hungry? There are cafés serving a selection of hot and cold food and drink, or you can bring along a picnic to enjoy in the beautiful woodland setting. What are you waiting for?!

KB: Describe to the RSR readers how Monkey World was founded and by who?

The park was set up in 1987 by New Yorker Jim Cronin to provide a permanent, stable home for chimpanzees who were victims of the Spanish beach photography trade. Jim witnessed the abuse in Spain, chimpanzee families hunted and killed in African forests, surviving babies smuggled from the wild and transported illegally into Europe for a lonely and abusive life. This experience spurred him to set up his own rescue centre which he started with a small financial loan and a long lease on a derelict pig farm in Dorset.

The work of Monkey World was becoming increasingly well-known and respected when Alison visited the park in 1992. Originally from California, she had two degrees in biological anthropology from Cambridge University, was completing a PhD in animal behavior, and was also rescuing and rehabilitating wild animals – not primates but bears! Alison and Jim first met at the park to discuss electric fence designs for rescued apes and bears. The couple married in 1996 and Alison became the Scientific Director of Monkey World.

Now, over 30 years on, Monkey World is over 65 acres. A dedicated team of over thirty Primate Care Staff looks after more than 260 primates. A Monkey World many different species of primate from around the world, including chimpanzees, orang-utans, gibbons, macaques, woolly monkeys, squirrel monkeys, marmosets, tamarins and lemurs, enjoy a safe haven of care and a home for life where they are free to be themselves and enjoy the companionship of their own kind in a natural environment. Nurtured and rehabilitated at Monkey World, they learn how to be apes and monkeys again.

Jim Cronin sadly passed away in 2007, following a short battle with cancer but the rescue work continues through Dr Alison Cronin, Jeremy Keeling and the Monkey World team. They work tirelessly with many governments worldwide to stop the illegal smuggling of apes and monkey out of Africa, Asia and South America where they are abused in the tourist and entertainment industry and the illegal pet trade. Monkey World now plays an important role in the conservation of endangered primate species.

KB: I read you travel all over the world to rescue primates. Describe a few examples?

Naree is one of 52 chimpanzees who lives at Monkey World – Ape Rescue Centre, a sanctuary for 260 rescued monkeys and apes in Dorset. Naree was rescued in 2018 from Thailand, where she had been abused for tourist’s entertainment in a circus style show. All but 4 of her teeth had been knocked out to preventing her from biting tourists, and she was dressed in clothes and forced to pull a cart containing tiger cubs. On arriving at Monkey World she was introduced to Bryan’s chimp group- the first time living with chimps since being smuggled out of Africa as an infant for the black market trade. She quickly settled into the group and found fun & joy in her new family, even encouraging dominant male Bryan into silly chase games!

Trudy was repeatedly whipped and kicked. Charlie was drugged and beaten to keep him under control. David was used for asthma research and had never experienced the outside world. Tom and Jerry were found outdoors in a small cage with no heat or shelter. Sammy was scarred for life by cigarette burns. Lucky was smuggled from the wild and kept at an amusement arcade. Peppa was addicted to alcohol and cigarettes.

These are just a few horrific examples of man’s inhumanity to his closest living relatives. Monkeys and apes from all over the world are often subjected to unbelievable cruelty, neglected or kept in totally unnatural conditions. Fortunately, some of these apes and monkeys have another chance at Monkey World.

KB: How many primates are calling the park home?

We have over 250 individuals, of 25 different species, rescued from 29 different countries.

KB: Charlie the Chimp. He lived many years at the park. Where did he come from and how was he rescued?

Charlie arrived at the park on September 5th 1989, along with another chimp Butch, from Simon and Peggy Templer’s sanctuary in Spain. We had worked with Simon & Peggy for years, as they provided the halfway house between confiscation from the Spanish beaches, to relocation to Monkey World. Both chimps were young, but we did not know exactly how old they were as they had both been smuggled from the wild to be worked as beach photographer chimps in Spain. Charlie did appear older than his years however, as as a result of being one of the most severe cases of ape cruelty we have witnessed. He had cataracts from beatings around the head, machete scars on his head, broken bones in his feet, all but a few of his teeth knocked out, and to top it off he was a valium addict. All of this was done in order to control Charlie so that people could have their photo taken with a wild animal.

Despite all of this, once at Monkey World, Charlie always managed to be a passive person who was never inclined to be aggressive to either chimps or humans. Having said that, he was capable of impressive chimpanzee behavior and many visitors saw his displays especially when in competition with passing Army tanks!

