With the upcoming holiday in mind, every day up until the first day of Christmas we will be introducing one of our residents awaiting your support, among whom you are sure to find your favorite.
Observed on December 14 on the initiative of two US art students, Monkey Day is a fitting occasion for us to introduce our red-faced spider monkey named Joci. Living at our zoo since 1992, Joci turned 30 this year, which is a respectable age for a spider monkey, making him a senior resident. What makes him even more special is his kind and friendly attitude to people, which manifests in the way he enjoys and seeks keepers’ company, always ready to help them clean the enclosure he shares with our group of mantled guerezas.
Native to the northern rainforests of South America, red-faced spider monkeys are some of the largest new world primates with an average weight of 9 kg. Their name refers to the unique body structure shared by spider monkeys, with extremely elongate but strong limbs and a specialized prehensile tail that acts as a third hand when climbing trees. Despite eating an occasional arthropod or two, red-faced spider monkeys have a predominantly plant-based diet, consisting of leaves, flowers and fruits – Joci, for instance, absolutely loves bananas. Threatened by both habitat loss and hunting for meat, this species is listed as Vulnerable in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.
Like Joci, a lot of our residents are yet to be adopted. If you want to make them really happy while also offering us tremendous help, please consider becoming a zoo foster parent.
An Annual Zoo Pass can also be a wonderful Christmas present and a year-round source of joy. More tips on gifts and how to support us at: www.zoodebrecen.hu/content/supportus.html
Debrecen Zoo and Amusement Park
