Stay In Staffs: Monkey Forest to welcome millionth visitor
STAFF at Trentham Monkey Forest are expecting to welcome their millionth visitor to the park this summer.
The attraction which opened in 2005 is exceeding all expectations, and now preparations are being put into place to help make the occasion special for both the park and the lucky visitor.
Set over 60 acres of forest, the park has 140 Barbary macaques split into two big groups.
It attracts around 220,000 visitors a year and early indications show the milestone customer could arrive during the school holidays.
Manager Matt Lovatt said: "It is a big marker for us because we only opened four years ago and to reach a million visitors already will be great.
"Everyone is very happy things are going so well.
"I think we make such a great day out because not only are we well-positioned in the Midlands, but we are unlike any other animal park.
"We have one of the largest enclosures in Europe and it is quite an amazing site for the number of primates we have got.
"It offers people a really exciting chance to see monkeys in their own environment."
Like with most other tourist attractions, visitor numbers soar during the summer holidays but numbers are also high after the announcement of new arrivals.
The park typically has between six and 10 babies born each year.
Females usually give birth during the night or in the early hours of the morning, so staff need have to keep their eyes peeled when they turn up for work during spring and early summer months.
Five have been born so far this year and they are now wowing guests both young and old as they begin exploring their habitat.
Mr Lovatt, aged 26, who lives in Alsager, said: "The babies are coming up to two and three months old now and are starting to become a lot more active.
"You can see them going through the bushes and learning social skills and how to play with other monkeys."
When the busy period hits, more seasonal workers are taken on and during the school holidays the park has 12 or 13 guides on duty.
They are responsible for scattering food such as fruit, vegetables and seeds for the monkeys to forage for, and also host feeding talks at intervals throughout the day. These give visitors an idea of what the monkeys in the park eat and often gives them the chance to see some interesting behaviour going on.
During summer months, the presentations have been known to attract around 300 people at any one time.
Each guide is also given a section of the park to patrol and be on hand for questions from the public.
The staff come from various different backgrounds and are given information sheets that they must learn before their first day.
Senior guide Anna Smith, who has been at the park since it opened, said: "You have to be very confident, a people person and someone who is approachable.
"We get some interesting and some silly questions and they come from customers of all ages.
"The biggest question is always about their bottoms and why they are different."
Staff at the park, like the customers, get to see all different types of behaviour from the monkeys and find that people make return visits to see their favourites.
Miss Smith, aged 27, who lives in Newcastle, said: "We have quite a few customers that come back year after year.
"The babies are definitely a big draw and people like to come back to see how they are growing up."
She added: "I think we are a great attraction, especially for the kids because they love coming in and seeing the monkeys roaming around.
"We're expecting a busy summer, especially if we get nice weather and are very excited about the possibility of getting our millionth customer.
"We'll make it very special for whoever he or she is."
More places to go to in Staffordshire:
Newcastle Borough Museum & Art Gallery
Stay In Staffs: World class Wedgwood museum is right on doorstep
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