LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — An animal preserve in Palm Beach County has a new bundle of joy on display for visitors.
Lion Country Safari said in a Thursday statement that they welcomed a new squirrel monkey to its troop on Dec. 2.
The newest addition, named Everett, was born to parents Ella and Archer.
They can be seen at the preserve's squirrel monkey habitat in Safari World, which was completed in March 2023.
Officials at Lion Country Safari said they are home to a breeding troop of eight squirrel monkeys.
"These monkeys are genetically valuable for the Squirrel Monkey Species Survival Plan (SSP), a breeding and conservation program for threatened and endangered species in human care," Lion Country Safari said in a statement. "Squirrel monkeys are currently listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but their wild populations are in decline due to habitat loss and the pet trade."
Squirrel monkeys are native to the rainforests of Central and South America and are well adapted for life in the trees.
