![]() It’s an excellent pit stop on a road trip to Key West as well.Mocha Mountain is now operating out of the space formerly occupied by Jungle Java. 1 in South Dade, a short drive from the beach and bar scene of Miami. There’s also an amazing gift shop here that has everything a stuffed pink monkey lover could ask for. It costs $29.95 to get in, however you can print a $2 coupon from the website to save a couple bucks for the snack bar. ![]() To add to the mix, there were also some tortoises randomly roaming around…Īnd an lazy lizard that was working its way towards a whole new layer of skin! It works with the Wings of Love Foundation to build aviaries at Monkey Jungle to house parrots who have been displaced and can no longer be cared for. The wildlife park recently broadened its conservation efforts to create a sanctuary for parrots that have been domesticated and then ditched by their owners. Less than 500 of these exist in the wild. To prevent endangered monkeys in the wild from becoming extinct, Monkey Jungle breeds monkeys like the Golden Lion Tamarin. They wait patiently (or not so patiently) for visitors to drop fruits in the metal baskets and then yank them up for a mid-day snack. I am terrified of raisins due to bad childhood memories, so I opted for some tasty cranberries instead. For a small fee, you can purchase raisins in tiny boxes at the front desk and feed the monkeys from a safe distance. ![]() One of the most fun aspects of visiting Monkey Jungle was feeding treats to the primates through tubes and hanging baskets. Meanwhile, some of the other species were kept in were kept in cages that resembled clean, yet zoo-like conditions. Unlike the Diana Monkeys and the White Handed Gibbons, the Javas really do have free reign of the place and green space to climb and play. The Java monkeys truly seem to truly have it best at Monkey Jungle. My favorite of the four presentations were the Wild Monkey Swimming Pool. Finally, I watched an Amazonian Rainforest feeding with howlers, black-capped Capuchins, and squirrel monkeys. Then I “met” Mei, Monkey Jungle’s lone orangutan and King, the one and only Western Lowland gorilla on site. The first featured a feeding of treats to Java monkeys in a natural pool of water. About 400 monkeys roam around Monkey Jungle today, which now spans 30 acres, including an Amazon Rainforest area.ĭuring my visit, I checked out four primate presentations put on by the staff. ![]() I was initially a little skeptical about this place? Was it more of a sanctuary or more of a zoo? What’s life really like for the monkeys inside and what brought them to this strange, foreign place?Īlthough not a true sanctuary, Monkey Jungle is considered a “bio park” where conversationalists conduct projects and guests and learn about different primate species. However, Java monkeys are super territorial and after aggressively defending their new homeland a few too many times, Joseph put cages around the public walkways, thereby still allowing the monkeys to roam free. He began charging curious visitors $0.10 admission to fund his scientific studies, and there were originally no barriers between the public and the monkeys. The couple relocated from Connecticut to South Florida and purchased 10 acres of land because the climate here was similar to the monkeys’ home in Southeast Asia. It was Joseph’s dream to establish North America’s first free-range colonies of monkeys for researchers to study them in a natural habitat. I came across a wildlife park called Monkey Jungle, which was established in 1933 by Joseph and Grace DuMond. So when I recently found myself in Southern Florida, I did a quick search to see what furry friends might be in the area to greet me. Related: Gorillas in Georgia?! A Tour of the Dewar Wildlife Trust Sanctuary Related: A Visit to Chimp Haven Sanctuary – Keithville, Louisiana This year I visited a chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimp Haven, in Louisiana and a gorilla sanctuary, Dewar Wildlife Trust, in Georgia. If you haven’t noticed a trend in my posts lately, I’m a big fan of primates…the non-human ones in particular.
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