Monkeyland KZN – a hidden jungle treasure – provides a home for primates from Bolivia to Borneo

The ‘hidden forest’ at Monkeyland KZN is a little known treasure of the North Coast.

The forest is home to 7 species of primates that have been rehomed after being kept as pets – illegally – or after being deemed surplus at zoos around the country.

The primates originate from Bolivia to Borneo, and the sanctuary at Monkeyland which is a half an hour drive from Ballito, replicates their natural habitat as much as possible.

There are now over 120 individual primates that call the 23 hectare forest home, a remarkable feat given Monkeyland has only been open for just over a year.

Seven distinct species can be found at the sanctuary, and they are the Black Howler Monkey, Tufted Capuchin, Weeper Capuchin and Bolivian Squirrel Monkey, all from South America, the Ring Tailed Lemur and Ruffed Lemur, both from Madagascar and the Buff-Cheeked Gibbon from South-East Asia.

Monkeyland is affiliated with the South African Animal Sanctuary Alliance (SAASA) which has three sanctuaries in Plettenberg Bay.

It was these sanctuaries that made Paula Hallam uproot her life and move to South Africa.

After working in human resources and the financial sector in her native England, she decided that a change was necessary.

This spurred a 2 year travelling adventure which took her to Asia and Africa, and landed her in South Africa in 2015.

“I booked for 12 weeks to volunteer at the Monkeyland in Plett and ended up staying for 5 months.

I fell in love with the experience,” said Paula.

Fast forward 3 years and she was asked to help set up Monkeyland in KZN, and she has not looked back.

“I had the opportunity to help in the new sanctuary and I could not be happier. I am so excited to wake up every day and do my job,” she said.

Monkeyland celebrated its first anniversary during lockdown and they have since reopened to the public.

The sanctuary is completely funded by ticket sales and the gift shop, so the past few months have proven difficult.

“Luckily the primates are none-the-wiser and are still very well looked after,” said Paula.

The sanctuary has revised opening times, and is now open from 10am to 3pm on Friday to Sunday with strict sanitation measures in place to ensure the safety of visitors.

With fewer staff members available, bookings are encouraged so that tours can be organised.

Details can be found at monkeylandkzn.co.za or on the ‘Monkeylandkzn‘ Facebook Page.

You can phone 032 004 0178 to book.