Keeper Jasmine Almonte demonstrates the fun to be had at Ituri Forest!
It seems that Kinah never ceases to bring joy to all those around her, and lately, this has included her up close inspection of our guests visiting
Ituri Forest. For those readers unfamiliar with Kinah’s life here at the San Diego Zoo, she is our little miracle monkey, hand-raised in the Children’s Zoo after a tough start in life. (See Nerissa’s previous blog,
Springtime Monkey Business.) Through the dedication of our staff, Kinah became the strong, independent, and very curious little girl who delights her “fans” by getting right up to the glass for a visit!
Kinah inspects a Zoo visitor.
One feature of our north exhibit is the large underwater pool viewing. With the help of some strategically placed logs, Kinah can now come right up to the glass to check out what guests are wearing, snacking on, or carrying in their backpacks. I often come to this spot during the day to encourage guests to show what they have stashed in their pockets or bags. Kinah especially likes children and their stuffed toys. And being true to her swamp monkey self, she’s fascinated by all things shiny and mechanical. Since she must be bored to tears with my fancy ballpoint pen, I help her search out new objects to wonder over hidden in the pockets of other people!
Kinah’s fan base at the window has now spread to the other members of the troop, and it is not uncommon to see Mr. Toad, or Karen, close to the glass checking out a guest’s sunglasses or silk scarf. Not to mention Kinah’s attention-seeking rival and little sister, Makonnen. Since Mak was raised by her mom, Bunzi, she tends to be more shy of people she doesn’t know. But with her big sister around showing no fear, even Makonnen slaps and kicks at the glass to get a cheer from the crowd!
Kinah demonstrates her skills on the floating donut.
I’ve also started adding new floating toys to this big pool, and sure enough, Kinah is now a master at directing the floating donut along the glass. The first time she got too far away from land for her to jump safely, I had visions of rescue dancing in my head. I had no reason to worry, though; Kinah happens to be a master of the cannonball! When she wants to get off of the donut but realizes she’s a little too far from land, she jumps as high and far as she can and lands with a big splash in the pool. Since swamp monkeys are very good swimmers, it takes her no time at all to leap back onto a branch and shake her wet coat all over her family!
So, next time you want some laughs and good, clean fun, come visit Kinah! But beware, you may not be able to pry yourself away if she’s anywhere near the floating donut!
Nerissa Foland is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
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November 29th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I’ve been wondering what this little girl was up to. Her’s is one of my favorite stories! Does she like mirrors?
November 29th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Kinah seems like a real party animal I wish there was a zoo around here but the closest one is in abilene and the San Diego Zoo is way better I have got to come visit =^..^=
December 3rd, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Nerissa, what a treat to hear of Kinah’s newest escapades. I love hearing about what she is up to. She truely is a miracle monkey. Are there plans for her to have a baby of her own in the next year or two? Since she got to seen Bunzi deliver and raise Mak, she has had great lessons in motherhood. Last time I asked you about this you indicated she was still to young to bare an offspring. When will she reach sexual maturity and be of breeding age?
December 4th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Although females monkeys can gain weight and therefore reach sexual maturity a little sooner in managed care than in the wild (due to a consistent, highly nutritional diet), we usually wait until our swamp monkeys are around six years old before trying to breed them. Since Kinah is now only two, we would traditionally have a few more years before she reaches sexual maturity. Although Kinah is thriving here in Ituri Forest, she is still very small for her age, and due to these unique physical conditions, I do not believe there has been a decision made on whether she will breed.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:51 am
I wish i could visit the zoo over the holiday season.
December 12th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
i love kinah, mr toad, karen,mak, and bunzi
December 27th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I had a great visit with the group today. The only problem was their attention outlasted the showing of my “treasures” and I finally had to let them see that I had nothing more in my bag. Thank you for your blog and for all that you do.
January 1st, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I am so glad that a frequent visitor told me about this… We visited briefly with two of the swamp monkeys today, and had a marvelous time! They are so cute and curious. Happy New Year!