Murphy Brown is an ex-pet from Los Angeles, CA where monkeys are illegal to keep as ‘pets’. Murphy arrived at Jungle Friends on April 10, 2003. Murphy has diabetes, which we are seeing more and more in ‘pet’ monkeys. Murphy also suffered from renal failure due to being attacked by killer bees when she was unsupervised in an outdoor cage. Murphy’s ‘owner’ realized that a sanctuary setting would be a better place for her to live out her life.
It didn’t take Murphy long to settle in and respond to her insulin injections. Murphy is one of the lucky monkeys; we were able to wean her off insulin several months after her arrival. We attribute some of this success to diet, less stress, monkeys to play with and a much larger habitat where she can get the exercise needed to help lower her blood sugar.
Murphy is now living comfortably with her best friend Cody, another tufted capuchin who was also diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is on the rise in ‘pet’ monkeys. This is due to a poor or unbalanced diet, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle and stress. Murphy and Cody are nearly inseparable; you will seldom see one without the other. They groom, play and sleep together.
Read about our S-A-M Program for details on sponsoring Murphy Brown or any of our Jungle Friends primates. Or just choose your sponsorship level from these links.
