Helping primate conservation in Ghana

Monkey Haven Keeper, LilyMae, reports from Africa:

I have had the best time, it’s been truly incredible. I’m volunteering at West African Primate Conservation Action (WAPCA), in Ghana, and am getting a really good insight into the vital work it undertakes.

The organisation is based in Accra, the capital of Ghana, but its important work is carried out in several Ghanaian regions. The mission is to safeguard the future of endangered primates and their habitat in West Africa. The organisation primarily focuses on the critically endangered Roloway monkey, Miss Waldron’s colobus, white-thighed black and white colobus and the endangered White-naped mangabey. But WAPCA also assists in the confiscation of primates stolen for the illegal pet trade, in particular, Patas Monkeys.

I’m based at its Endangered Primate Breeding Centre at Accra Zoo. Most of the White-naped mangabeys at the centre are a part of the EEP (Eaza Ex-situ Programme). These monkeys are important for increasing genetic diversity within the captive white-naped mangabey population. I have been involved with the daily care of the primates, including building enrichment items. I’ve learnt a lot from this experience and it has been a good knowledge exchange, for both parties.

It’s been amazing to experience the Ghanaian culture, everyone has been so welcoming and they’ve really made me feel like part of the family. I’m now hoping to raise awareness about WAPCA’s incredible work. As we care for Western African primate species at Monkey Haven (Djimmy and Buna, the Cherry-crowned mangabeys), I would really love to publicise Mangabey Awareness Day in August. I’m hoping to revisit Ghana in a year’s time to bring new skills and share new ideas for the welfare of the primates at Accra Zoo.

I’m sad to be leaving but so happy to be coming home to the Haven, I’ve missed everyone terribly.

LilyMae xx

Helping primate conservation in Ghana2023-09-06T08:24:52+00:00

Toad rescue – with a hoppy ending!

Over the past four weeks our wonderful keeper team have been out most evenings braving the elements to assist in Toad Patrol over at Alverstone 🐸💚

Every year hundreds of toads migrate across the road to the local pond to breed.  They usually move on warm, wet evenings, so when the temperature is right our keepers go along for a few hours to patrol the area.

All of our animal care team have been involved, alongside a couple of members of the Froglife team, taking it in turns to patrol the road and ensuring the toads cross safely.

There can be up to 400 toads during the breeding period and we can now rest easy knowing these little guys have made it safely to the other side.

Great effort team 🙌🐸💚

Toad rescue – with a hoppy ending!2023-03-23T15:19:56+00:00

Happy 26th birthday to our special boy Xhabu!!❤️🎉🎈

The love we have for this beautiful siamang is incredible. He is the gentlest of souls and touches the hearts of everyone who meets him ~ he’s even become a viral sensation on Instagram, reaching hearts across the globe! 🐵❤️

He was born with disabilities and wouldn’t survive on his own, but he gets loads of TLC from all the the Keepers at the Haven.

Nicole has even made a batch of special cakes to celebrate – nutty banana and plum surprises. Plums are one his favourite fruits!

Wishing our beloved Xhabu a wonderful birthday with his pals and we hope you’ll join us for celebrations at noon tomorrow (25th) as we host a little birthday bash for our special siamang ~ the one and only Xhabu❤️

2023-02-24T15:07:42+00:00

Razorbill rescue – mission accomplished!

We are delighted to announce that the pair of rescued Razorbill’s we cared for have just been released back to sea, near St Catherine’s Lighthouse, where they were originally found.

It was at the start of the year that we said hello to our unusual guests who were in desperate need of some special love and attention. These distinctive seabirds, with barrel-shaped bodies, and short tails and wings, were found washed up on a beach – the poor things were covered in oil and would not have survived without help. Luckily they were spotted and taken to Carisbrooke Vets. After a check-up and many washes to remove the oil, we were asked to rehabilitate them until they recovered enough to go back out to sea.

So our amazing Keepers got to work organising daily deliveries of fresh sandeels for the birds’ breakfast and dinner. And ferrying them to the RSPCA’s pool so they could practise swimming – it was vital that their feathers were fully waterproof again before they could be released. We even eventually managed to borrow a temporary pool to make it easier for the Keepers to monitor their progress on site, at our sanctuary.

Week by week the birds regained their strength and the beads of water started running off their feathers again – a sign that their waterproofing was coming back. The Keepers got lots of regular expert advice to be certain the birds were getting the right treatment and staying on course for a full recovery.

After six weeks of full on care they were both finally ready to go back to the wild. This was a heartwarming end for these beauties, who have certainly left a huge imprint on the hearts of our team.

It’s been a privilege caring for these wonderful sea birds and we would like to give our thanks to The Carisbrooke Vets, the RSPCA and all the experts who shared their advice. And of course, a big hug and thank you to everyone that donated towards the birds’ food and medical costs – we are a small charity and rely on your donations to support our wild bird rescue and release programme.

We’re so proud of our amazing team of Keepers for the incredible care and attention they gave the Razorbills’ throughout the six weeks of rehabilitation. This was in addition to the hard work they put in every single day, looking after all the rescued animals at the Haven – you did it and we couldn’t be prouder!

