The Chattanooga Zoo announced the arrival of three black-crested mangabeys to their new home in Gombe Forest.
Two females, Roxie and Suzy, and one male, Sam, were rescued from the illegal meat trade in Congo, Africa, and sent to the United States for safe haven.
After spending a few years at the San Antonio Zoo, these primates have found a home at the Chattanooga Zoo.
“All of us here at the zoo feel privileged to provide a home for these highly endangered primates,” Darde Long, zoo executive director, said. “We hope their story will inspire everyone to get involved with and support animal conservation efforts both here and abroad."
In recent years, the hunting of primates like black-crested mangabeys has reached epic proportions in parts of Africa. Mangabeys are hunted for their meat, which is then sold illegally on the black market, creating what many conservationists refer to as the “bushmeat phenomenon."
Roxie, Sam and Suzy are adjusting well to their new home in Chattanooga, zoo management said. The zoo's staff looks forward to warmer spring weather, which will allow the mangabeys to alternate exhibit space with their neighbors, the chimpanzees.
This article is published with permission of NewsChannel 9.
