Rebecca Reid, Auckland Zoo
One of our Vet Hospital’s latest success stories is the recovery of young squirrel monkey, Picaro. Picaro was found weak and uncoordinated in her enclosure, and as she was still nursing her seven-week-old baby, her treatment at the Vet Hospital wasn’t going to be straightforward.
When Picaro was at her worst, looking after her baby wasn’t a possibility. Fortunately, squirrel monkeys have remarkable support systems, and her baby’s aunties were more than happy to help carry the load.
Picaro gradually improved under the incredible care of the vet team, and she has been reintegrated with the group. Reintegration can sometimes be tricky, so the attentive primate keepers placed Picaro with her close allies and upped the group’s diet to make sure they were all happy with full tummies, ensuring there was no chance to try and dominate one another over food.
Although Bolivian squirrel monkeys are not endangered, their population numbers are declining. As a not-for-profit conservation organisation, when you visit Picaro and her baby in Auckland Zoo’s Rainforest habitat you are helping primates in the wild, as a portion of your ticket goes towards our Conservation Fund. Your ticket also supports all the great work being done at the Zoo, which includes the veterinary care our animals receive, but also injured and endangered wild New Zealand species. So from all of Auckland Zoo, thank you!
