Five New Lives: Roadside Zoo Monkey Rescue
Working with Animal Legal Defense Fund, Born Free USA has rescued two rhesus macaques and three baboons from Cricket Hollow Zoo, a deplorable roadside zoo with a long-standing history of keeping animals in cruel and inhumane conditions. We are giving them a home for life at our sanctuary in Texas.
– About the Rescue
– New Lives at the Sanctuary
– Meet and Adopt the Monkeys
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About the Rescue
You may have seen news reports about the Cricket Hollow roadside zoo in Iowa being shut down after years of lawsuits by the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Iowa and the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF). Cricket Hollow had a long-standing history of keeping animals in cruel and inhumane conditions, and the investigation into their operation discovered it was even worse than imagined. The animals lived in filthy conditions, kept in cages with rotten food, feces, and dirty, standing water. One baboon died from repeatedly banging his head against his enclosure wall after being separated from his mother. It was also observed that the zoo left live animals trapped in their cages with the decomposing bodies of other animals.
But, from all of this suffering, now comes salvation. Working with ALDF, Born Free USA has rescued two rhesus macaques and three baboons from Cricket Hollow, and is giving them a home for life at our sanctuary in south Texas. These monkeys are now receiving the comfort and care that they had been denied for so long. Thanks to a generous financial contribution from ALDF, we were able to modify our existing baboon habitat to construct a new, open top, natural enclosure for our three new baboon residents with more than an acre of space and a brand new warm house to give them shelter from the heat or cold.
Ongoing Challenges
We wish that, upon arrival, all of the trauma that these beautiful animals have suffered would be instantly wiped away. We wish we could give them an immediate ‘happily ever after,’ but sadly that is not the case – some scars take years to heal. Our new male baboon resident came to us desperately needing a root canal due to a lifetime of poor medical care. Mrs. Wilkin, the elderly macaque, suffers from arthritis and every long bone in her body is deformed, likely the result of having been taken from her mother at far too young an age and subsequently fed an inadequate diet. She is also unable to close her jaw fully, which we suspect may be due to an old fracture that did not heal properly. The other macaque, Anna, exhibits stereotypies like sticking the thumb of her back foot in her ear and appearing to stare off into space. While this behavior may look cute, or even comical, we know that these types of behaviors are often signals of chronic stress in captive wild animals.
Video gallery
Photo gallery
Meet and Adopt the Monkeys
Now that their past lives as exhibits in a roadside zoo are behind them and they are in the safety of our sanctuary and in the company of others of their own kind, they can begin to heal. But, healing takes time, and these monkeys will require care and support for years and possibly decades into the future. We have the space, facilities, and staff to give them a second chance at life, but we can’t do it without your support.
Please consider adopting one of the monkeys from the Cricket Hollow Zoo. With an adoption, you can give these monkeys the lives that they deserve and help them on their road to recovery. We look forward to updating you on their progress and we thank you for your continued support. Without you, our work caring for monkeys like these simply wouldn’t be possible.
Click on the MEET button below each monkey’s image to learn more about that animal’s life, personality, likes and dislikes, and more! To adopt a monkey, click on the ADOPT button.
ADOPT A MONKEY!
Monkey adoptions provide food and care and each comes with an package that includes an adoption certificate, beanie toy, and your monkey’s bio and portrait.