We are heartbroken to share the passing of our four-month-old black-handed spider monkey infant.

On June 24, in the early afternoon, Daisy’s infant was found unresponsive in his habitat. Our Rainforest Revealed team acted fast to move the rest of the troop to a separate habitat, so only Daisy and her baby remained. The infant was rushed to our L3 Harris Animal Care Center and immediately received emergency treatment from our veterinary staff. An exam was performed, and blood was collected. Antibiotics, fluids, vitamin K and steroids were administered, and the infant was hospitalized with oxygen and heat support. After a short time, the infant passed on his own.

We are still waiting on further testing to identify what caused the infant’s sudden and rapid decline. Our necropsy results revealed no significant findings, but we hope to learn more from histopathology, or the microscopic examination of the cells of organs. We are hopeful these results can shed some light on what happened to this infant. These results could take several months to arrive, but we plan to share them with you once we learn more.

Our entire Zoo family is devastated by this loss. At his young age, Daisy’s infant had already made such a big impact on our staff, volunteers and visitors. His animal care team will remember him for his adorable antics and growing independence.

“Daisy’s infant was such a sweet little boy,” said Rainforest Revealed Area Supervisor Grace. “He was beginning to grow in his confidence and would take little trips climbing a foot or two away from Daisy to start to explore on his own. Despite Daisy’s desire to guard him closely, he found his moments to investigate enrichment or even sneak a little snack from keepers.”

The youngling spent his time between these small excursions to play with Olive’s infant, Baby Joe, or cuddle with his father, Mateo. However, he never strayed far from Daisy’s sight. This was Daisy’s first baby, and she had shown strong maternal instincts.

“We are also grieving this loss for Daisy, as she was an incredibly loving and attentive mother to this little one,” said Grace. “She was an amazing mother to her son.”

Daisy has been reunited with the rest of the troop, and she has been showing positive behavior so far. Her keepers will continue to monitor her for behavior changes and ensure that she’s getting some extra quality time.

Please keep our Rainforest Revealed keepers in your thoughts. It is devastating to lose any one of our animal residents but losing one as young as this infant is especially difficult.

Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.