Birthday Bonanza
- 19th Jul 2025
Celebrating 20 years of Barbary macaque conservation
2025 is a monumental year for Trentham Monkey Forest!
We celebrate 20 incredible years of connecting people with the enchanting world of Barbary macaques, as they simply go about their monkey lives in our 60-acre Staffordshire woodland.
From the moment our gates first opened in 2005, we’ve been a haven of discovery, a hub for conservation, and a place where unforgettable memories are made – being the ONLY UK Monkey Forest!
As we enter 2025, we want to let you know what we have in store for you to celebrate reaching this incredible milestone.
Nostalgic Tribute: A Face Made of Memories
This year, we’ve unveiled something truly special, a breathtaking photo collage created by renowned artist Nathan Wyburn.
Using over 500 images captured at Monkey Forest over the past two decades, Nathan has immortalized our journey in stunning art!
We asked you to submit your images to us and every image tells a story — joyful moments shared with our team, historic events and amazing monkey memories that have helped shape our park into what it is today.
Each year since our opening is represented in the collage, culminating in a familiar face: ‘Dee,’ the first ever baby born at Trentham Monkey Forest.
Born to our German group — a lineage tracing back to our sister park in Germany — Dee grew up to become the group’s chief, a testament to the strength and legacy of our conservation efforts.
Now 20 years old and no longer top of the tree, Dee’s face symbolises not just our past but also our hope for the future of Barbary macaques being the first baby born – as we actively fight Barbary macaque extinction by aiming to see between 6-10 babies born each year within the forest. Over 100 babies have been in the forest since Dee’s arrival. More than 5 generations of monkeys have since flourished within the park, living a rich and fulfilling life.
20 Years of Conservation Success
Trentham Monkey Forest is more than a visitor attraction; it’s a vital player in the conservation of Barbary macaques. We’re a research facility for this remarkable species as over 100 research projects have been conducted here, increasing the knowledge on the species. Over the last two decades, we’ve worked tirelessly to protect this endangered species, raise awareness, and foster a connection between humans and these remarkable primates.
With only around 8,000 Barbary macaques left in the wild, our mission is more urgent than ever. Every visit to Monkey Forest directly supports our conservation initiatives, ensuring these wonderful monkeys have a bright future.
Save the Date: 19th July 2025
Mark your calendars for our official birthday: 19th July 2025, when we’ll be hosting a ‘Birthday Bonanza’ to celebrate this extraordinary milestone!
What to expect:
Drum Café - an exhilarating, interactive musical experience through the art of African music! Barbary macaques are known to be the only macaque species native to Africa. This event is a nod to our monkeys and their roots. Drum Café will be hosting x3 mini interactive drumming and percussion workshops throughout the day. Get involved and play some incredible sounds - be a part of our party! Then, a team of world-class drummers will be performing for our visitors.
LOOK It's Louie the Orangutan - Discover Louie, the world's first male Orangutan suit with animatronic facial expressions & sounds.
Look It’s Louie’ is trying to make a significant difference in the lives of Orangutans by supporting conservation and bringing the general public up close to the UK’s most realistic animatronic male Orangutan performer. Louie uses this interaction to help educate, understand, and find a new found love for these amazing great apes.
Circus In A Box - Locally based performers, Circus In A Box, are returning to the Monkey Forest! These guys know how to excite a crowd on our patio area with an incredible variety of circus skills. Circus In A Box get our visitors involved with tricks and stunts too, whilst showing off their amazing skills!
Julie Moss of Fern & Fables - Local storyteller Julie Moss of Fern & Fables will be combining with talented artist and puppet maker Kate Powell to tell incredible stories to our littler visitors. Julie currently spins nature and climate-conscious yarns where the children use the biodiversity around them to build the story with her. When combining Kate's fantastic puppets, the stories are bound to ignite young people's imaginations in a special, never-before-seen way. Kate will be contributing to the stories by making puppets live and in situ, then bringing the current story to life as Julie speaks, using the nearby materials alongside her magical puppeteer suitcase.
Henna by Cherrie - We're also excited to announce that local Henna artist Cherrie will be joining us and offering amazing henna artwork. Henna is a centuries-old tradition in Morocco, where our monkeys originate from, and the art form originated from Amazigh culture. The application of henna is usually a social ritual that brings people together, which we hope our 20th year celebrations will do!
PLUS, there will be a few more special surprises in store!
- 20% off tickets for all visitors in honor of 20 amazing years.
- Workshops, activities, and surprise events (details coming soon!)
Whether you’ve visited us before or this is your first time, this celebration promises something for everyone — and a chance to create new monkey memories at the park as we look back on the last 20 years!
