Homosassa's Monkey Island monkeys residing in Brooksville during island's renovation
Photos from the Historic Monkey Island Facebook page.
The three spider monkeys who currently live on Monkey Island are Ralph (the dominent monkey), his mate, Sassy, and their daughter, Ebony. The three have been temporarily relocated to Boyette's Grove & Citrus Attraction (4355 Spring Lake Hwy.) in Brooksville, Florida, while long overdue improvements are being made to their living and safety conditions on Monkey Island.
In 2019, the Lowman family purchased the Florida Riverside Cracker Resort, and with it Monkey Island. Shortly thereafter, a non-profit organization, Historic Monkey Island, Inc. (with eight board members) was created to provide quality, long-term care of the island's monkeys. Board members made plans for improvemensts, and in 2022, presented a proposed budget to the Crystal River Tourist Development Council, with the hope that the council would match their funds to redevelop Monkey Island, which was approved, and about $150,000 is expected to be spent on improvements. More wild monkeys may be added to the island.
Construction on the improvemens began in October 2022. A new home for the monkeys has been built, which needs air conditioning, heating and ventilation. Withlacochee River Electric Cooperative will install the electric wiring, which needs to be installed under the river to connect the island to the mainland's power. The company will drill through rocks to complete this portion of the project. Electric poles have been installed; one pole will have an osprey nest at the top. The lighthouse, the only original structure that will remain on the island, will be refurbished. A new system of ropes will be installed for the enjoyment of the monkeys and the people watching them swing. Cameras will be installed so that people can view the ospreys and monkeys from home. New barriers will also be installed around the island.
The river's water discourages the monkeys from leaving, and barriers around the island discourage boaters and kayakers from landing on the island or approaching the monkeys too closely. Signs warn that trespassing and feeding the monkeys is illegal, and the island is under 24-hour video surveillance.
In the 1960s, the area of the Homosassa River that eventally became Monkey Island was a navigational hazard to boats, due to a cluster of rocks in the river that were submerged and not visable during high tide. G.A. "Furgy" Furgason, a developer in Citrus County, Florida during the 1960s, heard about the rocks, so he directed a dragline operator to pile dirt around the rocks to make them more visable, but so much dirt was placed that an island was created, and plant life began to grow on it. Furgason then had the lighthouse built for the safety of boaters.
Monkeys had been brought to the area from Africa, for scientists who were working to improve the polio vaccine, and after they completed their research, the monkeys were housed at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, which Furgason had developed. However, the monkeys became nuisances at the wildlife park, and the monkeys were transferred to the Homosassa River island that quickly became known as Monkey Island.
The monkeys are fed twIce each day. Their diet consists of fruits (they especially enjoy oranges), vegetables, peanut butter, and USDA-approved monkey chow, to ensure they receive adequate nutrition.
According to a Feb. 23, 2023 article by Diedra Rodriguez, FOX 13 News, the island initially housed three spider monkeys and two squirrel monkeys. Two of the squirrel monkeys were Tim and Tiny, who passed away in 2006. They were replaced by Eve and Emily (Emily came from a family in Kentucky), who were initially transported to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but when caretakers there were unable to obtain a wildlife license, Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary in Gainesville, Florida aranged with the Homosassa resort owners for Eve and Emily to live on the island. One of the original spider monkeys, Sassy, who was considered the matriarch of the group, died in 2017. Eve passed away in 2020.
For more information about Brooksville's roadside attraction, call 352-796-2289, or visit www.BoyettsGrove.com. To learn when the monkeys will return to Monkey Island, sometime between March and the end of June, 2023, call the Florida Cracker Riverside Resort at (352) 628-2474, or visit the resort's website at www.FloridaCrackerRiversideResort.com. You can visit the Historic Monkey Island website at www.HistoricMonkeyIsland.com or visit its Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/HistoricMonkeyIsland.