Monkey Jungle attraction open again after setbacks

Late 2017 and early 2018 brought one obstacle after another: damage from Hurricane Irma, allegations of animal abuse, the death of one of its most beloved animals. Now, Monkey Jungle is slowly getting back on its feet.

The animal attraction in south Miami-Dade County quietly reopened on May 1, following an extensive cleanup project at the 30-acre park. Hurricane Irma wreaked extensive damage at the 83-year-old, family-run attraction in September, downing massive trees. A GoFundMe campaign raised nearly $18,500 for the repairs, which the park estimates cost about $400,000.

During a visit to Monkey Jungle last week, little tree damage was visible in the thickly forested areas of an attraction that bills itself as a place where the “humans are caged and the monkeys run wild.” But a thinner tree canopy and the summer heat have presented a challenge, said director Steve Jacques. Attendance is good but not excellent, he said; the park attracts about 100,000 guests a year.

During the eight months when the park was shuttered, it faced some of the greatest challenges in its 80-plus-year history.

In November, eight former park employees claimed the park was confining its animals to small, filthy enclosures, leaving medical problems untreated and withholding food. Though the park did not initially comment on the allegations, it later released several statements to the Miami Herald saying the accusations were false.

In an interview, Jacques and park owner Sharon Dumond addressed the allegations. They claimed that one of the former employees staged photos of the park’s star orangutan (Mei) and gorilla (King) in sub-par conditions.

Lustig quit her job as great-ape keeper in September 2017 over the disagreements. Still, Lustig’s accusations were corroborated by more than half a dozen former employees, some of whom worked at the park years prior to the 2017 allegations. Some said the park didn’t properly care for its 49-year-old gorilla, King. He had red, bleeding sores on his abdomen and back.

Dumond said King’s sores have emerged over years of him picking at the area out of anxiety and that the park has tried creams and sprays to alleviate the issue. The park’s veterinarians are trying a powder in hopes that it could help close the wounds, Dumond said.

Monkey Jungle is inspected annually by the USDA and biannually by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The park was re-inspected by the USDA following the allegations in late November in what the USDA called a “focused inspection.”

“No non-compliant items identified during this inspection,” USDA wrote in its report.

Then in December came another blow. An annual physical exam of Mei found the 33-year-old orangutan had a very large tumor that was pushing on her organs. The park consulted with the Center for Great Apes, a nonprofit great-ape sanctuary in Central Florida, to move Mei for surgery. Dumond agreed to leave Mei there after the operation because the center had the necessary facilities for the three- to five-month postoperative care that was needed.

But days after her surgery in late January, Mei died. The park did not announce the death but tells guests about her passing when they ask about her.

Center for Great Apes founder Patti Ragan confirmed Mei’s death and said a necropsy found the tumor was very large and had likely been there several years undetected. “I don’t think it had to do with her environment; our vets didn’t feel that way,” Ragan said. “It wasn’t noticeable. Nobody really knew the extent until the surgery.”

Up next for the park, Jacques said, is rebuilding the tree canopy.