BOISE, Idaho — There are a lot of faces to see at Zoo Boise from all around the world, but one face has stood the test of time in the City of Trees.
Kristen VanOrder is a zoo keeper. Her job is unique in the sense that her boss not only encourages her to be wrapped up in monkey business – it’s required.
One primate VanOrder partakes in protecting, it’s a name that throws you into a different time: Elvis the spider monkey.
Like the music icon, this guy has great pipes.
“He also likes to scream if there's guys around and he decides that he likes the ladies that are around,” VanOrder said.
Elvis is a longtime resident of Zoo Boise – we are talking about going back to when bellbottoms were popular.
“He has been here since the 1970s and he is actually almost 62 years old,” VanOrder said.
Logical follow-up question: is that an impressive age record or typical for spider monkeys?
“We don't really have a ton of information on what the oldest age is, but I think in New York or Europe, there is maybe one other spider monkey that's older," VanOrder said. "But he's definitely one of the oldest we know about."
Temperament wise – kind of like Elvis – the spider monkey fancies himself a ladies’ man, but in a much different way, think a protective primate.
“In spider monkeys' structure, they tend to be one male and then have multiple females in their group. We don't have that specifically here at Boise," VanOrder said. "So, he has Sarah, who's his nice little roommate, but he then decides that all of the female keepers that take care of him are also part of his group. So, myself and a couple other keepers are included in that."
When men come around, Elvis makes sure they know he is the king.
“He kind of gets very, very protective," VanOrder said. "You'll hear him vocalizing a lot and he'll kind of shake the mesh and be like, 'no, get away from my ladies., So, that's kind of why he's more active."
Spider monkeys are quite the creatures, and Elvis is no exception.
“His blue eyes always really, really stand out. It's a good way to tell him apart from Sarah, but he almost always is leaping around in there," VanOrder said. "He'll come and he'll press his chest to the glass. He likes to squish his lips on the glass."
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