‘Flossie’ could be the first monkey mum in 2022!

Trentham Monkey Forest are pleased to announce that ‘Flossie’ is likely to be the first female to have fallen pregnant this year at the 60-acre Staffordshire monkey sanctuary.

 

After weeks of monitoring the female monkeys the team at the park have noticed that 20-year-old monkey, who  goes by the nickname ‘Flossie’, has been developing a noticeable bump over the last few weeks.

 

Monkey Forest are now happy to confirm that she is likely to be expecting a beautiful baby Barbary macaque!

 

This will be Flossie’s second baby as she has given birth before to a daughter nicknamed ‘Candy’ who is now a fully grown adult female.

 

The signs to look out for to spot a pregnant Barbary macaque are minimal so it can be difficult to pinpoint whether a female is pregnant or not.

 

Late moulting can often be an indicator of pregnancy as their long winter coat will not shed until after they give birth. A round baby bump is also of course a tell-tale sign however it’s often very hard to see a monkey shaped bump unless the female is young as they are smaller, and their baby-bump is more pronounced.

 

Flossie has been showing both of these signs which has led to the team to get to this exciting conclusion.

 

Monkey Forest is home to 140  Barbary macaque monkeys a species which is listed as ‘endangered’ in the wild.  There are currently less than 8,000 wild Barbary macaques in the wild, so every birth at Trentham Monkey Forest is a very special one.

 

Park Director Matt Lovatt says

“It’s great that Flossie is likely to be one of the first new mothers of 2022 at Monkey Forest. All of the monkeys have their own unique number to identify them, Flossie is actually ‘T50’, but we think Flossie suits her better! Barbary macaques are a unique, endangered species so every birth that we have at the forest is a success story not only for us, but for the species of Barbary macaques.”

 

Babies are likely to be born at the forest late spring or early summer and visitors are encouraged to come and see the bundles of joy roam freely in their new West Midlands home, where there are no cages or bars to limit their adorable young primate explorations.

 

You can walk amongst the monkeys and see them in this natural setting by booking your tickets here