Wild Futures aims to celebrate UK wildlife and to encourage a passion and understanding o the importance of caring for our wonderful environment. Based at The Monkey Sanctuary, our charity manages the 10 acres for local conservation. Although renowned for our conservation and welfare work with non-human primates, we believe it is equally important to care for the plants and animals that are native to our landscape as well. The charity is fortunate to have several rare species of butterfly, bat, reptiles and small mammals living within our grounds at the sanctuary. The sanctuary is open to the public and receives around 30,000 visitors per year, including both educational and academic groups.
The site is situated on south-facing coastal slopes with a mosaic of habitats. These habitats vary from bare ground and coastal scrub to sycamore woodland, summer and spring meadows, ponds and open areas for formal gardens, monkey enclosures and buildings. The diversity of habitats attracts many common and rarer species making the sanctuary significant for conservation on both a local and national level. It has been designated one of Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s wildlife sites as well as winning wildlife garden and sustainability awards. As well as nationally rare species such as the Pearl Bordered Fritillary and Lesser Horseshoe Bat, the sanctuary is also home to many other fascinating species of owls, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and birds.
Thanks to Naturesave Trust Wild Futures have installed a live remote control camera in the Sanctuary cellar, home to a roost of rare Lesser Horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros). Taking expert advice, they also improved the roost habitat, including providing heating. Visitors to Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary can manipulate the camera with a joy-stick in the Wildlife Room which is dedicated to celebrating the native wildlife of the area. This enables them to find and zoom in on the bats in the Sanctuary cellar. A variety of signs and information, about the bats and the environment the charity has created to sustain them, have been erected in the room and in the wildlife gardens.
Find out more here.