International Monkey Day, December 14

By Aimee Turcotte
​ At Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, we have a variety of species of monkeys, including Black and Gold Howler Monkeys, Black-Handed Spider Monkeys, Golden Lion Tamarins, and Pale-Faced Saki Monkeys.

               We currently have three Black and Gold Howler Monkeys, Cain Jr., Catalina, and Estrella. Cain Jr., our male, is currently 33 years old, with a birthday of 07/09/1992. He is the oldest living Black and Gold Howler Monkey under human care in North America, and the oldest living member of his species living in an AZA facility worldwide. The lifespan for Black and Gold Howler Monkeys is 15 years in the wild and 20 years under human care, so Cain Jr. has exceeded the average life expectancy! In 2015, Cain Jr. arrived at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo from the Riverbank Zoo in South Carolina. Estrella and Catalina are sisters! Catalina is 8 years old, born on 10/13/2017, and Estrella is 10 years old, born on 09/30/2015. Both of these Black and Gold Howler Monkeys came to Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo from the San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium in 2021. They are a near-threatened species in central South America.

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               The Zoo’s two Pale-Faced Saki Monkeys, Harriet and Bungee, live with the Black and Gold Howler Monkeys. Harriet, an 18-year-old female born on 04/28/2007, arrived at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in 2013 from the Denver Zoo in Colorado. Bungee, who is currently 5 years old and was born on 02/12/2020, just arrived at the Zoo this year from Elmwood Park Zoo in Pennsylvania. Jackie Escobar, an Animal Care Rainforest Specialist, recently told me that Harriet loves grapes, and Bungee loves bananas! Pale-Faced Saki Monkeys are of least concern in South America in Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana.

  Our Black-Handed Spider Monkeys are all related to one another, except for Bertha, a 33-year-old female born on 06/17/1992 and who arrived at the Zoo from the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama. The other monkeys' names are Gilligan, T.T., Janet, and Charlotte. T.T. is Gilligan’s 25-year-old aunt who came to Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Nebraska. T.T.’s birthday is 01/03/2000. Gilligan is our 11-year-old male who came with T.T. to Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in 2019. Gilligan was born on 02/21/2014. Janet, our 20-year-old female, arrived at the zoo along with Bertha. Janet’s birthday is 08/16/2005. In 2023, Gilligan and Janet gave birth to Charlotte on 08/22/2023. Charlotte’s name was voted on by the public. Rainforest staff members picked the name “Charlotte” as an option after the book Charlotte’s Web. All the Spider Monkeys played a role in caring for Charlotte after she was born, whether by carrying her around or playing with her. Black-Handed Spider Monkeys typically live 27 years in the wild and 40 years under human care. Unfortunately, these monkeys are endangered in the wild, where they live in forests from southern Mexico into Central America.

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 There are two male Golden Lion Tamarins at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, Leão and Michĩ. Leão is named after the Portuguese word for “lion,” and he came to the zoo in 2019 from Zoo Atlanta in Georgia. He is 22 years old, with a birthday on 03/12/2013. Michĩ is Leão’s son and was born at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo on 04/08/2023. Michĩ has more dark orange fur than his father and a small line of black fur on the top of his head. His name means "little" in the Guarani indigenous language of South America. Jackie also mentioned to me that the Golden Lion Tamarin fathers are typically the primary caregivers for their young, which Leão has been towards Michĩ ever since he was born. On average, these monkeys live 11 years in the wild and 15 years under human care. Golden Lion Tamarins are an endangered species, and their numbers are declining in the Atlantic coastal rainforests of southeastern Brazil due to threats such as habitat loss and climate change. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP) for Golden Lion Tamarins, bolstering the number of Golden Lion Tamarins for release into the wild.