Ultrasound finds Trentham monkey is pregnant

Pretty will be the first mum of the season at the sanctuary for the highly endangered monkeys at the Trentham Estate between Stone and Stoke-on-Trent.

The video of the scan shows he baby nestled safely within her womb.

Pretty was visiting the RBB Vets as part of the forest’s breeding programme. She gave birth last summer at the age of eight, the equivalent of around 30 human years – similar to the average first mother's age in the UK.

The team was keen to see whether she was expecting again, so asked for the ultrasound scan to be performed.

Every year, Trentham Monkey Forest aims for between six and10 babies, to prolong the survival of the species that is sadly declining in its native Morocco and Algeria.

There are said to be less than 8,000 Barbary macaques left in the wild and the wild population has decreased by more than 50 per cent in the last 40 years.

Conservationists at the forest aim to educate, inform, and raise awareness for the species, and visits to the park help fund impactful conservation projects and research studies to protect the world’s threatened primates.

The monkeys in Trentham live in the ancient Staffordshire woodland all year round, this preserves the natural behaviours of the primates, potentially facilitating reintroduction to the wild.

Visitors from all over the UK come to visit and see the monkeys in this unique environment and have an immersive monkey experience, particularly in the late spring/early summer when the babies are born.

The babies are born exactly how they are in the wild year-on-year high up in the trees overnight.

Staff at the Monkey Forest were thrilled to hear about Pretty’s healthy growing baby as usually, the first they hear or see of baby news is when a monkey mum carries her new-born bundle down from the trees in the morning when feeding the monkeys breakfast.

Park director Matt Lovatt said: “This is the first time we have ever carried out an ultrasound on one of the Barbary macaques we protect here in Trentham, and we’re elated to discover that she is pregnant.

"With less than 8,000 Barbary macaques remaining in the wild, the new arrivals we hope for each year play a vital role in ensuring that these fascinating primates are around for future generations to see and appreciate.”

Barbary macaques are an endangered species, as classed on the official IUCN Red List.

The primates face several significant threats in their natural habitat but mainly suffer by being taken as babies for the illegal pet trade.

The park is asking for help in guessing the gender of the baby and those that get it right could win a private touR of the 60-acre Monkey Forest when it arrives.

To be in with a chance of winning head to Trentham Monkey Forest’s Facebook post on Mother’s Day and take a guess

To get booked in to visit the baby monkeys in the summer, visit www.monkey-forest.com