Two monkey “tails” at Zoo Atlanta: Celebrating Kinshasa and JJ

An “aunt.” A dad. A positive reinforcement training virtuoso. A survivor of a real-life conservation crisis.  

This past week, we said goodbye to two of the older members of our Monkeys of Makokou complex in The Ford African Rain Forest. They were different species, with different circumstances and seemingly unrelated lives. But a closer look shows us that as different as they may seem, Kinshasa and JJ had much in common – especially when it comes to the ways their stories highlight our mission.  

We want you to know their stories.  

A story of amazing strides: Kinshasa  

Every day, we work to share the incredible lengths our Animal Care and Veterinary Teams explore to ensure that every animal at the Zoo lives the best life possible. Equally amazing are the relationships between caregivers and animals, built through positive reinforcement and trust, which enable the animals to participate in their own health care. The story of Kinshasa the Angolan colobus highlights these attributes better than most.  

 Kinshasa arrived at Zoo Atlanta in 2009, and 14 years ago, she was diagnosed with diabetes. Our Angolan colobus group is one of the largest in human care in North America, so it’s easy to imagine the challenges involved in working to get a single individual to separate herself from her group to participate in testing to manage her diabetes. Thanks to advanced positive reinforcement training behaviors and great relationships with the Small Primate Team and Veterinary Team, Kinshasa routinely removed herself from the group to voluntarily provide urine samples to test her glucose and ketone levels, which helped the teams assess her response to treatment. This routine, combined with dietary adjustments and medication, gave Kinshasa many good years with her group – a group where, although she was not a mother herself, she was often sought out as a favorite “aunt” among the habitat’s many youngsters.  

Earlier this week, an exam revealed that Kinshasa, who was almost 20, was in renal failure. Given her poor prognosis, the teams decided to humanely euthanize her on February 5. 

Admired by her care team for her gentleness and pleasant demeanor, Kinshasa was “one of a kind,” shared Jodi Carrigan, Curator of Primates. “She will always have a special place in our hearts.” 

A face with a name: JJ  

We often talk about the illegal wildlife trade and its consequences for both wildlife and humans. When he was a juvenile in the wild in Africa, JJ the Schmidt’s guenon was orphaned when his mother was killed by a poacher for bushmeat. While JJ was fortunately saved, he was so young that human care was his only option for survival.  

When we encourage conservation action and share some of wildlife’s most prevalent challenges – the wildlife trade, habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and others – we never want those themes to be merely names of activities happening far away. But because of his beginnings, JJ put a face with a name to connect the reality of these activities that threaten wildlife.  

And what a face!  

After spending his early youth at other accredited organizations, JJ came to us at Zoo Atlanta. Like Kinshasa, he arrived in 2009, and the two were neighbors in our mixed-species habitat at Monkeys of Makokou. With partners Jill and later Bam, JJ became the father of seven offspring born here at the Zoo. (Remember all the adorable Schmidt’s guenon baby photos we’ve shared with you over the years? Many of JJ’s babies too were admirers of “aunt” Kinshasa the Angolan colobus.)  

We don’t know JJ’s birthdate, so we can’t know his age for sure. We do know he was at least 24 years old – geriatric for a species with a median lifespan of just under 19 – and was one of the oldest male Schmidt’s guenons in human care in North America.  

Like Kinshasa’s, JJ’s story was also one of the extraordinary commitment and determination of our Animal Care and Veterinary Teams to mitigate health challenges. As happens with some older people, too, he was diagnosed with heart disease. In recent years, our teams worked to monitor his condition through repeated echocardiograms and CT scans. On February 7, JJ presented with acute paralysis of his back limbs. Upon examining him, veterinarians determined this was caused by a clot in his aorta, secondary to his previously diagnosed heart disease. Unfortunately, his condition had advanced to the point that he would not have regained function of his legs, and his heart was severely compromised. The kindest choice for JJ was to humanely euthanize him.  

These decisions are never, ever easy for our Animal Care and Veterinary Teams and are extremely difficult for those who know the animals individually, are caring for them on a daily basis, and have a deep stake in their lives and wellbeing. When all other options for wellness have been explored, there is never a desire to prolong suffering.  

JJ had a long life that leaves quite a legacy. Through his offspring, many of whom now live at other AZA-accredited organizations and have started families of their own, he is a grandfather and even a great-grandfather, with more than 20 descendants and counting. His two youngest offspring, Jack, born last year, and Flynn, born in 2022, are here at Zoo Atlanta with mother Bam.  

In his origins, we find a story that helps us share the immediacy of a global conservation challenge. As an individual, he’ll stay with us for his affinity for people-watching, his excellence as a father, and his perfectly heart-shaped nose.  

“I was able to watch him grow from a playful, sassy adolescent into a strong and assertive adult. He was an outstanding father,” Jodi shares. “We’re so proud of the awareness he brought to our guests about the importance of conservation.”  

Stories of the extraordinary commitment of our teams and the remarkable relationships between the animals and those who care for them abound around every corner and in every habitat at Zoo Atlanta. Next time you visit us and have an opportunity to meet one of our animal care professionals, you’re sure to hear one.  

(Kinshasa photos: Karin Keller; JJ photos: Jodi Carrigan and Zoo Atlanta)