February 14, 2015

   

It's February 14, and you know what that means. It's Elvis and Pickle's big day! After a year of terrible loss they have found true love together!

Elvis (left) and Pickles (right) are keeping things pretty private, and we can't get a good photo of them together. We'll keep trying, and when we get one, we'll put it on Facebook!

Elvis came to us in 2007 after doing what any self-respecting young monkey does -- he bit his humans. It took him a while to settle in, but Elvis eventually found not one but TWO best friends!

Until last year, Elvis, Tyler and Sammy were the most entertaining monkey trio in the sanctuary. Elvis was the wild and crazy dominant one, always the first to grab a treat and tease Sammy and Tyler. Sammy was relatively relaxed, and his sweet wrinkly face could often be seen looking through the runway while Elvis or Tyler groomed him. And Tyler, the baby of the three, bounced between his two best friends making sure they never forgot he was there.

But last year tragedy struck, and this is the hard part of the story to tell. In April, little Tyler fell ill and passed

Tyler

away from cancer. Then Sammy had a very mysterious illness -- his skin was raw and peeling

Elvis grooming Sammy

-- baffling the vets. When Sammy passed in October from what turned out to be cutaneous lymphoma, we were all heartbroken. (Read Tyler and Sammy's tributes)

But imagine Elvis's heartbreak! He had lost his two best friends in just a few months. We were worried about him, it was so sad to see Elvis alone. We were desperate to find him a companion.

Pickles

Meanwhile, on the other side of the sanctuary, beautiful little Pickles was living alone after losing her long-time companion, Billy, to old age. Pickles grieved over the loss of Billy and was in need of a friend.

The death of a monkey is very sad for all of us, but life goes on, and our job is to help the monkeys left behind find new companions. When we moved Elvis to a habitat near Pickles, they hit it off right away! Their eyebrows were lifted to the sky in flirts, and their vocalizations could be heard throughout the sanctuary and were, well, pretty sexy. Elvis had never had a girlfriend, and boy was he excited!

Now, Elvis and Pickles are one of the sweetest monkey love matches we've seen. They've emerged from their loss to find each other just in time for Valentine's Day!  

February is my birthday month and Elvis's, so you know what that means! This year my Birthday Wish is that every single monkey find a sponsor. Please sponsor Pickles or Elvis. Your monthly support will help keep them healthy and happy!

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day from all of the Jungle Friends monkeys.

P.S. Please remember my birthday wish -- a sponsor for every monkey! Sponsor Pickles, Elvis, or any of the monkeys and you will receive a personal invitation to meet them at Sponsor Safari on April 18!