Capuchins Get New Climbing Frame

The cheeky Capuchin monkeys at Drusillas Park have been excitedly playing on their brand-new climbing frame. After a few weeks living behind the scenes, the Capuchin have returned to their enclosure and are thrilled with their new toy.

The naturally curious Capuchins were a little apprehensive to begin with; unsure what to make of the large new object occupying their enclosure. However, after a bit of observation they established that the climbing frame wasn’t going to launch an attack and was actually pretty fun to play on.

Head Keeper, Sophie Leadbitter, said: “It’s hard to tell who is more impressed with the climbing frame, us or them! Previously they had high ropes to play with but this is a much more diverse structure. They have extra space for climbing, jumping, exploring and generally monkeying around.”

“Capuchins are extremely intelligent and mischievous to boot! So they need lots of enrichment and activity every day. We thought it was time they had some new toys to play with, so we’ve built them a brand-new climbing frame, which they seem to absolutely love!”

In the wild Capuchins can be found in the tropical forests throughout South America. They are the most intelligent of the South American monkeys and have in the past been used as helpers for quadriplegic people.

Head Keeper, Sophie Leadbitter, said: “Capuchins have a long prehensile tail which they use like an extra hand and are extremely agile. They spend a great deal of their time moving about, so making sure they have enough stimulation is incredibly important.”

“A core part of our daily enrichment programme is ensuring food is delivered in imaginative way and that there are lots of different options for physical activity. This new climbing frame will provide lots of mental and physical stimulation for our Capuchins. They are absolutely loving exploring the new frame and have been spending most of their days sussing out different routes across and ways to play on it together. We even saw them christen it with some pretty naughty adult behaviour – so we’re fairly confident they like it.”