monkeyarmy
Well-Known Member
I have always loved Monkey World their message was spot on I thought and as the primates were treated as individuals and not just profit making machines which is some times happens at zoos. Jim, Alison and Jeremy seemed genuinely passionate about rescuing primates.
When they joined the breeding program I reasoned that the cute baby orangs etc were much better of in their care than in the average zoo and the money they'd bring in would go towards rescuing primates. However, since Jim passed the place has gone down hill, not physically but in terms of their message or morals for want of a better term.
As I'm sure most people know Monkey World was founded by Jim Cronin to offer a home to chimps confiscated form photographers using them as props on Spanish beaches. A friend of mine contacted them on their Facebook page about a capuchin being dressed up and used as a photographers prop in Benidorm. The response couldn't be more apathetic if they tried. She got a response along the lines of O well that's the law, which would be 'fine' if this wasn't an organisation founded for the protection of chimps in the exact same position and Alison hadn't said on national TV that it didn't matter if the primate was endangered or not Monkey World will rescue them. Clearly all primates are equal but some are more equal.
I have personally contacted them about the Banana Derby which straps capuchins dressed up as cowboys to dogs and races them. It travels the round USA at fairs and private events. Now to me this is awful animal abuse. Again the response might as well have been what eves. I also sent them pictures of macaques being used as photographers props in Moscow in the depths of winter, which is very cold, not macaque friendly weather at all. This time I didn't even get a response. Now I'm not nieve and I know MW can't save all the primates and fight all legislation but they don't even seem to try anymore. Other than their petition and presenting evidence in a parliamentary review on the primate pet trade but Alison contradicted herself and was speaking through the other panels presentation. Much smaller organisations with much smaller budgets are doing much more.
Along similar lines myself and many others have contacted them about marmosets that are in desperate in need of rehoming but MW won't do anything about it claiming there is no room. However, on Monkey Life they recue pleanty of marmosets and they even made a video of Alison rescuing a marmoset last week, do they only rescue marmosets when a camera is pointed at them? They say they have no space for more marmosets but what are they going to do when all those baby orangs grow up? Especially as orang adult males will not co-habit.
In the keepers talk about the Woolley monkeys the keeper said that the woolies were being breed as numbers are reducing in the wild, which is a tad misleading as it wouldn't be unreasonable for those listening to conclude that the offspring are being breed to be returned to the wild. Which is miss leading as most of the woolies bred in captivity are hybrids and carry a virus that is not present in wild populations so it would be irresponsible to return them to the wild. Also seeing as they have produced many more males than females it would be responsible to stop breeding for a while. I guess this point could be levelled at any zoo part of the breeding programe but MW sells it's self as a rescue centre. If they keep breeding the primates on the programme in the near future the primates they've breed could start creeping very close to the number they have rescued.
I visited a couple of weeks ago on a hot Saturday, the kind of day that is going to attract large crowds to a zoo or a rescue centre. Which you'd think would increase the amount of educational staff you have working about the place right? Not at Monkey World there were zero staff members about. Some people were banging on the glass off one of the chimp enclosures annoying the chimps, I went looking for a keeper to get them to stop after they told me to f#ck off. As I said there were no keepers about but I came across a wedding. The wedding party was being guarded by four members of staff to keep us plebs away. Another member of staff was directing guests from the gate to the venue despite there being very good signage. So that's 4 staff for wedding guests 0 for primates.
The ****** moved away from the chimps so I continued my visit, ending up in the restaurant for lunch. There were that many staff people were just standing around. The situation was the same in the shop. Now obviously people that work in the shop are unlikely to be able to work in the park as education staff or keepers. But the staff ratios seem to scream that the areas where the park makes money are considered more important to staff than staff to answer guests questions or take the opportunity to educate the public and get their message across. And of course make sure people are keeping to the rules.
I take my hat off to the marketing team, they certainly know how to sell themselves. This was evidenced last week with their fundraiser attached to the marmoset rescue last week. If you donate £1000 you get to meet Alison which I thought was rather steep, to meet the pope you only have to have dirty feet! Monkey World feels more and more like a conventional zoo.
