USDA: CT zoo’s monkeys died after ingesting poison

BRIDGEPORT — When a pair of Goeldi’s monkeys at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo ingested rodent poison last year, zoo officials experienced a delay in contacting a veterinarian and the animals did not receive treatment, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These factors contributed to the animals’ deaths, which the report attributed to rodenticide toxicosis.

Federal inspectors found that zoo officials were unable to make contact with the facility’s attending veterinarian until the afternoon after the monkeys partially consumed a mouse that had ingested a pesticide meant to kill rodents on a Sunday morning in late July, the report shows.

When zoo officials reached the veterinarian that afternoon, the medical professional directed no treatment for the squirrelsized monkeys because they appeared to be normal, according to the report.

“In this emergency situation there were delays in reaching the AV (attending veterinarian),” USDA official Myra Brooks wrote in the report. “No treatment was provided to the two non-human primates and their deaths were the result.”

The report, which was completed last month following a December inspection visit, confirms that the animals died of “rodenticide toxicosis.”

Zoo officials believe the monkeys, known as Monty and Jovi, consumed the rodenticide on July 30 and died “at later dates” according to the report.

Zoo Director Gregg Dancho, who has previously described the incident as a “freak occurrence,” confirmed the report’s finding regarding the veterinarian.

“The veterinarian was contacted and at that point the monkeys were showing little signs of distress,” Dancho said. “And because they’re a very delicate animal, it was determined not to do anything that would get them more upset.”

Dancho said the zoo has since removed the pesticide from the facility’s Rainforest Building, which housed the monkeys, and from other places accessible to zoo animals. He noted that the incident marked the first time the pesticide ever caused an issue at the zoo and that none of the about 300 other animals were harmed by the product. He had previously said the zoo had used the rodenticide for about 10 years.

The inspection was completed by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is tasked with ensuring zoos, research facilities and animal dealers across the country adhere to federal animal welfare standards. The report was obtained by the Data Liberation Project, an initiative created to make government records more accessible to the public.

The report labels the incident as a critical noncompliance item, a term officials use to describe infractions of federal animal welfare standards that negatively impact the health and well-being of an animal. The report, however, did not come with any civil penalties or fines for the zoo.

“Facilities must use appropriate methods to prevent, control, diagnose, and treat diseases and injuries of regulated animals,” Brooks wrote. “Facilities must also have availability of emergency, weekend, and holiday care established in the Program of Veterinary Care.”

Monty and Jovi, a male and female pair aged 15 and 4, respectively, had been a popular attraction at the zoo. The exotic monkeys, also known as Callimico monkeys, were known for being animated and inquisitive, and their death prompted an outpouring of grief on social media.

Like some other animals at the zoo, the Goeldi’s monkeys did not strictly belong to the zoo but were a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan program, which relies on a network of zoos to maintain a healthy and genetically diverse population of certain species.

Goeldi’s monkeys, which are often covered in shaggy, black hair, are not an endangered species, but they are considered vulnerable due the reduction of their native habitat in the Amazon basin and the wildlife trade. The animals have been known to live as long as 21 years in captivity, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conser

Photo courtesy/Lillian Staron and Beardsley Zoo Two Goeldi’s monkeys died last year after consuming pesticide meant to kill rodents. The male and female pair were known as Monty, 15, and Jovi, 4.