Alison Cronin

Last updated

Alison Cronin

MBE
Born
Alison Lorraine Ames

September 1966 (age 57)
United States
Occupation(s)Zookeeper, primate behavioural expert
Known forMonkey World
Spouse
(m. 1996;died 2007)

Alison Lorraine Cronin, MBE (born September 1966) is the American director of Monkey World in Dorset, England, a sanctuary for abused and neglected primates. She is widely acknowledged as an international expert in the rescue and rehabilitation of abused primates, and in the enforcement of international treaties aimed at protecting them from illegal trade and experimentation. [1]

Contents

Cronin was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2006 for Services to Animal Welfare along with her husband as well as for founding the Endangered Asian Species Trust. [1]

Early life and career

Cronin was born in September 1966 as Alison Lorraine Ames in San Diego, California. [2] She studied biological anthropology at Cambridge University. It was while she was living in the UK that she met Jim Cronin at Monkey World in 1993. They married in 1996. They were joint directors of Monkey World. After her husband died, Cronin continued running the site and working against animal smuggling and the pet trade. [3] [4]

Cronin became known through the television series Monkey Business (made by Meridian Broadcasting and shown on ITV Meridian in the UK and on Animal Planet worldwide) which has documented the frequent rescue missions and undercover investigations throughout Europe and Asia. The show began in 1998 with Monkey Business which was then replaced with Monkey Life in 2007. It covers the low and high-profile rescues, one of the most dramatic being in January 2008 when Cronin led a huge rescue of 88 Capuchin monkeys from Chile. [5]

In 2008, Cronin led the creation of the Dao Tien Endangered Primate Rescue Centre located in Cát Tiên National Park, Southern Vietnam which is a rescue, rehabilitation, and release centre focusing on golden-cheeked gibbons, black-shanked douc langurs, silvered langurs, and pygmy loris. [6] Cronin has written on primates as well as fought to get legislation changed to protect the primates. [7] [8]

In 2018, Cronin was awarded an honorary degree from Oxford Brookes University for her work. [9]

Related Research Articles

The Monkey Sanctuary was founded in 1964 by Len Williams, father of classical guitarist John Williams, as a cooperative to care for rescued woolly monkeys. Based in Looe, Cornwall, England, the sanctuary is home to woolly monkeys that are descended from the original rescued pets, a growing number of capuchin monkeys rescued from the current UK pet trade, and a small group of rescued Barbary macaques. The monkeys live in large enclosures that the general public can view during the Sanctuary's open season in the summer months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-bellied capuchin</span> Species of New World monkey

The golden-bellied capuchin, also known as the yellow-breasted or buff-headed capuchin, is a species of New World or neotropical monkey. It lives mainly in trees and are omnivorous, eating a wide variety of both plant and animals as food. Golden-bellied capuchin normal home range is in the Atlantic forest of Brazil and it is critically endangered due to forest fragmentation and habitat loss mainly due to agriculture, there are currently efforts to protect them by the local government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cát Tiên National Park</span> National park in Vietnam

Cát Tiên National Park is a national park located in the south of Vietnam, in the provinces of Đồng Nai, Bình Phước and Lâm Đồng. It is approximately 150 km north of Ho Chi Minh City. It has an area of about 720 km2 and protects one of the largest areas of lowland tropical forests left in Vietnam. Since 2011, Cát Tiên National Park has been a part of Đồng Nai Biosphere Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monkey World</span> Zoo in Dorset, England

The Monkey World Ape Rescue Centre is a 65-acre (26.3 ha) ape and monkey sanctuary, rescue centre and primatarium near Wool, Dorset, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pig-tailed langur</span> Species of Old World monkey

The pig-tailed langur, monotypic in genus Simias, is a large Old World monkey, endemic to several small islands off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Its face is black, its fur is black-brown and it has a relatively short tail. It is a diurnal species, feeding in the rainforest canopy on leaves, and to a lesser extent, fruit and berries. Little is known of its natural history, but it is heavily hunted, its populations have been declining rapidly and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "critically endangered". It has been included on a list of the World's 25 Most Endangered Primates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apenheul Primate Park</span> Ape and monkey focused zoo in Apeldoorn Netherlands

Apenheul Primate Park is a zoo in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. It specializes in apes and monkeys. It opened in 1971 and was the first zoo in the world where monkeys could walk around freely in the forest and between the visitors. It started with just a few species, now it displays more than 30 different primates, among them bonobo, gorilla and orangutan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Cronin (zookeeper)</span> American zookeeper

James Michael Cronin MBE was the American co-founder in 1987 of Monkey World in Dorset, England, a sanctuary for abused and neglected primates. He was widely acknowledged as an international expert in the rescue and rehabilitation of abused primates, and in the enforcement of international treaties aimed at protecting them from illegal trade and experimentation.

