A place to swing

In early September 2025, a new, large enclosure was built for the spider monkeys at AmaZOOnico. A generous donation from the German organization “Rettet den Regenwald” (Save the Rainforest) made it possible to provide the monkeys with a more natural environment. Thanks to the support of the many helpers from Isla Anaconda and the current volunteers at AmaZOOnico, the monkeys were able to move into their new enclosure on November 15, 2025.

We call it “a place to swing” because now that the monkeys are secured by an electric fence and a natural barrier and no longer have a wire mesh roof over their heads, they can climb as much and as high as they like. They now live in an environment that is much more in line with their natural habitat than their old enclosure.

We decided to proceed with the relocation of the spider monkeys in two phases. This means that only the females and young were moved first. We are now checking whether the enclosure is truly secure and that the monkeys cannot escape. Based on the current situation, we are confident that our male monkeys can also be moved soon. This also applies to Johan, who, according to our expert, is prone to escaping and therefore had to be kept separate from the others to ensure he didn’t leave his enclosure. A place to swing could be his chance to live with the other monkeys again.

We hope that the new environment will facilitate the release of more spider monkeys into the wild, because they will be better accustomed to the rainforest environment and will have significantly more space where they can learn the skills needed for life in the wild more effectively and actively.