MOTHER’S Day will take on a special significance at Purbeck’s Monkey World ape rescue centre tomorrow.

Staff will reflect on the host of orphan primates they’ve rescued from dire conditions worldwide, which are now living in adoptive families at the Wool sanctuary.

Many of these animals were ripped away from their own mums at a young age, but now have an adopted mother or have even gone on to breed at the park and become a new mums themselves.

Monkey World is home to the European créche for orphaned orang-utans, where young Silvestre arrived last Christmas.

He’d been orphaned by his mother at Spain’s Santillana Zoo, but now he’s brought out the maternal side of adult orang-utan Oshine - herself rescued from a tiny enclosure in Indonesia.

Another success story is Mikado and Alex. Mikado, a golden-cheeked gibbon, arrived at the park last summer after being orphaned at just three weeks old.

But he’s now got a new mum in the shape of adult female Alex. The pair play and cuddle just like any normal parent and child.

A park spokesman said: “many of the rescued primates were stolen from the wild and taken away from heir own mothers when they were very young, but at Monkey World there has been great success in creating adoptive families.”

Another example, Solomon the marmoset, was found by police frightened and alone in the house of an illegal trader.

“Custody was given to Monkey World,” explained the spokesman. “Once at the park, tiny Solomon was taken to the marmoset house to meet his new mum Gabi.

“The minute Solomon saw Gabi he launched across the room, latched onto her back, held tight and would not let go.

“Solomon knew what he wanted and needed, and that was a mum – and Gabi has been just that ever since.”

If you want to become an adoptive parent to one of the park’s primates, or for one of the more unusual Mother’s Day gifts, visit monkeyworld.org and adopt online.