The International Primate Protection League (IPPL) is a not-for-profit animal welfare organization founded in 1973 in Thailand by Shirley McGreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi</span> Bolivian NGO focused on wildlife rights and rescue

Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi (CIWY) is a Bolivian non-governmental organization dedicated to environmental education and the care of sick, mistreated and abandoned wildlife. It is the country's largest destination for confiscated wildlife and currently cares for around 500 animals, most of them rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal Defenders International</span>

Animal Defenders International (ADI), founded 1990, has offices in US, UK, Colombia, Peru and South Africa; education and public awareness campaigns to protect animals in captivity and wild animals and their environments. ADI 's campaigns focus on animals used in entertainment, sport, for clothing; illegal wildlife trade; and replacement of animals used in research and testing. ADI collaborates with governments on large-scale international rescues of wild animals following legislation to end animal circuses, illegal animal trafficking. ADI owns and operates the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa, home to nearly 40 ex-circus lions and tigers from Peru, Colombia and Guatemala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-thighed surili</span> Species of Old World monkey

The white-thighed surili is a species of primate from the family of old world monkeys (Cercopithecidae). This species lives arboreal amongst the sub-montane forests. It is endemic to the Thai-Malay Peninsula, the Riau Archipelago and Sumatra. In addition, the white-thighed surili contain four subspecies: siamensis (nominate), cana, paenulata and rhionis, are recognized here. Furthermore, they are characterized by the white patches located on the outside of their legs, which is what gives them their name. Additionally, they can be referred to as pale-thighed langur/surili. These primates are an important species for the diversity of forest environments in the Malaysian area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molly Badham</span>

Molly Winifred Badham MBE was a co-founder of Twycross Zoo. She trained the chimpanzees who appeared on the Brooke Bond PG Tips television advertisements in the 1960s to the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germain's langur</span> Species of Old World monkey

Germain's langur is an Old World monkey native to Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The monkey was previously included in Trachypithecus cristatus and Trachypithecus villosus.

Ethnoprimatology is the study of human and non-human primate interactions. Ethnoprimatology is a discourse aimed at an anthropological holistic understanding of non-human primates. Human cultures worldwide have deep-rooted, primordial connections with non-human primates. Non-human primates play key roles in creation stories of many societies and often depict the direct relationship between non-human primates and humans.

<i>Monkey Life</i> British TV series or programme

Monkey Life is a TV series based on the work of the largest monkey and ape rescue centre/sanctuary in the world: Monkey World in Dorset, United Kingdom. The series is a follow-on from the original ITV series Monkey Business, and shows the day-to-day work and troubles of the staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Animal Rescue</span> Animal protection and conservation non-profit organisation

International Animal Rescue (IAR) is an animal protection and conservation non-profit organisation that comes to the aid of suffering animals with hands-on rescue and rehabilitation and the protection of wildlife habitats. IAR returns rehabilitated animals to the wild while also providing permanent sanctuary for those that cannot fend for themselves. Its work includes cutting free and caring for captive bears in India and Armenia, rescuing and rehabilitating orangutans and other primates in Indonesia and treating injured and orphaned howler monkeys in Costa Rica. IAR strives to educate the public in the humane treatment of all animals and the preservation of the natural environment. International Animal Rescue has offices in the United Kingdom, United States, India, Indonesia and Malta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damian Aspinall</span> English businessman and conservationist

John Damian Androcles Aspinall is an English businessman and conservationist. He has raised and released a number of zoo-bred lowland gorillas in Gabon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western purple-faced langur</span> Subspecies of Old World monkey

The western purple-faced langur, also known as the north lowland wetzone purple-faced langur, is a subspecies of purple-faced langur endemic to Sri Lanka. It lives in the wet zone in western Sri Lanka around the former capital city of Colombo. This subspecies are known to live in tropical rainforest, specifically in an area of Sri Lanka, where it is noted to rain two times more compared to the neighboring region. The subspecies is generally gray-brown with lighter whiskers, a gray rump patch, and dark forearms and legs. These monkeys also have dark brown or black, hairless faces. Their hands and feet are also hairless. When infants, their fur is medium brown to light gray, however it changes to their darker adult colors at between 12 and 16 weeks old. Typical length is between 48 and 67 centimetres excluding tail, with a 59 to 85 centimetres tail. On average, males weigh 8.5 kilograms (19 lb) and females weigh 7.8 kilograms (17 lb). Their average life span is about 26 years if the monkey was held in captivity. Due to their leafy diet, the western purple-faced langur back teeth, include high crowns and pointed cusps to make eating through greenery simpler. They also developed a digestive system that would allow them to break down cellulose in the leaves they eat. Although, leaves are their primary source of food, they also eat fruits and flowers. Female langurs hold a pregnancy for 195–210 days, and after the birth the offsprings are taken closely cared for by the mother until they are about 12–20 weeks old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary</span> Privately owned primate rehabilitation centre

Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary is a privately owned multi-species primate rehabilitation centre situated in the foothills and gorges of the Magaliesberg mountain range, close to Hartbeespoort Dam in the North West Province of South Africa.

Endangered Primate Rescue Center is located in Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh province, in Vietnam's Red River Delta. 

References

  1. 1 2 "Huge recognition for owner of Monkey World". August 25, 2018.
  2. ltd, company check. "DR ALISON LORRAINE CRONIN director information. Free director information. Director id 911101463". Company Check.
  3. "London Calling". Mack's Craic. October 6, 2016.
  4. Hevesi, Dennis. "Jim Cronin, Foe of Illegal Trade in Primates, Dies at 55".
  5. "Monkey World's Capuchins".
  6. "Monkey World - Ape Rescue Center". pin.primate.wisc.edu.
  7. Alison Cronin (2002). The Old Man of the Forest. Creative Characters Partnership. ISBN   978-1-902857-06-0.
  8. Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (June 10, 2014). HC 984 - Primates as Pets. The Stationery Office. pp. 32–. ISBN   978-0-215-07288-7.
  9. "Conservationists of the built and natural world to receive honorary degrees - Oxford Brookes University". www.brookes.ac.uk. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2018.