Going South (2): Monkey World

When we first arrived at Monkey World, we were worried a better name for the place might be "Spot The Monkey World". It was a windy, chilly day and despite having large enclosures full of climbing frames, nets and other exciting outdoor toys, most of the chimps were huddled up inside. Fortunately the sun soon came out, and so did the monkeys.

Monkey World is an Ape Rescue Centre dedicated to combating worldwide monkey smuggling and offering rehabilitation to rescued primates. Some of the monkeys here have health problems due to neglect or abuse they suffered in previous captivity and probably wouldn't be able to survive in the wild anymore. At Monkey World they're encouraged to live in natural social groups to aid in their recovery. The centre was founded by the late Jim Cronin who dedicated his life to the conservation and welfare of monkeys everywhere.

Our favourites were the orangutans, particularly Oshine, an older female who suffered weight problems having been fed on a human diet of junk food while being raised illegally as a pet by a family in South Africa. Oshine's social group also a included a younger female orangutan and a tiny toddler. These two squabbled and play-fought like human children, but when the older girl got a little too rough with her young step-brother, Oshine stepped in, took the little one's hand, and walked him away like a mother walking her child to school. I don't really do "sweet", but that was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.

Slightly less sweet was the moment when the young female orangutan hung spread-eagled before us with her ladybits pressed up against the window. We might have found her innocence charming had not the assorted apes on our side of the glass not started clicking away with their camera phones to capture this image for perverted posterity. Still, we can't blame the monkeys for our own vile and disgusting ways. It's at times like these you realise the human race really doesn't deserve this planet... maybe it is time to give it back to the apes.

Holiday Wildlife

I promised you holiday snaps, but things keep delaying me. Here are a few creatures we met on our latest visit to the Lakes...

A family of swans. The young cygnet must be almost fully grown but has yet to develop its adult feathers.

We set out most days to feed the ducks and swans we'd met on previous holidays. Being earlier in the season, many of these were further down the shore in Bowness where the crowds could keep them in bread crumbs all day long. Apart from the family of swans seen in the first picture, we had to settle for feeding cheeky seagulls like the one above.

You can see understand meerkats have become so embraced by the Evil World of Advertising. They are exceedingly cute.

As are these chaps, the ring-tailed lemurs from Madagascar. Another red-ruffed lemur lived with them. Amazingly acrobatic creatures.

A family of zebras had just given birth to a new foal. Sadly they wouldn't let us close enough to the baby for a picture.

Emus in action.

And a brawny bison. OK, I'll come clean. Most of these critters aren't living wild in the Lake District - imagine if they were. We encountered them instead at Trotters World Of Animals in Bassenthwaite. Well worth a visit. While there, I held a python and a blue-tongued skink (no photos, sadly - worried the flash might piss them off!). I declined the chance to hold a tarantula though.

A dancing crane. This fella was a real show-off. We missed the falconry display at Trotters, but were lucky enough to stop off at the Yorkshire Dales Falconry Centre on our way home where met met some very entertaining owls... that's me in the bottom picture with a friendly little barn owl on my arm.

Simon King's Wild Life

Wildlife photographer and TV presenter Simon King has led a very fortunate life. He's done what many of us aspire to - he's lived his dream. Simon's specific dream has always been to study and observe and get as close to the natural world as possible, and he's pursued that goal with a single-minded determination that is admirable. It's true that part of Simon's success is down to knowing the right people - he makes no bones about the fact that his father worked for the BBC and introduced him to many of the contacts that helped forward his career. But I don't think that's the only reason for his success. His talent, dedication, hard work and genuine passion for nature is evident in everything he does.

It's not as though he hasn't had to make sacrifices for his work too. While much of this book involves the thrills and spills of wildlife photography - from being swarmed by killer bees to almost losing a finger to a panicking otter to being attacked by a rabid cheetah and having fire ants bite into your manhood - King also talks movingly about the death of his dad and the end of his first marriage - a clear choice between being a stay-at-home family man and a full time nature-chaser.

"I was one of the luckiest men alive, still am. I reasoned that life would always throw up challenges, and compromises would always have to be made. As long as I was still able to feel the wind on my face and get pleasure from it, I would try to juggle the loves of my life so that none suffered from too great a neglect."

Reading Wild Life, I felt a degree of envy for the life Simon King has led. But not for the sacrifices he's made. As exciting an idea as living amongst lions, elephants or albatross might be, I wouldn't want to give up my home comforts to do it. I'm glad there are people like King who are obsessed with wildlife to such an extent - and that they're happy to share their obsession with us.