Eight to Date: Baby Monkey Boom in Trentham

We’re excited to confirm that 8 baby monkeys have been born at Trentham Monkey Forest so far in 2023!

 

Every year, we aim to have between 6-10 babies, so we’re absolutely delighted to have seen 8 healthy little monkey babies arrive this year – with hopefully more in the pipeline.

 

Our breeding program is so important to our aim to preserve this wonderful species of primate here in Trentham and to have a successful year of births means the world to all of us here at Monkey Forest.

 

Since our last blog post in early May, we have seen 5 more babies being brought down from the trees, in the early June mornings, whilst feeding the monkeys their breakfast.

 

At Monkey Forest, the Barbary macaques live in the forest all year round, as the monkeys live exactly how they would in the wild, for conservation purposes. With no cages, bars or Perspex glass between you and them. This means that the babies are born high up in the trees, late at night just like they are in Morocco and Algeria.

 

Barbary macaques are seasonal breeders, their mating season is over the winter months with babies usually arriving in the late spring/early summer to give the little ones time to grow ready to face their first winter.

 

The gestation period for Barbary macaques is 5.5 months. So the babies that have now arrived would have been conceived November-December time.

 

Paternity is unknown as the females mate with many different partners. However, the males tend to care and look out for the babies – sometimes from the first days of their lives, which is quite rare in primates.

 

If you’re visiting Monkey Forest, keep your eyes peeled for a tiny bundle that boasts a shiny, thin black coat of fur. A new born baby weighs around 600 grams. That’s about the same weight as half a bag of sugar!

 

Feel free to come and say hello to the little miracles… you won’t regret your decision!

 

To book your visit, click here.