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Travis, an elderly spider monkey, arrived at Jungle Friends on October 27, 2001 from New York after his owner decided that she could no longer care for him. We estimate his age to be around 20 years old.
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Travis was missing his teeth, with the exception of a few molars, as is far too common with "pet" monkeys, so he is fed a variety of soft foods. Since he was a bit nervous about his new neighbors and surroundings, he was being "hand fed" by one of our volunteers who catered to his every whim.
He had quite a selection of baby food, hot cereal and of course Kari’s famous "veggie stew".
He was very frightened at first since he has never been around other monkeys and had been kept indoors for the past 12 years. It took him quite a while before he even allowed Goldie or Clydette, two female spider monkeys, to sit near him. Travis would flee every time they came close. In a span of about a month, he finally ventured into the outdoor habitat. Now he joins right in with the girls as they eat their breakfast, grab for their treats, forage for seeds, open enrichments, bask in the sun, and come swinging towards you hoping to get a back rub. But in Travis's case he would rather a belly rub! It was once said that this monkey could never be socialized with other monkeys because he was imprinted by humans. Today, Travis enjoys his newfound freedom and interacts freely with his two companions.
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