Stafford zoo hires Marvin Gaye impersonator to encourage endangered monkeys to “get it on”
nme.comMarvin Gaye impersonator to visit the park this past weekend to encourage a group of endangered monkeys to “get it on”.Trentham Monkey Forest hired Dave Largie – described as “a highly experienced love song guru” – to serenade a group of Barbary macaques in the hope that he could help “boost the monkey love” this mating season.Barbary macaques are native to Algeria and Morocco, but due to deforestation and the illegal pet trade, its population has dwindled in recent decades.
According to UK-based non-profit Barbary Macaque Awareness & Conservation, there are around 8,000 Barbary macaques left in the wild.The falling numbers of Barbary macaques could have wide repercussions throughout the ecosystem, explained Margarita Astrálaga, director of the IUCN Center for Mediterranean Cooperation.“Macaques are vital to disperse seeds in the forest.
Without them, the very composition of the forest would change dramatically. Its disappearance could also affect the economic situation in Morocco as Barbary macaques attract a large number of tourists every year,” Astrálaga said.In order to raise public awareness for the species, Trentham Monkey Forest opened its doors in 2005 to allow people “the opportunity to observe the Barbary macaques in a setting very similar to their natural habitat,” the zoo said on its website.The park has shared a video of Largie singing ‘Let’s Get It On’ – taken from Marvin Gaye’s 1973 album of the same name – at the park as a Barbary macaque wanders around behind him.Over the weekend, Monkey Forest had a VERY SPECIAL GUEST.
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