Meet the Thriving Monkeys of Florida’s Swampy Forests
I never knew there were wild monkeys in Florida…
Cruising the Silver River feels like you’ve gone across the world and back in time. — Quincy Dunn-Baker
I’ve been to Florida several times and have come to love the Sunshine State’s sandy beaches, beautiful warm weather, and abundance of water-related activities.
I’m also drawn to its varied and fascinating wildlife, both on land and underwater, where another world reveals itself. I’ve come to view manatees, sea turtles, crocodiles, dolphins, and reef-dwelling creatures as Florida icons, and these animals are perfectly suited to Florida’s diverse habitats.
But I recently learned of an animal that I never would have imagined being able to see in the wild in Florida — monkeys.
And there’s good reason for that: they’re not native to this part of the world. While they fit right in in the jungle landscapes of Southeast Asia, where I’ve seen them crowding ancient temples reclaimed by nature, they seem a bizarre addition to the swampy forests of central Florida.
It turns out that rhesus macaques have been thriving in the Silver Springs State Park area for close to 85 years. The Silver River is only an hour’s drive from Orlando, one of the state’s biggest…
