Day in the Life of Collette Grobler

Collette grew up around monkeys and it was her mom that opened Monkey Town 7 years ago. After a few years in the corporate world, it was a natural move to go and manage Monkey Town and work in the environment she has always loved.

What does her day consist of?

Running all aspects of Monkey Town including marketing, administration, decision making and looking after 22 employees. Amongst her staff are 5 international volunteers that bring their knowledge of primates to the sanctuary. It's incredibly important to Collette that the lives of the monkeys are enriched and her staff concentrate on keeping things interesting and exciting for them.

Collette is constantly striving to improve Monkey Town and introduce various programmes to ensure the survival and growth of this special sanctuary. There is a fantastic educational programme for kids, which is currently being tailored made for various age groups.

The best thing about Collette's job

Waking up every morning and walking around the park amongst the animals. "It's incredibly rewarding working in nature".

And the worst

"Trying to get people to believe in what we are doing here and what we are trying to achieve". This is probably not the worst, but the most difficult part of Collette's job. Her love for the sanctuary is clear and she'd like everyone to be as passionate as she is, and this is often difficult to achieve.

How can locals support you?

Monkey Town has very loyal members who sponsor blankets, food and offer to work. Collette is putting together a local volunteer system so those who want to join in and help feed, clean, build etc, can do so.

An alternative way to support Monkey Town, is to adopt a monkey, click here for more details.

What else does Monkey Town offer?

Monkey Town a place for absolutely everyone and a great family day out. They have so much to offer - a kids play park, a touch farmyard and the 3 Monkeys Restaurant to mention a few. Monkey Town also host events including birthday parties, year end functions and weddings.