Why this baboon's a Bee Gees fan

She may not look like she's had a near death experience but Aunt Bessie is "Staying Alive" thanks to that song by the Bee Gees.

Vets at Paignton Zoo in Devon saved the life of one of their apes twice in one afternoon – with the help of the song from the sequel to the film, Saturday Night Fever..

When four-year-old Aunt Bessie, a Hamadryas baboon collapsed and her heart stopped, head vet Ghislaine Sayers performed external cardiac massage – with the Bee Gees song “Staying Alive” playing in her head.

She says the tune, which features on the British Heart Foundation ad, is a good guide for cardiac massage in baboons - even for professionals. The animal's heart rate is similar to that in young humans.

The monkey was rushed to the Zoo’s in-house Vet Centre by keepers after she collapsed before Christmas.

Aunt Bessie stayed in the Vet Centre over Christmas and the New Year, putting on weight, no doubt like many of us.

While she was there, the team took the opportunity to take x-rays and give her a full check up. Now, fully recovered she's back with the troop, probably wondering what all the fuss was about.

As Phil Knowling from the zoo says, “To save a life once is amazing – to save the same life twice is truly exceptional!”.

And of course - that Bee Gees song doesn't just help baboons "stay alive" it helps humans too. Here's a reminder of the British Heart Foundation commercial so perhaps you too can save a life.