Greenville Zoo Welcomes New Spider Monkey
August 4, 2010
Male monkey added on breeding recommendation by the Species Survival Plan
GREENVILLE, SC – August 4, 2010 – Greenville Zoo guests have the opportunity to meet its newest resident, an 8-year-old male brown-headed spider monkey named Mojo this Thursday at 11 a.m. Mojo joins the zoo as a companion to Jasmin, a 13-year-old female, and Selma, a 36-year-old female. Greenville Zoo officials hope Mojo and Jasmin will result in a successful breeding match.
Mojo’s arrival to the Greenville Zoo, from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska, was prompted by a breeding recommendation by the Spider Monkey Species Survival Plan (SSP) Steering Committee. Currently, the brown-headed spider monkey is listed as endangered with a 20 percent chance of the species going extinct in the wild within the next 20 years or 5 of their generations. The Greenville Zoo will work along with the SSP to develop long-term research and management strategies for the species.
According to Zoo Director Jeff Bullock, Mojo has completed his quarantine and initial introductions have gone well with the trio. “As part of the conservation breeding program, we’ll wait two years to begin breeding,” Bullock said. “It is critical that not too many animals are produced in a single year due to the appropriate space available in zoos.”
Spider monkeys are native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. They are unique in the animal kingdom with their disproportionately long arms and legs as well as their prehensile tail. They live in the upper layers of the forest canopy and eat primarily fruits, but will occasionally consume leaves, flowers and insects. Recent studies on primate cognition studies indicate that spider monkeys are the most intelligent New World monkey. The Greenville Zoo’s spider monkeys can be found in the Primate Exhibit.
About the Greenville Zoo
Groundbreaking of the Greenville Zoo began nearly 50 years ago in Cleveland Park and opened to the public with mostly indigenous animals including bears, deer, bobcat, foxes, ducks and prairie dogs. Today, the Greenville Zoo is rated one of the best tourist attractions in South Carolina, attracting over 270,000 people annually to its 14-acre facility filled with wildlife from around the world including giraffe, monkeys, giant tortoises and elephants.
The Greenville Zoo is open seven days a week, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The zoo’s hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the gates close at 5 p.m. During the month of August, new and renewing zoo members will receive one free additional month of membership. For more information about the Greenville Zoo, visit www.greenvillezoo.com or become a fan on Facebook.
