Zumie

  • Species: Brown Capuchins (Cebus apella)
  • Gender: Female
  • Birthday: December 20, 2009
  • Arrival: October 1, 2010
  • Background: Animal Facility Closure
  • Character: Rambunctious

Zumie was only nine months old when she arrived at the sanctuary with a group of monkeys rescued from a bankrupt roadside zoo. Zumie had been human-reared and attempts to reunite her with the group at the zoo had not gone well. Zumie ended up with a wounded foot requiring stitches. Her foot looked pretty bad, but healed quickly. The local animal team resorted to darting the monkeys to catch them for transport, which included a nursing mother with an infant. We were told the mother woke from anesthesia and rejected her baby during the long drive.

However, after watching the documentary, Wild Animal Repo, we feel that mother and son were separated during the capture and the baby was put in a kennel with the wrong female. The infant was only a few months old and nearly dead at the end of the thousand-mile trip to Jungle Friends. Sanctuary staff stepped in to bottle feed and care for his physical needs...and to our delight Zumie stepped in as his big sister and Monkers, another monkey who arrived with the group, carried the baby on her back. With nourishment and loving care, the baby, who we named Mochi, enjoyed a healthy, happy childhood.

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