SANCTUARY  Monkey World Karin Karcher (GAP-International)  In April, I accompanied a SPIEGEL TV team to the Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre in Dorset, UK. Monkey World (MW) is a highly practical response to the immediate problems of individual great apes.  MW was started ten years ago by an American, Jim Cronin. At that time, an estimated 200 chimpanzees were being forced by photographers to pose with tourists on the beaches of Southern Spain. Today, Jim and his wife Alison know of only one.

Photo of AMY by Alison Cronin, Monkey World - Ape Rescue Centre

There are now 44 chimpanzees and two orang-utans - over 100 primates altogether. The chimpanzees live in four groups of five to 23 members. MW is continually expanding, and has recently been asked to rescue 15 more chimpanzees in five different countries.

Jim had previously worked at a zoo, especially with primates. Alison is a specialist in ape and bear behaviour. She has a Masters degree in biological anthropology and will soon complete a PhD in behavioural anthropology. The Cronins and two of the nine keepers live at MW. Other members of the staff of 20 run the office and facilities.

MW operates on a commercial basis, and is open to the public. It has a restaurant and shop, plus a children's playground and other attractions. It is financed by entrance fees and donations, and by contributions from people who 'adopt' individual chimpanzees or other residents. There are about 180,000 visitors a year. Annual running costs for the whole facility are over £300,000.

Jim and Alison have been very successful in establishing stable groups of chimpanzees, who have come from various parts of the world and have completely different backgrounds and personal histories. It is often said to be impossible to bring together so many victims of years of neglect and abuse. The Cronins have shown that, with the necessary commitment and knowledge, and by treating the chimpanzees as individuals, this can be done. They put a lot of energy into trying to find out what newcomers are like, and seeing which group might suit them best. Having five groups gives them a chance to try out various options. Jim puts it this way: "You can't expect them to like each other just because they are all chimpanzees. You have to take them on their own terms."

One of the Cronins' goals is to make the chimpanzees as independent of humans as possible. The only extensive personal contact is between babies in the Nursery and Jeremy Keeling, MW's Animal Manager. He enters their enclosure to feed and play with them, but withdraws as soon as one of the baby chimps or their surrogate chimpanzee mother, Sally, tries to make him an ally in conflicts. It is MW policy that no keeper should become important to the  chimpanzees. The keepers do not live with them, and thus should not acquire a role within the group. The groups' social life should remain within their own community.

The Cronins and their staff are constantly looking for ways of pleasing the chimpanzees, and of keeping them occupied. During the winter, the chimpanzees were obviously fascinated by the ice covering the pond in one of the enclosures. They took it out of the pond, carried it around, licked it and played with it. Now the keepers make huge 2-3 litre ice cubes for them throughout the year. Locked inside the ice may be an orange, or seeds or vegetable leaves; whatever the chimpanzees would like to find there.

Many chimpanzees who arrive at MW have been socialized by humans, and obviously do not see themselves as chimpanzees. This creates great difficulties in the integration of newcomers into existing groups.