Two new saki monkeys join the Santa Barbara Zoo family

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara Zoo announced it is excited to welcome two new white-faced saki monkeys to its family.

Penelope and Calabaza are the first two of their kind to call the Santa Barbara Zoo home. The zoo explained that white-faced sakis are named for the male’s appearance which includes all black hair and a distinctive white face. Meanwhile, the females and their young have brownish-gray “salt-and-pepper” hair. 

The primates are capable of leaping as far as 30 feet between tree branches and primarily live in the treetops of the South American rainforests.

Calabaza is currently three-years-old and came to the West Coast from Zoo Miami, where he lived with his parents and one-year-old sister. Penelope is two years old and came from Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.

 “Penelope has settled in well and while she’s still a bit shy, she has been opening up and starting to show her personality more and more,” said Kristen Wieners, Zoological Manager & Training Facilitator at the Santa Barbara Zoo. “Calabaza is very curious about everything and anything in his surroundings, and is also quite the talker when he gets excited! We are in the process of introducing the two to each other, and so far things are going well.” 

Penelope and Calabaza came to Santa Barbara after being matched by the Species Survival Plan (SSP) managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

The zoo said white-faced saki populations face various human-related threats, including hunting, pet trade, and habitat destruction. The Santa Barbara Zoo participates in the white-faced saki Species Survival Plan, a shared conservation effort by zoos throughout the AZA.

Zoo guests can look forward to hearing the loud calls of these new monkeys when the zoo reopens. Both male and female tend to sing together to establish their territory.

Penelope and Calabaza can be found in the primate exhibit near the penguins with the golden lion tamarins, an endangered species of monkey also native to South American rainforests, and more specifically Brazil.

For more information about these new additions and the Santa Barbara Zoo, visit www.sbzoo.org.

The Santa Barbara Zoo has been closed since Dec. 7 due to the state's Regional Stay Home Order. This order will remain in effect until the weekend after Christmas unless extended. The state hopes to slow the spread of COVID-19 during the holiday season as case numbers have increased country-wide.

To donate to the Zoo’s Emergency Operations Fund, click here.