MONKEY World is gearing up to celebrate Christmas - and this year 12 of the park's 262 primates will be celebrating the occasion for the first time in Dorset.

A spokesman for the rescue centre explained: "It was a bumper year for new arrivals as the park celebrated the birth of two extremely rare woolly monkey babies, and then, more recently, a slow loris infant, Bob.

"Slow loris are little-studied nocturnal primates indigenous to Asia, who receive the highest level of protection as their wild population is decreasing due to smuggling into the black market tourist trade."

Bob is one of the first infants born into the European Breeding Programme for slow loris, so his birth is of added importance to the species.

Sadly, his mother Nicki was unable to care for him so park director Dr Alison Cronin has stepped in to hand rear the tiny infant, who weighs just 45 grammes at three weeks old. He is responding really well and is growing bigger and stronger each day.

Among the rest of the Christmas dozen are chimpanzees Naree and Toprish, two saki monkeys, a squirrel monkey and two red-bellied guenons.