Since i haven't seen this mentioned here yet, I thought i'd just see if anyone has actually visited it and what their thoughts are on it. Taken from the official website .: www.monkey-forest.com :./ Welcome to Monkey Forest at Trentham in Staffordshire Experience this unique opportunity to visit 'Monkey Forest' an exciting walk amongst 140 free roaming Barbary macaques. You will be able to discover this amazing species as they exhibit their natural behaviour with no bars or cages to hinder your view. Freedom ! At Monkey Forest the Barbary Macaques roam freely in a 60-acre forest. As you enter the park you will feel privileged to observe the monkeys living in their fascinating society as they would in the wild . Trentham Estate woodland is situated on a beautiful site, but it is the relaxed atmosphere of the monkeys that strike the visitors straight away. That's how it should be! Here, the animals reign supreme! They have large home ranges and will play, pose for pictures, interact with each other, and climb trees right in front of your eyes … and cameras! A unique experience in a unique setting! Since I live about 15 minutes away from here, I have visited fairly frequently since it's opening. I've found it to be a change from the "zoo scene" and it's a relaxing walk in parts, although it can get busy during the peak season.
For the cost of it to see 1 species of primate i find it a joke,i would rather drive a bit further and pay to go round Blackbrook which at least has a bit of every thing their,finaly having done Alpenhaul in Holland all other walk through primate exhibits just don`t get any where near the experience you get their.
yeah, the cost can be a bit much (i've only ever been with a group) but i have yet to visit Apenhaul (I seriously intend to however) so i have nothing to compare it to.
Well worth a visit if you like primates you will love but expect a few surprises with other mammals when i visited they had a pair of Musk Ox in with the Barbary Macaques but these have now left.
I think that the Monkey Forest is good value for money for 99% of the British public. For hardcore zoo enthusiasts its no good - especially if you have a 'postage stamp' mentality (that includes me so nothing wrong in that). But I like it - its something a bit different and unique in the UK don't forget; by far the vast majority of folk through those gates do not have the experience of Apenheul to compare. Its tastefully and solidly designed, gives the visitors the thrill of potential contact with monkeys (lets face it - everyone wants to play with a monkey) and does good conservation work. For a couple of hours I think that's a fiver well spent. You are not paying to see a 'collection' and the place in no way give the visitor this impression. The only 'joke' is on you, David, if you've read wrongly or have false expectations! I agree with your praise of Apenheul though!
Can someone just explain Apenhaul to me with a bit more detail? I've only ever heard the tiniest amount of info about it and seen the odd exhibit on zoolex. But from what i've heard it seems good and i want to know whether it is worth going to see it.
The collection at Apenheul is a good one. Not that it has a particularly large number of species (though it is one that rivals many more traditional zoos), but those that it does maintain it keeps in numbers and pretty much all of them seem to be in perfect breeding conditions. The enclosures are all open - either on islands or hot-wired. There is a massive colony of squirrel monkeys (I seem to recall a figure of 300 noted somewhere) that are free to interact with the visitors (without, I might add, an attendant member of staff which is required by law in the UK). Other walk-through enclosures include one for Barbary Macaques and one for Lemurs. Callitrichids, White-faced Sakis and Red Titis are also in free-contact areas of the zoo. The Orangutan House is outstanding with very high indoor enclosures and narrow but well-branched islands outside. Bonobos and Gorillas (which are mixed with Patas Monkeys) are also on Islands with indoor viewing available. The place is located in a wood and the only really open space is some of the islands and the macaque enclosure. Highlights amongst the inventory are: Sclater's Lemur Yellow-breasted Capuchin Black Howler Red-bellied Lemur Woolly Monkey Lion-tailed Macaque Sifakas seem to have arrived since my last visit a couple of years ago.
Monkey forest is fantastic for those who want to stop and really watch a species behaving fairly naturally and socialising in a large unit, rather than just see a visual representation of a wild animal but with much of its normal behaviour and social structure removed. Does anybody know what happened to the monkey haven/ heaven on the Isle of Wight? It was scheduled to open this year, and house many of the surplus bachelor primates currently in the UK zoo population.....its website disappeared some time ago.
If you like Primates, it is well worth a visit. It has possibly the best Ape and Monkey enclosures I've seen anywhere and everything is displayed in an attractive environment with innovative designs. If you feel the need to also visit a larger, broader mainstream collection, Arnhem(Burgher's) Zoo is only 'down the road' about 20 miles away.
I went to Monkey Forest last year with my cousin and his 12 year old daughter. She thought it was the best place she'd ever been to. Now she's 13 she thinks Chester Zoo is the best place she's ever been to, they have kangaroos which is her latest interest. It is a great place for people who want to see monkey behaving as they do in the wild, and it's probably cheaper than visiting Gibraltar. Although I enjoyed my visit (of about 2 hours), it's not somewhere I would go to regularly, I find Blackbrook to be far more interesting.
I think that's the problem - it's a pleasant enough stroll for an hour or two but I can't imagine people wanting to go back again and again as it is unlikely to change. These sorts of places can survive OK in a tourist area with high numbers of people passing through, but I wouldn't exactly class Stoke-on-Trent as touristy! NOTE - Living Coasts is a classic example of this type of attraction - unchanging, though excellent in my opinion - and even they are struggling.
i think living coasts is struggling visitor wise because of ongoing work on the harbour surrounding the facility, which is keeping visitors away at the moment, this is according to the 2006 annual report on the paignton zoo website.
I think this is the problem really that no one is going to travel miles just to visit this place, and that it would probaly have to be in an area which has loads of tourists visiting.
I believe there are two or three older established 'monkey forests' in Germany and France which also contain large numbers of the same single species- Barbary Apes(macaques) Presumably the English one was copied from these for some reason.
CZJimmy, you are correct. Two years ago Trentham Gardens announced a proposal to build a parrot rescue centre, including the biggest walk through aviary in Europe. The idea was scrapped and rumours suggest Monkey Forest had an agreement that no other animal attraction would exist at Trentham. If this is true it is strange that they have raised no objections to a butterfly house.
Ah yes, I remember the Parrot aviary rumours quite well. I was getting quite excited about it as well, but i'd forgotten about it recently. Bongorob, do you remember the old animal sections at trentham gardens? I've heard about them containing a variety of primates and some other animals as well, but I was too young to remember them.
No, but I remember some aviaries in the stable block, white eared pheasants were one species I saw, this would be about 1982 or 1983 I think.
We kept a few animals there in the early 90's. Mainly birds of prey, and if I remember a red fox. We left in 92. Believe someone then moved in and kept primates then left too. The court yard is now derelict. Monkey forest do indeed have a contact meaning Trentham cannot have any other animals attractions there.
I really enjoy Monkey Forest and have been a few times. Granted I live locally and don't have to put myself out to go there. Trentham Gardens, which is next door has revamped itself, so I combine some retail therapy at the same time. The thing I enjoy so much about the Forest is that the monkeys are loose and we are the intruders. Everytime I go, there always seem to be babies about. Which are immensley adorable. And it's quite amusing to sit on a wooden bench and be joined by a couple of monkeys. I've never touched one and your advised not to. And when you see them fighting, you wouldn't want to anyway. It is a good few hours well spent. But unless you are a monkey loonatic, probably not worth a journey of many miles, unless your visiting Stoke on Trent. And to the person who wrote that Stoke isn't very touristy. Shame on you. There is loads to do here. And remember Alton Towers is just up the road!!! Fiona.
