Summer is almost here, and with that, the animals in Ituri Forest have been enjoying all that the warmer weather has to offer. Unfortunately for me, that also means our trees are producing fruit and some of our Allen's swamp monkeys become unreliable about coming into the bedrooms for exhibit servicing this time of year! Although I do everything I can think of to make the monkey bedrooms a positive place to be, I just can't beat a big, beautiful ficus tree where a monkey can enjoy a snack with a view! So, beginning about a month ago, when San Diego had our unusually warm weather, I started a new routine with the Allen's swamp monkey family consisting of Mr. Toad, Karen, Bunzi, and Bunzi's daughters Kinah and Makonnen, the monkeys living in the exhibit with the bountiful trees in question.

In the past, the late keeper would bring all of the monkeys into their bedrooms at night. These bedrooms provide warmth, shelter, toys to play with, and a full-course meal of greens, specially formulated biscuits, roots, vegetables, and fruit. Now that the trees are fruiting and the weather is so pleasant, however, Mr. Toad and his family are spending all day foraging and aren't very interested in spending their evenings inside. I fully believe in listening to the animals when they're trying to tell us something. This time, they're telling me it's the season for camping under the stars with a cool breeze and fresh berries at hand. Instead of trying to compete with that, I've started giving Mr. Toad's group access to the building but not locking them inside in the evenings. They are now free to come and go as they please.

The only problem comes when I need to access the exhibit in the morning. I needed to find a way for Mr. Toad and his group to understand when they have to come inside—and all at the same time. So I went out and purchased a cow bell. I've been using this bell to signal to the troop that it's time for breakfast—inside! Although Mr. Toad is perfectly happy to come in, Bunzi and Karen are a bit harder to convince. This is where our littlest, bravest swamp monkey, Kinah, comes in to help me out.

Since Kinah was hand raised, she is very attracted to humans and loves to visit with us. With Kinah's help, I've been patiently working with Karen, Bunzi, and Makonnen to come inside each morning. Usually, I ring the cow bell and hear the girls call excitedly in response. They know that in addition to the usual breakfast fare, I also give out their favorite snack of peanuts if they shift inside. Kinah loves to come running inside to grab a quick snack, but the girls are less trusting and it takes a few tries to convince them to leave their "room with a view."

My hopes are high, however. This new routine will benefit both the monkeys, by giving them more options, and the keepers, by still providing a place to get a good look at the animals, weigh them, and train them for medical procedures. And through all of this, I have Kinah to thank. She's as remarkable today as she was when fighting so hard for her life at birth. So at your next visit to Ituri Forest, between the laughs and coos at our littlest kids, give a thanks to Kinah for making my life a little easier.

Nerissa Foland is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Read Nerissa's previous blog about Kinah…

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