Visitors to the only place in the UK where visitors can walk amongst free roaming monkeys are currently being treated to an annual highlight… baby season.
Hot on the heels of the first newborns of 2025 at Trentham Monkey Forest last month, the Staffordshire attraction has now proudly announced the arrival of five more.
That takes the baby tally to eight so far this summer at one of the country’s more unusual visitor attractions, which offers close encounters with 140 Barbary macaques living as they would in the wild.
Set in a 60-acre woodland, on the edge of Stoke-on-Trent, the Monkey Forest also plays a major worldwide role in the conservation of this threatened species – and every birth contributes towards that goal.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the attraction opening its doors to visitors, and during that time over 170 baby Barbary macaques have been born there.
And this year’s baby season – which usually lasts from May to August – has added to the monkey maternity milestone, with the potential of still more to come. Typically, the park sees six to 10 newborns annually.
Born high up in the trees at night, visitors get their first peek of them as a tiny bundle clinging on to the stomach of their mothers, before they take their first steps and explore the forest.
It is also the time of year when the previous year’s juveniles start to find their feet, providing some stunning photo opportunities.
A highly endangered species, there are fewer than 8,000 thought to still be roaming in the wild; and, as the UK’s largest primate enclosure, Trentham Monkey Forest works closely with nature organisations to support conservation projects.
For more details about Trentham Monkey Forest, see www.monkey-forest.com
General tourist information on Stoke-on-Trent and The Potteries can be found at www.visitstoke.co.uk
For more on the attraction’s anniversary celebrations this summer featuring a Birthday Bonanza event on 19 July 2025, including 20% off tickets and special activities, see our news story here.
Photos: Trentham Monkey Forest