A wonderful achievement with a happy outcome for these two lucky Razorbills.

Razorbill rescue – mission accomplished!2023-02-14T10:05:17+00:00

Feel the love with Monkey Haven this half term

Swing on by and fall in love with the rescued gibbons, monkeys, owls, meerkats and other exotic creatures. Our award-winning sanctuary is hosting Love Week during half term (11-19th February). There will be rescue stories to warm your heart, plus daily keeper talks focusing on love in its many forms – romances, bromances and there’s even a monkey who’s found happiness with his squeaky toy pig!

Rescued marmosets, Rosa, Gizmo and Winston were all ex-pets with troubled pasts but through gradual introductions we have been able to integrate them into a happy trio. Find out how all three came to live at the Haven and watch them enjoying an enriched new life with monkeys of their own kind – A happy love story for these three little monkeys.

Javan langurs, Wheat and Treacle, will no doubt be spotted having one of their many cuddles and learn of the love story between our Siamangs and Muellers gibbons. They were once living as neighbours but now live happily together under one roof in a very special and unique love story at the Haven.

There will be tasty treats in the tea room, and a chance for children to make Valentines’ card for the animals in our craft lodge. There are kids’ activity sheets and a love heart trail (you can win a treat), plus plenty of opportunities to get up close to some of the animals, including meeting the owls and seeing the rescued reptiles in the Reptile Lodge.

We’re open every day from 10am, with play areas, Wi-fi, trails, disabled access and free return within seven days. There’s a great little shop where you can snap up some unique gifts for your loved one, such as a Valentine’s adoption or a keeper for the day experience!

All proceeds from your visit will help support the animals you’ll meet. We look forward to welcoming you soon.

Feel the love with Monkey Haven this half term2023-02-02T15:56:00+00:00

A sad farewell to Nanushka, the Barbary macaque

It is with a heavy heart that we sadly announce the passing of our beloved Barbary macaque Nanushka. Our beautiful girl, known as Nushy was surrounded by her animal carers and the incredible team at The Carisbrooke Vets as we said our last goodbyes and laid her to rest. 💔

Nanushka was sadly once a victim of the illegal pet trade, found at a pet shop with no legal paperwork and seized by our partners, Stichting AAP. It was claimed she was brought at a market and dumped in the pet shop, but her true story and previous traumas will never truly be known. The AAP successfully integrated Nanushka into a troop of rescued Barbary’s, all from similar backgrounds, before being transferred to our sanctuary in 2014. However, due to her previous ordeal, she had developed unnatural compulsive behaviours including foot-biting and obsessive grooming, which are common behaviours of rescued Macaques who have been victim to isolation. Through our rehabilitation plan we managed to keep these behaviours under control, but Nanushka suffered a minor injury to her foot earlier in the year which had caused her to over-groom the wound, making it progressively worse and unable to heal.

Despite our keepers best efforts at distracting and training Nanushka, we reached out to behavioural experts and vets at the AAP who collaborated with us to help attain a recovery plan. Sadly though as all options were explored and exhausted, we had to make the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to our lovely Nushy and as you can imagine we are all devastated. 💔

It has been a really sad few days for our sanctuary and it’s animal carers. None of them could have done anymore to make Nanushka feel safe and loved and we would like to share a few words from each of them…

💕Lisa: “My darling Nanushka, it’s not going to be the same without you, I’m going to miss your sassy but secretly loving nature. We’ve lost a big part of our family, but our memories of you will live on. Our hearts are broken but we take comfort knowing you are now at peace.”

💕Lily: “Nanushka had such a beautiful soul and loved her carers unconditionally but sadly her previous traumas had taken it’s toll on her mental health. Our hearts are broken knowing there was no more we could possibly do to help our Nushy. We will all miss her terribly and she will never be forgotten, sleep well my darling.”

💕Terri – “Nushka was the sweetest girl, she absolutely loved being cuddled up with her house mates, and enjoyed a little ear tickle from her keepers. She arrived with some deeply embedded emotional scars and the reality is we can heal most wounds but the emotional issues never really go away. It’s heartbreaking there are still primates being kept as pets – people have no idea what lasting damage these primates endure. Sleep tight beautiful.”

💕Nicole: “Nushy, even though I hadn’t worked with you for long, the bond we developed was amazing and the trust and vulnerability you showed towards me was a privilege. Rest in peace Nushy, we love you.”

💕Jordon: “No one could deny that Nanushka was a supermodel amongst Barbary Macaques, with her stunning eyes, long face and pouting expression she was always very unique. After a tough start as a victim of the illegal pet trade, I’m glad our Haven was able to give Nush a safe and loving home for over 8 years. It’s horrible to see the animals in our care suffer due to past psychological trauma and as hard as these decisions are, we are all relieved that the suffering has now come to an end. We will miss you beautiful Nanushka.”

