Mealworm Valentine treats charm London Zoo's squirrel monkeys

London, February 12

Staff at London Zoo have helped the leader of a squirrel monkey family keep his seven partners happy ahead of Valentine’s Day with some special treats: heart-themed hessian bags filled with mealworms.

Nine-year-old Nuka and his fellow Bolivian black-capped squirrel monkeys adore the treats. While the keepers ensured there was a bag for each monkey, they wrestled over the mealworms.

ZSL London Zoo’s gates remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the absence of paying visitors has caused significant financial pressure on ZSL’s charity zoos.

The international conservation charity, which also runs Whipsnade Zoo in southern England, has called on the public to donate however much they can to keep the zoos functioning during the coronavirus lockdown.

Black-capped squirrel monkeys are polygynandrous, meaning females and males have multiple partners, according to the New England Primate Conservancy. Reuters