Monkey Life (TV Series)

Monkey Life is an ongoing television series which features the day-to-day goings at Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre siutated in the countryside of Dorset in England and the many primates that reside there. The TV show was created in 2006 by Primate Productions which replaced Monkey Business and is narrated by Andy Serkis for the first series released featuring the all the episodes until the death of Jim Cronin and the following series is narrated by Ralph Little. Monkey Life has released 4 series which have captivated the world on the amazing work done at Monkey World for the rescue and rehabilitation of the primates which call it home.

Human Elements

At the series we watch as Jim and Alison Cronin (founders of Monkey World) travel to Hungary to rescue a 20 year old stump-tailed macaque called KoKo who had lived in a small cage at a pet shop all her life. Ko Ko is successfully transported to the UK and rehomed and rehabilitated at Monkey World. Jim and Alison also travel to Cancun, Mexico to rescue a three year old male chimpanzee called Bryan. During their visit they also get an update on another chimpanzee, called Coco, being used for the tourist industry which Bryan was also a victim of. They are not able to track down Coco but successfully transported Bryan to Monkey World. While still in Mexico, Jim gets his wish of having the opportunity to release wild baby turtiles back to the ocean.

We see the Primate Care Staff prepare daily enrichment activities for the primates. Jim checks up on his favourite primate, chimpanzee Charlie who, after going through a dental operation, was being picked on by the other chimps in the Bachelor pad.

We are informed of the sad death of Jim Cronin who lost is battle against liver cancer and the last episode of this series features how he founded Monkey World which today is a thriving sanctuary for primates rescued from all over the world.

Primates

Chimpanzees

Bryan, a three year old male chimpanzee was rescued from Cancun, Mexico where he had been given temporary refuge at a Mexican zoo called Xcaret after being confiscated by a beach photographer who used him as a prop and knocked all but four of his baby teeth out. Bryan arrives at Monkey World and has a slow integration to the Nursery Group, where he meets Sally and the rest of the group, including rambunctious Seamus who tended to bullying and intimidating the newcomer. Bryan undergoes a dental check up which reveals the serve mistreatment he received. He then gets a helping hand from Animal Manger Jeremy Keeling to acclimatise to his new surroundings and meats a painful and important lesson regarding the electric fence.

At Paddy's Group, Jimmy had a nasty leg wound which became worse enough to expose the bone which could have led to a necessary leg amputation. Animal Manger Jeremy puts his safety on the line to go in with Jimmy, a fully grown and powerful male chimpanzee. He manages to gain his trust. Jimmy was ousted from Paddy's group and moved in with the Bachelor Boys.

At the Nursery Group, Seamus starts to bully and intimidate newcomer Bryan, who looks to Sally to support. Bryan learns a painful lesson about the electric fence.

At Paddy's Group, Eddi is growing up and not finding it easy to get her way anymore. As she grows, she reaches maturity and has the first dose of the contraceptive pill. Also, Susie is showing signs of being pregnant, so how would Eddi cope with having a new brother or sister?

At Hananya's Group, Patricia struggles to get comfortable around the presence of alpha male Hananya.

At Nursery Group, Rodders gets a dental check up for a broken tooth.

At Paddy's Group, Susie gives birth to her second baby, Bart.

At Hananya's Group, Johni settles in well and shows ambitions of becoming a high-ranking female.

At the Nursery Group, Seamus boisterous behaviour moves him out of the nursery and to the Bachelor Boys.

At the Bachelor Group, Seamus meets his old friend from the Nursery, Turkish Carlie, Paco and Spanish Charlie.

At the Nursery Group, Rodders has a run-in with a sticky melon.

At Paddy's Group, Bart is developing well under his mother Susie and the whole group's care.

At Hananya's Group, alpha male Hananya is finally starting to show signs of leading his 18-strong group.

At the Bachelor Group, Seamus meets alpha male Butch.

At Paddy's Group, the chimpanzees go 'banana fishing' for frozen bananas.

At the Nursery Group, Ben and Pip move out to join Hananya's adult group.

At Hananya's Group, Ben and Pip meet alpha male Hananya, who attacks Ben frequently.

At the Bachelor Group, Paco is rising up the ranks and becoming a threat to alpha male Butch.

At Paddy's Group, Paddy is still very much in charge of his group.

At the Bachelor Group, Charlie's condition deteriorates and he passes away.

Orang-utans

RoRo gives birth to her second baby, Dinda, whom she is unable to care for and Dinda is hand-reared. Keeper Mike travels to Moscow Zoo in RUssia to rehome an orphan baby named Joly to the park's orang-utan Creche and animal manager Jeremy travels to France to rescue a baby named Lingga to be rehomed at Monkey World. Gordon reaches maturity and he and big male Tuan do not tolerate each other's presence. Gordon now leads his own small group consisting of Hsiao-Quai, her son Kai and Hsiao-Lan. At Tuan's group, Amy is pregnant and gives birth to a baby which dies overnight. Hsiao-Quai is pregnant for the second time and gives birth to her second son, Jin. At the nursery, Aris is moved to Gordon's adult group but encounters an injury which requires surgery evaluation and Aris died following some kind of stroke after the knee operation. A-Mei and the Nursery youngsters move to a new custom-built orang-utan nursery.

Golden-Cheeked Gibbons

There's an 'ape wife swap' as male Jake meets female Zoey and male Rafael meets female Alex, whom he attacks during an introduction which went badly wrong. Zoey and Jake pair wonderfully and Zoey gave birth to their first infant, Kim. Peanut, Pung-Yo and their son Tien move to a new enclosure and Peanut gives birth to her second infant, Tia Nang.

Mueller's Gibbons

Adidas and Dalumie get accustomed to their new enclosure.

Capuchin Monkeys

The park rescues 88 capuchins from a laboratory in Chile, South America. The 88 are mixed with the parks already residents, Tom Terri, TJ and Gismo. Terri moves in with the 66 Chilean females while Tom and Gismo successfully move in the 22 Chilean males. TJ could not integrate into the male group and was moved in with one of the female groups, Amy's Group. Monkey World Director Alison Cronin and Animal Manger Jeremy Keeling travel to a region in England to rehome two pet capuchins, Cesaire and Fibi, who move in the park's capuchins. Tom sadly passes away from kidney failure. Alison and Jeremy travel to Spain to rescue two female pet capuchins, Babe and Amy.

Stump-tailed Macaques

KoKo was rescued from a pet shop in Hungary and once at the park meets Gerald, an old male stumpy. KoKo gets pampered and accustomed to her enclosure as a test of her mobility after years of being overweight.

Ring-tailed Lemurs

Dr. Alison Cronin (the director of Monkey World) rescues a female pet ring-tailed lemur called Kaiyah, who settles in well with the other ring-tails at the park's Malagasy enclosure where Kaiyah meets the dominant female Fennel and the 8 males.

Woolly Monkeys

In Levar's Group, Piquita gives birth to her first baby boy, named Raoul and Kuna gives birth to her third baby boy, Diego whom she is unable to care for properly. Paulo (Kuna's second baby) who was hand-reared, moves to the other woolly monkey group at the park, Bueno's Group. At Bueno's Group, Yarima cares for her daughrr Inca very well and shows sighns of pregnancy again. At Levar's Group, tragedy strikes as Piquita's baby Raoul was found lying on the floor of an ajoining tunnel half paralised from a fall and despite expert care at the veterinery hospital, passes away. Piquita gives birth to her seond baby, a girl named Ayla(though not mentioned).