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About Jungle Friends | Jungle Friends Activities
A Brief History of Jungle Friends
Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary was founded by Kari Bagnall in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1996; the organization incorporated in 1997 and was granted 501(c)(3) status in 1998. Initially driven by the growing problem of unwanted monkeys resulting from the exotic pet trade, Jungle Friends soon grew from a one-person operation caring for a few capuchin monkeys to a multi-volunteer non-profit company with an ever-expanding population of New World primates.
In 1999, Jungle Friends relocated in order to provide a climate more suitable for these species native to Central and South America. The new site, situated on 12 acres near Gainesville, Florida, also provided room for future expansion, and a source for medical care with the nearby University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine.
Shortly after the move, Jungle Friends achieved accreditation by The American Sanctuary Association (ASA). In 2002, Jungle Friends was also accredited by The Association of Sanctuaries (TAOS). Both accreditations remain current.
In each year of operation, Jungle Friends has taken in additional monkeys in need, and expanded the physical structures for housing our non-human residents, up to the limits of our resources. Since relocating to Gainesville in 1999, the monkey population at the sanctuary has grown from 13 capuchins to over 100 primates of various species, including capuchins, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, marmosets and tamarins. Jungle Friends has taken in monkeys abandoned or confiscated by authorized agencies from around the country.
In the first few years, the monkeys arriving at Jungle Friends came primarily from the exotic pet trade, either discarded 'pets' or monkeys rescued from breeders, along with a few casualties of the entertainment industry. Before long, however, Jungle Friends was also called upon to help another group of captive primates in need: monkeys used in laboratory research.
Although initial efforts to secure the release of laboratory animals in 2001 and 2002 did not succeed, a breakthrough brought the first four lab monkeys to Jungle Friends in 2004. In addition to the continued influx of ex-pet monkeys, Jungle Friends provided a permanent retirement home for monkeys released from laboratories, with 13 monkeys freed from research in 2005, followed by another 12 in 2007, and 10 more in 2008.
Jungle Friends continues to work diligently on behalf of the captive primates we have the opportunity to help, whether through networking and campaigning to secure release, placement and funding for primates currently in research, by educating the public to change both the attitudes and the laws that allow the exploitation of animals, or by assisting and encouraging others to establish more sanctuaries and develop new resources to benefit our fellow primates.
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