TWO FINGERPRINT exp-erts have gone ape over their new hobby.

Heather Foster and crime scene examiner DC Whendie Backwell from Fareham have branched out from dusting down human impressions. Now they are putting the funger on our jungle relatives.

The have embarked on their unusual pursuit in a bid to prosecute primate poachers.

Marwell Zoo in Winchester and Monkey World in Wareham, Dorset, have donated prints

for comparison, while the national animal theft register has expressed interest in their work.

Last year 41 primates were reported stolen in Britain. They are sought after by wealthy collectors who pay big money.

In developing countries the illegal trade in bushmeat is a growing concern.

Apes are a culinary delicacy, with some fetching the equivalent of monthly salaries.

Whendie, 41, said: "There are so many endangered species in the world and it would be a sorry state that in 20 years we

don't have the hundreds of varieties of monkeys we have today."

The idea was born out of a hypothetical question at a police training session. It was suggested that a fingerprint found on a stolen car could be that of an ape as the vehicle was found in a safari park.

Heather, 34, said: "It was just a tongue-in-cheek remark. That's what sparked it off.

Boop, a tiny Sulawesi macaque, was the first to leave definitive prints. Whendie added: "Boop was very special to our project. I would play a game with her on glass."

It is hoped that the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria (BIAZA) will lend its support to the project.