Press Releases

SILVER SPRING, MD - The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) today announced that 33 orphaned monkeys, representing five different species, have been imported to the U.S. under the auspices of the AZA's Old World Monkey Taxon Advisory Group (TAG). A group of six zoos - San Diego Zoo, Wildlife World Zoo, Litchfield Park, AZ; Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa, FL; Houston Zoo, San Antonio Zoo, and Denver Zoo - combined efforts and resources to rescue these monkeys that had been destined for the hobbyist trade in South Africa. The monkeys, ranging in age from approximately one to 5 years old, were imported to South Africa after being found as bushmeat trade orphans in the markets of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The bushmeat trade is defined as the illegal commercial sale of wild species for human consumption. "These monkey species, along with gorillas and chimpanzee, are among the animals slaughtered and sold for their meat in the markets of equatorial Africa," stated Jim Maddy, executive director of the AZA. "Orphaned baby primates are often taken off of the dead adults and sold in the markets of these countries. These orphans tend to end up alone in substandard conditions, or are eaten when they are older." Extensive logging has opened up the forest areas and provided avenues for hunters to transport their kills to the city markets.

Staff at the San Diego Zoo first learned of the existence of these orphans in April of 2005 when they received a call from someone asking them how they should price the monkeys for sale into the hobbyist trade in South Africa. "We do not put a price tag on our animals as we do not wish to contribute in any way to promoting exotic animals as pets here in the United States," said Karen Killmar, associate curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo. "As stunned as we were by the call, we thought that maybe there was an opportunity to provide these animals with good homes with their own species in the U.S. at AZA-accredited zoos."

After consulting with the Old World Monkey TAG, it was decided that this group of youngsters could represent critically needed additions to the species' populations in this country, and the coalition decided to try and import them. (TAGs assist in the selection of appropriate species for AZA conservation programs and provide a forum for discussing husbandry, veterinary, ethical and other issues that apply to entire taxa.) All of these wild-born animals will be paired for breeding and represent a significant contribution to maintaining genetically healthy populations in AZA zoos. "Zoos have taken on a responsibility to protect animals, as well as species, whenever and wherever we can," stated Maddy. "The orphans will now be living in family groups with their own species. And while they do bring much needed genetic diversity to our populations, they also bring the harrowing story of the bushmeat trade to the visiting public."

Imported were eight black mangabey, eight Schmidt's spot-nosed guenons, five DeBrazza's guenons, six Allen's swamp monkeys and six Wolf's guenons. The animals arrived in the U.S in early March 2006 and completed quarantine as required by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before being shipped to the zoos, where they are housed in healthy social environments. "They were in very good health, and had undergone extensive exams and medical testing in South Africa before coming here," continued Killmar. Each zoo will be coordinating the introduction and integration of their new monkeys individually, and the animals will make their public debut at different times.

"Without a well coordinated, fast response by like-minded conservation organizations, these social creatures may have been sold as food or destined to live in substandard, solitary conditions," stated Mickey Ollson, director of the Wildlife World Zoo. "Our monkeys have successfully integrated into their new families and we will use the rescue of these young animals to help raise awareness about the devastating effects the bushmeat and illegal pet trades are having on wild populations throughout Africa."

AZA, along with many other conservation organizations, strongly supported and worked for the passage of the Great Ape Conservation Act in 2000, and is currently working for it's reauthorization in this years' Congress. The Great Ape Conservation Fund is authorized to provide up to $5 million per year to support conservation of great apes in the wild, although appropriations have remained below $1.5 million annually. AZA has recently launched the "Two Million for $2 Million" campaign, a nationwide petition drive to collect at least two million public signatures asking Congress to increase the amount of federal dollars allocated to the Multinational Species Conservation Funds, which includes the Great Ape Conservation Fund.

Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums currently has 210 accredited members in North America, Bermuda and Hong Kong. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals and a better future for all living things. For more information visit www.aza.org and www.elephantsinourfuture.org.

To learn more about the bushmeat trade and what you can do to help stop it, visit www.bushmeat.org.

The 100-acre San Diego Zoo is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe. The Zoological Society also manages the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) and the department of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES).

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