For immediate release
Contact: Gina Stiles 904-757-4463, ext. 210; 904-655-3632; stilesg@jacksonvillezoo.org

Welcome the Angolan Colobus Monkeys
to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

March 25, 2008 – Jacksonville, FL – The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens announced the arrival of four Angolan colobus monkeys.  The new group of monkeys consists of one 13-year-old male, two adult females (sisters, ages 4 and 6), and one 15-month-old female that is an offspring of the 6-year-old female.  The male came from the Miami Metro Zoo and is on loan from Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo where he was born.  The three females were born at the San Diego Zoo.  The new group is considered a family now and has been recommended for breeding by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) program.  There are only 64 presently living in North American zoos.  They are native to the African rainforests.

Guests can see the new monkeys from the boardwalk close to the leopard exhibit in the Plains of East Africa.  This exhibit was formerly occupied by the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ Guereza colobus monkeys that have been moved to a holding area in the Great Apes area. The Guereza monkeys will eventually be on exhibit with the gorillas. 

“The addition of this new family and the moving of our existing group of colobus monkeys supports our mission and that of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ SSP to help build a sustainable population for the long term survival of the species,” said Dennis Pate, executive director of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

For over 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment.  Starting in 1914 with an animal collection that consisted of one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has grown to house more than 1,400 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. The Zoo is a non-profit organization and is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Located on Jacksonville’s north side two miles off I-95, the Zoo is open year-round, 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  The Zoo is open until 6:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays from March to Labor Day.  For more information on the Zoo, log on to www.jacksonvillezoo.org.

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