We’re at Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, a great monkey hideaway. Kari Bagnall and her colleagues and volunteers take care of approximately 100 monkeys.
 

It was a perfect shoot:  Elvis is alive and he fell in love with us. He is a monkey now. Elvis lives at Jungle Friends Primate together with his friends ... Chuck, Fats, Richard ... only joking. 

Caretaker Ashlei Martin introduces us to Tessa, a little capuchin lady who is currently being socialized. Tessa's prior owner sent her to Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary after she had gotten too troublesome.

Although a human is a poor excuse for a companion for a monkey there have been several cases when the Jungle Friends carestaff has had to interact with a monkey to give insulin injections, obtain urine samples and be the bridge for a new monkey arrival to meet other monkeys.

A lot of the monkeys at Jungle Friends had a rather disturbing life. Most of them were acquired as pets or as substitutes for children and when it then turned out that they caused a little bit of a hassle, they were given away again. Luckily, some of them ended up with Kari and her "jungle friends" who attend to all of them with tender loving care. 

Kari wants them to spend the rest of their lives in peace and harmony together with their mates.

However, at the end of our shooting day one monkey is rather sad because his new friends had to leave - Elvis.    

In the end, a monkey will always prefer the company of other monkeys no matter how ‘humanized’  and happy they are to meet Frank!

Text/Pictures: Igor Hartmann/Kari Bagnall

November 27, 2008

Dear Friends of Jungle Friends,

We asked the Jungle Friends monkeys what they are thankful for, and here are just a few of the things we heard...

Mela - our latest arrival! I am thankful to be in a place where there are lots of other marmosets like me! As the new girl, I had the starring role in the marmoset "Dating Game" with all the bachelors here lining up to meet me!  My new boyfriend Chachi is the best. The gourmet cuisine is pretty terrific too. Bananas and Jungle Jelly, mmm....

Travis - I am thankful for keys. I can hide them and find them, then hide them and forget where I hid them and somehow, more keys magically appear!

Howard - I am thankful that Gainesville Pet Rescue donated a bag of great little toys just our size! I love new toys as much as I love peanuts. Whenever I get a peanut, I get so happy I have to do a dance. My caregivers call it my "peanut dance." I hold the peanut behind my back and chirp happy sounds to it over my shoulder. When I got my new toy, I just had to bust the same move! Toys and peanuts are my favorite things...

Lulu - I am thankful that I am taming the pinecones in my habitat. They were very scary and rude! They have these little spikes shooting out the side, so I have to pick them up very carefully. The staff knows about their wild ways, and they help me. When I sound the pinecone alarm, they pick it up, throw it to the ground and stomp on it and then throw it out of my sight! I am so happy that they have the same mission as I do! It's been hard work battling those pinecones, but we'll show them...

Ebi - I am thankful that every morning, when the staff checks my water, I get to play "teeter-totter" on the pipe. I think they plan for me to do that now. They always give me time to climb on top and jump up and down. It's great to have caregivers who know the importance of monkey play....

Jimmy - I am thankful that everyone here understands my need to be pampered and my need for flare. Every morning, the staff brings around aromatherapy, which I eagerly take (more than one, if I can) and rub it all over my body. It promotes good health, you know. It makes me feel good. I also love my bright blankets. I say, bright and fluffy means fabulous. And that is exactly what I am.

Andy - I am thankful that I have such an expressive face. I love the attention it gets me! When the staff walks by my habitat and I want to play, they know it! They call it my ‘big play face.' I like to play! They also say I look so human. I'm not sure... is that a compliment?

Phil and Lil - We are thankful for the fuzzy sleeping bag hammock that hangs in our habitat. Especially during the cold months, we love to curl up together and snuggle in it. We are each other's best friend, and we are so grateful that the caring staff at Jungle Friends took us in and allowed us to stay together. But oh, how we love that hammock!

Volcano and Tripoli - We are thankful to be out of the laboratory and into the Florida sunshine! Now we can enjoy plants: you can eat them, you can swing on them, you can even find bugs living in them and eat those too. We just love the great outdoors!

Jak - I am thankful for my best friend, Abby. When I first got here, I was shy and timid and not sure how to act around other monkeys. Abby taught me that it's okay (and lots of fun) to run wild. That's what we do all day - swing, jump, chase and play. Oh yeah, I'm also thankful to have plants in my habitat! Not only are they fun to bounce on, they're delicious, too!

Noah - I am thankful for my roommate Fala and for branches. Fala is my first girlfriend, and I think I may keep her around for a while. She is very sweet. She came from a lab in California and has had kind of a rough past, but she feels safe with me. I protect her. And I am thankful that there are branches in my habitat, just what I need to be who I am. Ever since I was little I've had an acrobatic talent, and I love to just ‘hang around' Now I have Fala and branches - who could ask for anything more?

The Jungle Friends Staff

Happy Holidays!

P.S. If you missed the Inside Edition broadcast, the Jungle Friends segment is now up on our website! You can find it on our "Monkeys in the Media" page. Also visit our new "Kids for Monkeys" page!