Four critically endangered monkeys have found a new home. Keepers at Drusillas Zoo Park in Alfriston were thrilled to welcome the troop of yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys from Dudley Zoo in the West Midlands. Also known as golden-bellied capuchins, the species is among the most threatened primate in the world with fewer than 3,000 remaining in the wild.
They are classed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Keepers said the monkeys are settling in brilliantly. It is a species-first for the zoo and an important step in the conservation of the primates.
One of the capuchins (Image: Drusillas) The four males, nine-year-olds Doyle and Chops, six-year-old Deet and five-year-old Clint, all from the same family group, have already won the hearts of the team at Drusillas and are delighting visitors with their many facial expressions, inquisitive natures and individual personalities, which are becoming more prominent each day. Zoo manager Mark Kenward said: “Although the boys were from the same family group, moving to a new home created a new dynamic for them, so in the first few days we observed them trying to establish a hierarchy. Deet made the first play to be the ‘boss’ attempting to exhibit dominant behaviours but was very quickly overruled by the more confident and naturally authoritative Doyle who has settled into the leadership role.
“Clint is definitely Doyle’s right-hand man, the two of them are quite similar in .