Monkey Game Goes Nuts for Stephen Fry

Wild Futures, a primate conservation and rescue charity, has released an app and online game to launch their latest campaign film starring Stephen Fry, in which players aim to move a nut through a maze in the fastest time and beat the ‘scores’ of monkeys at The Monkey Sanctuary in Looe, Cornwall.

The game is based on the type of puzzle feeders given to monkeys at The Monkey Sanctuary, the flagship project of Wild Futures, which are used as enrichment to keep the monkeys stimulated and active.  Players have to use their fingers, just as the monkeys would, to move different nuts through a variety of mazes in the fastest time possible.  Players can challenge their friends on facebook and see how their scores compare to those of the monkeys at the Sanctuary.

Monkey Keeper Claire Turnbull explained: “Many of the monkeys that we rescue arrive at the Sanctuary performing strange behaviours, which are a result of psychological problems due to living in poor conditions as pet. The use of enrichment such as puzzle feeders is a key part of the rehabilitation process and through this we see a vast reduction in these unhealthy behaviours.”

The game also features the recent film release by the charity starring Stephen Fry, which tells the story of Joey, a capuchin monkey, who was stolen from the wild as a baby and kept in a tiny cage in a London flat for 9 years, before being rescued by Wild Futures.  The charity hopes the film, made by Environment Films, will educate the public about the trade in primates as pets and encourage people to donate through its ‘Adopt a Monkey’ scheme. Stephen Fry has adopted Joey himself and states: “Taking part in this project was important to me and I sincerely hope that many people are moved to support Wild Futures’ work, so that the charity can campaign to put an end to the trade and rescue more monkeys in need.”

The game is being given away for free by the charity and is available on the iPhone and Android stores, and can be played online via facebook or the Wild Futures website.

The company behind the game, Elixel, who are based in Plymouth, produced the game for free to support the charity. It is not the first time the two organisations have crossed paths.  As a group of students at Plymouth University, the team produced a platform game for Wild Futures, featuring another of the Sanctuary’s inhabitants: ‘Kodak’s Jungle Rumble.’ Now an established web design company, Elixel has come on board to support the charity again.

Elixel Director Gavin Jones states: “From previously working with Wild Futures we knew that they were working on projects which mattered.  Joey’s story is one of those cases which stand out. This is our first multi-platform game as a company and to be able to spread the word on so many different devices helps the project reach more people.  Basing the game on the monkey’s form of enrichment helps connect the general public to the inhabitants of their project, the Monkey Sanctuary; sharing the work which goes on and hopefully spur them to adopt or donate.”

To download the app for free click here!