Gussie 1968 - 2013

Gussie was a cinnamon capuchin who arrived at Jungle Friends on January 21, 2001 when she was 32 years old. Gussie was accompanied by her 18-year-old daughter, Joni.

Gussie and Joni previously resided in Canada. The monkeys' 'owner' planned to move to Florida, but found that she could not bring her 'pet' monkeys into the country. Gussie and Joni's immigration became an extremely complicated situation. Thankfully, with help from our supporters, Gussie and Joni were able to make Jungle Friends their new home.

Before the monkeys were allowed to come to Jungle Friends, they were required to undergo a long quarantine period. Toward the end of the quarantine, Gussie refused to eat; she lost nearly half of her body weight! When she and Joni finally arrived at Jungle Friends, Gussie was extremely weak and anemic. But with good food and lots of TLC, Gussie pulled through and was the wild thing that she was meant to be.

Gussie was very protective of her daughter and you rarely found them apart. Gussie and Joni had distinct personalities; you could not visit Jungle Friends without remembering this mother-daughter duo!

Photo Galleries featuring Gussie

• Gussie is in hospice care now.