Rare monkeys 'absolutely loving' new home

Two small rare monkeys are "absolutely loving" their new home at an attraction in Berkshire, one of their handlers has said.

The Goeldi's monkeys, listed as vulnerable on The International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list, have moved into an enclosure in the Amazonica Glasshouse at The Living Rainforest in Hampstead Norreys.

"They're bounding around, they had a little cuddle together, they're doing really well," zoologist Becky Bennett said.

The centre is run by the Trust for Sustainable Living and is home to more than 850 species of animals and plants.

The Goeldi's monkey species is making a return there after almost 30 years.

The Living Rainforest, which features several rare and endangered species, cared for a pair called Sooty and Meeko in 1997.

"They did a breeding programme, they had nine sons," Bennett said.

"Their sons then went on to breed, and then one of their children had Penelope."

Penelope, aged four, is one of the new arrivals, and came from Drusillas Zoo in Sussex. She was joined by five-year-old Isabella from Marwell Zoo, near Winchester.

Sooty and Meeko's offspring helped populate zoos across the UK.

Sooty lived to be the UK's oldest Goeldi's monkey at 28-and-a-half years old, and was one of the oldest in the world.

The species usually lives in dense, bamboo-rich forests in the Amazon but has lost many of its rainforest homes due to logging and farming.

They are also hunted for the illegal pet trade.

Bennett described the monkeys, which live on a diet of fruit, insects and mushrooms, as "very social".

"They will go in large groups - they're called troops - and they will bond together and basically do everything together," she said.

"So they will look out for danger together, they will huddle up at night together, and they're very close, so especially these two got on really well.

"They've been having a lot of cuddles which is really cute."