💕Sarah: “Despite her early traumas with humans, Nush was able to learn to trust and bond with her keepers and I will miss her with all my heart.  She would come and seek comfort from her keepers during times of stress. She would lean up against the enclosure and stretch her arms to gently groom you. Rest in peace my beautiful little lady. You will always be in our hearts.“

Here at Monkey Haven, our main aim is to rescue and rehabilitate primates, most commonly from the illegal pet trade. We make it our priority to ensure all of our animals live a happy and enriched life, but unfortunately in some cases the previous mental trauma they have suffered can have a lasting impact.

By sharing Nanushka’s story, we hope it will help us in our mission to educate people about the negative impact of keeping primates as pets, such as the damaging implications this can have on their mental health and well being. 

We also hope Nanushka’s story helps highlight the importance of the Governments “Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill” which aims to introduce a ban on keeping primates as pets. 

Rest in peace Nushy. We will all miss you and it was an honour and a privilege to care for you ❤️

A sad farewell to Nanushka, the Barbary macaque2022-11-22T16:21:32+00:00

Wow!! What a fab night for Monkey Haven…DOUBLE GOLD!!

Gold – Best Small Attraction 🌟
Gold – Best Green Business 🌟

Huge thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for us. We were incredibly excited to receive Gold for Best Green Business but to find out we had also won Gold for Best Small Attraction totally blew us away, thank you so much! Two Gold awards in one evening – what a special night for our primate rescue centre and our fabulous team.

Congratulations to all the winners on the night and many thanks to Red Funnel for hosting such a wonderful evening of celebrations. We had the best time and we were thrilled to be bringing home two new Gold awards for our sanctuary.

Huge respect to our hardworking and passionate team. Their dedication to our animals, our Haven and our visitors is amazing and these latest awards are testament to their incredible work and their first class care in all areas. Our primate rescue centre is an award-winning place to hang out and we are super proud of our sanctuary and its continued achievements.

Monkey Haven is now open Fridays-Mondays, 10am-3pm, with an extension of opening hours throughout Christmas week until 3rd January (except Christmas day and Boxing day)

We would love to welcome you to the Haven this winter so come and say hello to our animals and take advantage of your free seven day returns! There are keeper talks throughout the day and our tea room and shop are free to enter, so pop in for a tasty treat and a spot of Christmas shopping! Hope to see you soon :)

Wow!! What a fab night for Monkey Haven…DOUBLE GOLD!!2022-11-15T09:13:01+00:00

Follow the yellow brick road…. to a load of half term fun

Welcome to the Land of Oz! Come and meet Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion at Monkey Haven this October half term.

We’ve got a whirlwind of fun lined up for you:

  • Fancy dress – join our team and dress up as your favourite characters from The Wizard of Oz! Receive a 10% discount and you’ll be entered into our costume competition to win some fabulous prizes!
  • Follow the Yellow Brick Road trail and find the missing items to win a tasty treat
  • Meet the snakes, reptiles & mini beasts at the Wicked Witch’s Castle…if you dare!
  • Say hello to the owls and discover Oz, our special Boobook owl
  • Face painting, glitter tattoos and Kids’ arts & crafts (on selected days)
  • Munchkin Village – Enjoy magical treats in our themed tea room
  • Emerald City gift shop – Delights and wonderful gifts for all
Bog the Siamang Gibbon

Meet all the amazing rescued animals at our award-winning keeper talks! Plus, help us celebrate some very special birthdays at noon on the following days:

23rd October – Lin the Capunchin’s 5th Birthday
28th October – Bog’s the Siamang’s 20th Birthday
30th October – Bono the Muellers gibbon’s 38th Birthday
30th October – Pumpkin the Capuchin’s 2nd birthday

Swing by for a week of Halloween and birthday fun from the 22nd-30th October! And remember to make use of your FREE 7 day returns! See you soon!

Follow the yellow brick road…. to a load of half term fun2022-10-19T16:03:27+00:00

Thank you to all our Tripadvisor reviewers!

We’re so pleased to get our 2022 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice award – and it’s all thanks to YOU!

A giant thank you to everyone who has taken time to leave a review on Tripadvisor. There are lots of kind and amazing comments – and it means a lot to us. Your feedback is really important, as it helps us develop what we offer at Monkey Haven. So carry on reviewing!

Love from the Monkey Haven Team x

Thank you to all our Tripadvisor reviewers!2022-07-27T12:15:05+00:00

Introducing our Quiet Hour sessions

We want every one of our visitors to have a wonderful time when they visit our sanctuary, with access to all the facilities that they need. We are pleased to announce that we’re introducing a dedicated Quiet Hour session every week.

Our Quiet Hour is a time for people with hidden disabilities and additional needs, such as autism, to enjoy the Haven. The Quiet Hour runs from 9am to 10am on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with the aim of making Monkey Haven more accessible to everyone. Our doors open at 10am to all visitors, and anyone who has come for the Quiet Hour is welcome to stay on for as long as they wish.

Some of our resident monkeys love to sing and can be a bit noisy. We can supply ear defenders to anyone who needs them.

The number of visitors during Quiet hour is limited to 5 groups, with up to 5 members per group. Normal entrance fees apply, with free entry for a carer (please bring appropriate documentation).

Booking is essential as spaces are limited. Please book online.

Introducing our Quiet Hour sessions2022-06-16T11:09:09+00:00

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