Monkey Jungle, owned and operated by the DuMond family for three generations, is home to 400 primates, most running free on a 30-acre reserve. It is one of the few protected habitats for endangered primates in the United States and the only one that the general public can explore. The park dates back to 1933, when Joseph DuMond, an animal behaviorist, released six monkeys into the wilds of a dense South Florida hammock. Visitors today are immediately welcomed by this Java monkey troop, now numbering nearly 100. The monkeys forage for food throughout the reserve, a sight that continues to be a visit highlight. The Java monkey is a skilled diver in the wild, collecting crabs and other shellfish along riverbanks and mangrove swamps. Scheduled feedings at Monkey Jungle show off these water skills as animals dive into a pool to receive fruit from the guides. As part of the park's continuing effort to promote an understanding of primates, it offers a look at the lifestyle of the loveable orangutan. Thirty species of primates are represented at the reserve, including gibbons, guenons, and spider monkeys. Monkey Jungle proudly participates in an international effort to save the tiny golden lion tamarin, native to the Brazilian jungle and threatened with extinction.

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