What a busy and exciting time it has been at Jungle Friends! 

On November 14, 2018, a fter a year of collaboration with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Jungle Friends  welcomed 26 squirrel monkeys to their new home!  These monkeys had been in a nicotine addiction study. The monkeys  are preparing to live an "Almost Wild" life!

The monkeys' retirement was first reported in a CNN feature on Tuesday, December 4.

You may have read about the saga of these squirrel monkeys in the Washington Post. In September 2017 Dr. Jane Goodall sent a letter  to FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb urging him to cancel the research .

I n January 2018, Gottlieb  terminated the study permanently and announced plans to retire the monkeys involved to a sanctuary.  This is the first time the FDA has released monkeys in research to a sanctuary!  This  unprecedented event has opened the door for other monkeys to retire from the FDA!

The monkeys arrived safe and sound and look great! Oak, the monkey with rheumatoid arthritis, was in a flare when he arrived, most likely due to the stress of his journey. We expected this and our vet team treated him immediately upon his arrival. We are happy to report that Oak is doing just fine and back in his rightful position of leader in the troop!