The Bronx Zoo has closed down The Monkey House. We knew this was coming; it follows the closing of both The Lion House and The Elephant House. But, unlike those two, where other accommodations were made, namely more space outdoors, the monkeys were treated shabbily.
Understand, they were the single most popular animal there for decades. All the statistics bear this out. Search zoo animal popularity and you'll get the proof. Speaking personally, I loved those monkeys. During dark times in my life I've spent quality time with those creatures. More than one lent me a sympathetic ear and you know the size of those ears. Quiet nods and an occasional shriek greeted my recounting of adolescent angst, which has haunted me for decades.
Now it was my turn to comfort them, but, alas, the place was locked when I arrived. I have a friend at the zoo who informed me over 60 monkeys were laid off. Just handed pink slips. All sorts of reasons were tossed out. Failure to Climb, Inaccurate Spitting, Defecating on the Keepers, Bad Breath, Rotting Teeth, Copulating During Hours, etc.
Here's the sad thing. I got off the subway and all along the route to the zoo, every few steps, I'm confronted with capuchins, squirrel monkeys, tamarins, marmosets, and one large, lost orangutang, along with regular monkeys, each holding out their hand, pleading for spare change. When I rushed past, head down, embarrassed, they jumped up and down, shrieking and chattering. I think I made out something that sounded like son of a bitch. This will get uglier before it gets better.
Where oh where is the safety net?
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