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On Thursday, July 28, Beardsley Zoo, located in Fairfield County, announced the arrival of two female Black-handed spider monkeys, expanding its spider monkey habitat to four monkeys.
Bertha, age 30, and 16-year-old Janet traveled from the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama to join the zoo in Bridgeport.
The zoo said the new monkeys were successfully introduced to 8-year-old Gilligan and 22-year-old TT, who have both been at the zoo since the spider monkey habitat opened in June of 2019.
“These monkeys are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)’s Species Survival Program (SSP), an important part of helping these endangered animals,” Zoo Director Gregg Dancho said. “This species is threatened by intense habitat degradation and deforestation, so a breeding recommendation from the AZA will allow us to possibly welcome babies to help sustain the population.”
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