KB: Monkey World has its own reality show. What is it about?

Monkey Life series 16 returned to screens on Sky Nature on Sunday 5th November 2023, with the much anticipated catch up of all the rescues and daily dramas at the world’s biggest primate rescue centre. Based at Monkey World, Dorset, the documentary follows Dr Alison Cronin and the team, as she rescues primates in need from around the world, and rehabilitates them into groups of their own kind. At the centre, they have a safe, stable home for life.

The programme is one of the longest running docu-soaps on TV, as its former incarnation, Monkey Business first appeared on screens in 1998. Nicknamed by staff “Beast-enders”, the series won a place in the public’s hearts with its fascinating, and often tragic insight into monkey and ape rescues.

Series 16 followed the introductions of rescued Argentinian chimpanzees, Sasha and Kangoo to their new rowdy families of chimpanzees at the park, UK pet trade rescues and Alison’s journey to collect an orphaned orangutan.

Filmed over a year, the series takes the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster, as the team have to make tough decisions on new arrivals, say goodbye to old friends, as well as the highs of seeing individuals flourish in the sanctuary, and the daily antics of familiar faces followers of the series will know well!

KB: How do you make sure that your park matches the natural wild surroundings the primates normally live in?

The enclosures are all designed with the primate’s welfare in mind- not with the interests of the vising public. This makes us different to a lot of zoos. Our primates have free access to both inside & outside enclosures with off-show areas in both. They can choose their environment- and whether to be visible to the public. This keeps stress low for the primates. All enclosures are also designed to replicate natural environments and allow the apes and monkeys to move and live as naturally as they would in the wild.

Where we can this is done with trees, foliage & additions of ropes & hosing linking trees to replicate the dense forest habitats. With the great apes, their environment is replicated with man-made, hard-wearing materials, but constructed to mimic the natural environment- so hosing that moves when balancing on it, as tree branches would, vertical telegraph poles, sheltered spots in the climbing frames, and brachiating opportunities with literal monkey bars! We update & refurbish these enclosures regularly, to keep the environment stimulating, and supplement the environment with fresh browse and scatter feeds to keep primates foraging for food. However the very best enrichment we can provide primates is companionship of their own kind, which is why we have several large groups of primates.

KB: How big is the park at the moment and are there any expansions planned?

The park is 65 acres big, and constantly growing as enclosures are refurbished & renovated to suit the changing needs of the primates. This may be adding in lower & wider walk ways for geriatric saki monkeys, rebuilding storm damaged fence lines for the capuchins, refreshing the climbing frames in the chimp enclosure to keep it interesting- or a brand new enclosure design for a brand new species of primate at the park- which is what the team are currently working on!

KB: Why should people visit Monkey World?

Visitors to the park fund Monkey world’s rescue and rehabilitation operation, making a very real difference to primates in need around the world and at the park. As well as 250 rescued and endangered primates, visitors can also see infant orphaned orang-utans playing and growing up together with their foster family, at the purpose built crèche in the 65 acre park.

Opened in 1987 to provide abused Spanish beach chimpanzees with a permanent home, Monkey World is now a sanctuary for primates from all over the world and some are now part of international breeding programmes for endangered species. Here you can see them enjoy the company of their own kind in a safe, natural environment.

Combining fun with conservation and animal education, free daily talks by the dedicated Primate Care Staff explain all about man’s closest living relative. They love to share their knowledge of all the individuals in their care, so they welcome questions! Pre-bookable guided tours are also available, as well as video talks and a self-guided talk accessed via your own smartphone device.

There are cafés serving a selection of hot and cold food and drink, or you can bring along a picnic to enjoy in the beautiful woodland setting. Once you’ve seen the stars of TV’s Monkey Life, your little monkeys can let off some steam in the Great Ape Play Area, the south’s largest adventure playground.

You can support Monkey World in continuing their rescue and rehabilitation work by taking part in the Adopt a Primate Scheme. Prices start from £27 for the year and include a photograph, certificate, three editions of the Ape Rescue Chronicle and free entry to the park for a year! All funds from adoptions are used solely for the rescue & rehabilitation of primates in need around the world.

Monkey World also provides a range of sensory statues, wheelchair swings and printed keeper talks to ensure everyone is able to enjoy their day at the park.

Check out Monkey World’s website: Here

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