Squirrel monkeys play a home game at London Zoo
Thursday 8 June 2006
London Zoo’s 11 monkeys play a friendly before Saturday’s match.
London Zoo’s 11 squirrel monkeys will be enjoying a knockabout in preparation for England’s first match on Saturday.
The zoo’s “team” of Bolivian black-capped squirrel monkeys will be playing with a boomer ball, specially painted with the St George’s Cross, in preparation for Saturday’s big game.
Boomer balls are virtually indestructible balls used for enrichment with different animals around the zoo and the curious squirrel monkeys are sure to have a ball with theirs.
The monkeys are part of London Zoo’s Meet the Monkeys exhibit, which opened Easter 2005, where visitors walk through the enclosure and get closer to these amazing animals.
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Notes to editors
Squirrel monkeys:
Squirrel monkeys run along the branches of the forest canopy using their tails to balance. They are highly sociable and live in troops of up to 20 individuals. Their brightly coloured hair helps them spot each other among the trees.
They are found in Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, Columbia. London Zoo’s monkeys are Bolivian black-capped squirrel monkeys.
They eat mainly insects, but also fruit and seeds.
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