Am I being overly harsh on monkey world? Has anyone else 'gone off' their favourite zoo? Any ideas for a replacement for Monkey World?
When they joined the breeding program I reasoned that the cute baby orangs etc were much better of in their care than in the average zoo and the money they'd bring in would go towards rescuing primates. However, since Jim passed the place has gone down hill, not physically but in terms of their message or morals for want of a better term.
As I'm sure most people know Monkey World was founded by Jim Cronin to offer a home to chimps confiscated form photographers using them as props on Spanish beaches. A friend of mine contacted them on their Facebook page about a capuchin being dressed up and used as a photographers prop in Benidorm. The response couldn't be more apathetic if they tried. She got a response along the lines of O well that's the law, which would be 'fine' if this wasn't an organisation founded for the protection of chimps in the exact same position and Alison hadn't said on national TV that it didn't matter if the primate was endangered or not Monkey World will rescue them. Clearly all primates are equal but some are more equal.
I have personally contacted them about the Banana Derby which straps capuchins dressed up as cowboys to dogs and races them. It travels the round USA at fairs and private events. Now to me this is awful animal abuse. Again the response might as well have been what eves. I also sent them pictures of macaques being used as photographers props in Moscow in the depths of winter, which is very cold, not macaque friendly weather at all. This time I didn't even get a response. Now I'm not nieve and I know MW can't save all the primates and fight all legislation but they don't even seem to try anymore. Other than their petition and presenting evidence in a parliamentary review on the primate pet trade but Alison contradicted herself and was speaking through the other panels presentation. Much smaller organisations with much smaller budgets are doing much more.
Along similar lines myself and many others have contacted them about marmosets that are in desperate in need of rehoming but MW won't do anything about it claiming there is no room. However, on Monkey Life they recue pleanty of marmosets and they even made a video of Alison rescuing a marmoset last week, do they only rescue marmosets when a camera is pointed at them? They say they have no space for more marmosets but what are they going to do when all those baby orangs grow up? Especially as orang adult males will not co-habit.
In the keepers talk about the Woolley monkeys the keeper said that the woolies were being breed as numbers are reducing in the wild, which is a tad misleading as it wouldn't be unreasonable for those listening to conclude that the offspring are being breed to be returned to the wild. Which is miss leading as most of the woolies bred in captivity are hybrids and carry a virus that is not present in wild populations so it would be irresponsible to return them to the wild. Also seeing as they have produced many more males than females it would be responsible to stop breeding for a while. I guess this point could be levelled at any zoo part of the breeding programe but MW sells it's self as a rescue centre. If they keep breeding the primates on the programme in the near future the primates they've breed could start creeping very close to the number they have rescued.
I visited a couple of weeks ago on a hot Saturday, the kind of day that is going to attract large crowds to a zoo or a rescue centre. Which you'd think would increase the amount of educational staff you have working about the place right? Not at Monkey World there were zero staff members about. Some people were banging on the glass off one of the chimp enclosures annoying the chimps, I went looking for a keeper to get them to stop after they told me to f#ck off. As I said there were no keepers about but I came across a wedding. The wedding party was being guarded by four members of staff to keep us plebs away. Another member of staff was directing guests from the gate to the venue despite there being very good signage. So that's 4 staff for wedding guests 0 for primates.
The ****** moved away from the chimps so I continued my visit, ending up in the restaurant for lunch. There were that many staff people were just standing around. The situation was the same in the shop. Now obviously people that work in the shop are unlikely to be able to work in the park as education staff or keepers. But the staff ratios seem to scream that the areas where the park makes money are considered more important to staff than staff to answer guests questions or take the opportunity to educate the public and get their message across. And of course make sure people are keeping to the rules.
I take my hat off to the marketing team, they certainly know how to sell themselves. This was evidenced last week with their fundraiser attached to the marmoset rescue last week. If you donate £1000 you get to meet Alison which I thought was rather steep, to meet the pope you only have to have dirty feet! Monkey World feels more and more like a conventional zoo.
Am I being overly harsh on monkey world? Has anyone else 'gone off' their favourite zoo? Any ideas for a replacement for Monkey World?
