Monkey Movies!

Science and Communication Master’s student Jessica Olid has been working with the Helping Hand this summer to create a short series of wild life videos about our Barbary macaques. Collectively, her videos have reached over 26,000 people on Facebook both locally and internationally.

Jessica has been following the macaques for a number of weeks catching some of the funniest and greatest moments on camera. With the help of Dr Eric Shaw and research assistant Tessa Feeney, Jessica has been able to create three unique videos which teach us all about how the monkeys behave.

Dr Shaw said “The videos provide a fantastic opportunity for people of all ages to learn more about the Barbary macaques, in fact I would encourage anyone and everyone to check them out’’.

In her videos she demonstrates a side to the monkeys which is rarely portrayed. From newborn macaques, to how adults resolve arguments, her videos explore the macaques’ natural behaviours away from the hustle and bustle of tourists.

Jessica is hoping that these videos will help educate the public about the Barbary macaques and change public attitudes towards them. “As a local myself, I can see that all too often the macaques are portrayed in a negative light, instead we want to show people that the monkeys are intelligent peaceful creatures with distinct personalities’’ She said.

Filming has taken place within various locations of the Upper Rock Nature reserve, including areas of the rock that people seldom visit. Throughout her time with the Helping Hand she has encountered a number of challenges that arise when filming outdoors and working with a wild species; not the least of which involved the dangers of stepping in monkey poo!

Her videos have been very successful in helping us to educate the public and spread awareness of The Helping Hand Charity. You can watch all of the videos Jessica has created on our Facebook or on our YouTube page. Make sure you Like and follow these pages, as these videos are only just the beginning of our wild life nature series. 

Watch the first chapter here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fejyHW6v9E