MEET Tia Nang, the golden-cheeked gibbon who could be among the first to be released into the wild by a Dorset sanctuary.

Tia Nang, who was born at Monkey World in February, has been officially named by the winner of a competition run on Heart FM, formerly 2CR.

Regular visitor Emma Matthews, 40, of Blandford, won the contest run by breakfast show hosts David Perry and Caroline Verdon and visited the Wool park yesterday to officially name her.

The name Tia Nang – meaning ray of sunshine in Vietnamese – was chosen by Monkey World director Dr Alison Cronin and her team.

Now, the newly-named baby and her parents, Peanut and Pung-Yo, along with sibling Tien, could be the first to be released back into the wild through Monkey World’s rescue centre at Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam.

Emma said: “I wanted to suggest something really special, as she’ll be sent back into the wild, and something that would be a symbol of hope.”

She has now become Tia Nang’s first adoptive parent and was presented with a certificate by Dr Cronin before the baby was toasted with a glass of Vietnamese rice wine.

Dr Cronin said the name summed up the aims of the centre in Vietnam and added: “We hope that Tia Nang and her family will be sent into the wild in Vietnam, and so she truly is a ray of hope.”

The centre was the dream of Dr Cronin’s late husband, Jim, and the 64-hectare site was opened by her in 2008.

It helps gibbons rescued from the smuggling trade to recover in isolation and be either released back into the wild at Cat Tien or cared for in captivity if they are too badly injured.

The centre is already home to 14 gibbons and, if the family are released, they would be the first to make the trip from Dorset back to the wild.