Marvin Gaye’s Classic Hits Serenade Barbary Macaque Monkeys Ahead of Valentine’s Day

The songs of Marvin Gaye were used by a British Zoo on the endangered Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) monkeys to get them "in the mood" to procreate as Valentine's day is nearing.

The zoo is hoping that some of Marvin Gaye's greatest classic hits, like "Sexual Healing" and "Let's Get It On" will arouse its furry audiences.

The Barbary Macaques are already classified as endangered species of monkeys, so the British Zoo held a live performance in early February to boost the population of the Barbary macaques.

The Zoo hoped female Barbary Macaques would show affection to males who were not lucky in love during mating season.

Over the decades, the population of the Barbary Macaques in the wild has decreased significantly.

The threats posed by human-induced deforestation have destroyed the habitat and ecosystem of these monkeys that were once thriving in the mountains of Algeria and Morocco.

Increasing the Population of Monkeys Through Classical Music

(Photo : Tobias Schwarz via Getty Images)

The Trentham Monkey Forest, a zoo in the town of Stafford in England, UK, used the classic songs of the legendary American musician Marvin Gaye, a singer and songwriter between the late 1950s and early 1980s, to serenade the Barbary Macaques.

The Trentham Monkey Forest called its special guest Dave Largie, a highly experienced love song guru, to sing the classical hits of Marvin Gaye during the first weekend of February.

As Valentine's day is approaching, the British Zoo hoped it will encourage the Barbary Macaques to engage in intimacy to procreate and boost its population ahead of the mating season, as per CNN.

The live performance of Marvin Gaye's songs showed that some of the monkeys displayed affection to one another, including behaviors such as grooming and teeth chattering.

The zoo is expecting that such behaviors may lead to a number of babies in the coming summer, as per the Trentham Monkey Forest.

Barbary Macaques are seasonal breeders.

Typically the monkeys' mating season spans during the autumn or wintertime and their birthing season occurs in late spring or early summer.

Barbary Macaque females are known to be selective when it comes to mating, and some males are left behind.

Also read: They're Alive! Dryas Monkey Thought to be Extinct Caught on Cam for the First Time

Barbary Macaque as Endangered Species

Barbary macaques, also called Barbary ape or magot, are classified as an endangered species belonging to the Primates order and Cercopithecidae family.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Barbary macaque monkeys are already decreasing in population.

Natives to the rural mountain areas of Algeria and Morocco in northern Africa, the IUCN said deforestation and forest degradation caused by excessive overgrazing and tree logging in the said areas have put the Barbary Macaques under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Furthermore, the IUCN said environmental damage to the monkeys' habitat can have widespread repercussions across their ecosystem.

Despite efforts to preserve the Barbary Macaque population, threats still remain due to continued tree logging and increasing human activities.

Due to the decreasing population of the said monkeys over the past several decades, there are only between 8,000 and 10,000 estimated Barbary Macaques in the wild, as per the Barbary Macaque Awareness & Conservation organization.

Related article: Invasive Species: Florida's Feral Monkeys Are Not Disturbing Ecosystem, Study Confirms