Stonehenge
Monkeys at Longleat. Photo by Ian Turner
It might be raining a lot this month but the downpours in Wiltshire are good news for a troop of monkeys at Longleat Safari & Adventure Park.
The rhesus monkeys have been making the most of the wet weather and are having great fun in the puddles.
For the younger monkeys it a great chance to splash around and experience new activities created by this temporary new play area but for the older ones it’s a chance to improve their self awareness because the reflections from the water act like a mirror.
Ian Turner, Longleat’s deputy head keeper, said “Watching them jumping about in the puddles and even throwing stones and other objects into the water to see how big a splash they can make has been great. It’s obvious they genuinely enjoy themselves, even if the rest of us are finding the rain less entertaining.”
“I was particularly interested to observe them watching their own reflections in the water – they seemed to be captivated by their own image and it really brings home how intelligent they are,” he added.
