Connie 1991 - 2018

Connie arrived when she was six years old. She was the product of a divorce and was not accepting of her guardian’s choice of a new partner. Connie demonstrated her disapproval with vicious attacks and aggression. She was brought to Jungle Friends and socialized with her own species, and quickly became the matriarch of Jungle Friends. She always acted as the peacemaker during socializations and had been a good surrogate parent to many of the younger monkeys. Connie was diagnosed with diabetes in November of 1999, and had to receive insulin injections. Connie was an extremely smart monkey and learned that the insulin injections go much quicker with her cooperation. Her diabetes most likely resulted from her time being kept as a ‘pet’ -- being fed junk food and not having enough space to exercise or another monkey to groom and play with. Grooming is a natural stress reliever; stress can cause glucose to rise and exercise is vital for a healthy monkey. Connie lived with other diabetic monkeys in a large naturalistic habitat connected via runway to an indoor enclosure where they cuddled together at night.

Jungle News Posts featuring Pickles

• Remembering Connie