Monkey World near our Wareham B&B is a popular choice for our new guests as well as our repeat guests, and it is conveniently located only 7 miles drive away!
Having personally visited this popular Dorset tourist attraction on several occasions, an invitation to visit it again with a friend and her daughter at the beginning of July was warmly accepted.
Its official name is Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre. They do a remarkable job of rescuing and rehabilitating primates from all over the world.
When we arrived in the car there was a large grass and hard standing car park, so parking was very straightforward. The main entrance was about 100 metres from where our car was parked.
There are designated disabled parking spaces if needed. In a few places around the park there are some uneven surfaces. Please refer to their accessibility statement for further information.
To hire a mobility scooter please call Rapid on 01305 759800 or take a look at their website. They deliver and collect the scooters from the rescue centre.
If you would rather take public transport however, the Breezer 31 bus can be caught from Wareham Train Station which is a 5-minute walk from Spurwing Guest House doorstep.
Once inside, there was a comprehensive map of the park right ahead of us and more importantly there was a picnic spot and a small adventure playground. Perfect! We had brought our own food on this occasion, so with a hungry child and adult (who me?) on tow this was our first stop!
Within the Rescue Centre, there are several cafes and kiosks to purchase hot and cold drinks and snacks.
As mentioned earlier, Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre do a remarkable job of rehabilitating primates from all over the world. On their website they strongly remind visitors that it is not a zoo;
‘We would like to remind our visitors that we are a rescue and rehabilitation centre and not a zoo and as such, we do not put our primates on display. Our enclosures are large and have been designed specifically to meet the needs of the primates. Almost all of the primates at the park have been rescued from exploitation, abuse and neglect. Our aim is to rehabilitate them and allow them to live out the remainder of their lives in a safe, happy and healthy environment with others of their own kind.’
Monkey World near our Wareham B&B has over 250 rescued and endangered monkeys and apes within its 65-acre sanctuary. It is also home to Europe’s only orang-utan creche.
A little about its history. It was originally set up in 1987 by Monkey World founder Jim Cronin after he met up with British couple Simon and Peggy Templer in Spain during the 1980’s.
Simon and Peggy were rescuing chimpanzees from beach photographers in Spain. Jim met up with the Templers when he learned about the hundreds of chimpanzees that were being killed and stolen from the wild in Africa and the selfless work the Templers were doing to combat the illegal trade and abuse.
Monkey World started with nine chimps that had been rescued by the Templers. Paddy, Micky, Busta, Jimmy, Sammy, Taffy, Cindy, Beth and Zoe arrived at the Rescue Centre on 13/07/87. At the time of writing this blog, it appears that Micky, Busta, Sammy, Cindy and Beth are still living at Monkey World. Find out about them here: https://monkeyworld.org/our-primates/
As a result, thankfully due to the Templers and Monkey World, there are no longer any chimpanzees being worked as beach photographer’s props in Spain!
At this point of the blog I would also like to add here that I (Steph) visited Borneo in May 2002 as part of a year long adventure across Asia, Australasia and Africa and whilst there, not only did I visit Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre, I also witnessed the devastating effect of deforestation to allow for palm oil plantations, threatening many endangered species including orang-utans.
Wherever possible cafes and kiosks serve food items which are palm oil free. At our Dorset B&B we aim to use products free from palm oil or ones where it is from a sustainable source.
On this current Dorset day out at Monkey World, we did not join a Guided Tour around the park but this is something the Rescue Centre does offer to detail its history and the stories about the primates’ rescues. The tour lasts 1 hour 15 minutes walking through the 65-acre park.
If a tour is not possible for you, at each enclosure within the park, talks are available via video by scanning QR codes. All talks are subtitled. There are also free daily Keeper Talks from 12.30pm – 3.00pm to explain all about our closest relatives.
Information about the Guided Tours and Keeper Talks can be found here: https://monkeyworld.org/visit-the-centre/guided-tours-talks/.
To book a Guided Tour, the number to do so is 01929 401014.
Jim Cronin MBE, founder of Monkey World, sadly passed away on March 17th 2007. In his loving memory, the Jim Cronin Memorial Fund has been established to continue Jim’s legacy and support primate welfare and conservation around the world.
His wife Alison Cronin MBE, Director of Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre, continues to work with foreign governments to stop the illegal smuggling of primates from the wild.
Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre also has the Great Ape Play Area with a large adventure playground, as well as a gift shop for those keen little monkeys amongst us!
For those that watch TV’s Monkey Life, you may have been following the rescues and the day-to-day dramas of the primates for some time. Writing this blog has certainly inspired me to follow.
In the time of writing this, the current opening times for Monkey World near our Wareham B&B are from 10am to 5pm every day, except Christmas Day. Opening is extended to 6pm during July and August. Further contact details and information can be found on the Monkey World website.
Spurwing Guest House is ideally located for visiting Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre, as well as other tourist attractions in Dorset. Here are our 5 Top Tourist Attractions in Dorset within 10 miles.
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