The Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo has lost a beloved resident, Rhonda the Grivet Monkey, Zoo Director and Curator Ashley Burdick announced Thursday.
“She was humanely euthanized Wednesday after animal care staff and veterinarians determined her quality of life had deteriorated to a point where we could no longer keep her comfortable,” according to a news release. She has been treated for arthritis for several years and despite treatment and exhibit modifications, her mobility has been greatly impacted.
“Rhonda, Tupac and Acia moved to the zoo back in 2007, as adult monkeys. We are unsure their exact age, but we believe her to be at least in her late teens or twenties. This particular species has a much shorter lifespan than other similarly sized monkeys and ranges from 11-24 years in both the wild and captivity. Rhonda will be dearly missed by our keeper staff and the public — she was such a character. Her favorite enrichment activities were those that resulted in tasty treats, and in the last several days she received many extra snacks and time with keepers.
“During a previous physical we found a tumor on her neck. At the time it was benign, but a full necropsy was performed and samples were sent to Kansas State University for analysis. We did discover some abnormalities in some of her other organs, as well as another potential tumor.
“These decisions are never made lightly; for our older animals, we start tracking their daily movement, food intake and behavior while they are still normal so we can track downward progressions of any of the areas. We then sit down as an animal care staff with the veterinarians and thoroughly go over various aspects of an animal’s quality of life to determine if we can continue to keep them comfortable or if we must say goodbye so the animals are not in pain. These animals are like family to us and it is always hard to lose them.”
Burdick said at this time there are no plans for the zoo to acquire more grivet monkeys. They are not very common in zoos and they are listed as “least concern” in the wild as far as endangered species are concerned. She said the zoo’s focus right now is to renovate and expand some of the exhibits that animals are already in before bringing in new species.
Zoo staff were already mourning the loss of Zito, a Lar Gibbon, in late November.
“Our zookeepers make strong bonds with our zoo animals and while the public is sad also, please send caring thoughts to those that work with our animals on a daily basis,” Burdick said. For more information follow the Zoo’s Facebook page or call 620-793-4226.
