Monkey World’s bid for chart success starts today with the launch of its first ever charity fundraising video.

The song 'I say, save orang-utans' was written by singer/songwriter James Broughton, and all proceeds will help finance the rescue and rehabilitation of endangered primates.

Monkey World founder Jim Cronin started the project years ago, so the video has been released today on the eighth anniversary of his death.

Jim’s wife and Monkey World director Dr Alison Cronin said: “It has been a long time coming. Its finally done and the music video is going to be released and raising money for the Endangered Asian Species Trust (EAST), which supports our work in Vietnam and other work in South East Asia.

“So we thought it appropriate for the orangutan theme to be benefitting that work in Asia where orangutans originate.

A Monkey World spokesman explained how many years ago Jim was introduced to the band Arangatang by radio presenter Graham Mack.

“To cut a long story short,” said the spokesman, “a song was written and Jim loved it.

“However, as you know, the primates always come first and the project had to be put on hold.”

A few years later staff at the Wool ape rescue centre attempted to launch the song again, accompanied by a video featuring more than 50 of the sanctuary's primates, but this plan also stalled.

The spokesman added: “Never content to give up, last year we decided to try again. It has been an exhausting and complicated process and nowhere as easy as you might think.

“There have been many times when we thought this great song and fantastic video of our incredible primates would never see the light of day, but just like Jim didn't give up all those years ago, neither did we and I am pleased to be able to officially launch our first ever fundraising music video.”

All proceeds from the music video, available to pre-order on iTunes now, go towards the EAST charity.

Jim Cronin worked hard to ensure EAST, an in-situ, rescue, rehabilitation and release project in Vietnam, became a reality.

“Sadly he died before he got the chance to not only witness the centre up and running, but the witness the first gibbons rescued by EAST being released back to the wild,” said the spokesman.

The full song can be downloaded here