Monkey of the Month: Izzle



Izzle is a 20-year-old male rhesus macaque who has been at Primates Inc. sanctuary for seven years this month! He was one of the first monkeys to arrive. Izzle is a prime example of how monkeys can adapt and thrive in sanctuary life. When Izzle first arrived, he tended to be aggressive and was uncertain whether or not to trust us. However, over the years, he has developed a calm demeanor and a sweet protectiveness over the others – especially Bella who lives right across from him. That is why we affectionately call him “Papa Izzle.”


Izzle is currently the largest monkey at Primates Inc., and he is also one of our most dominant monkeys. Izzle is still awaiting his perfect future groupmate due to his strong dominant behavior. He is thriving singly housed and enjoying sanctuary life by vocalizing with and observing the other monkeys while enjoying his amenities. He receives safe grooming outside the enclosure by staff with a backscratcher when he “presents” his chest to be groomed. He is a success story of a singly-housed rhesus monkey from a lab who is still deserving of a chance at sanctuary life.


As you can see in the pictures, he is easily distinguishable from the other monkeys due to his long, beautiful hair. He is very observant and loves to keep an eye on humans and monkeys, often using the many mirrors in his enclosures. Izzle also enjoys magazine enrichment, foraging, and black kong toys.



His also a sensitive monkey who doesnt like changes to his routine. He is not a fan of boots unless they are already on a human’s feet, and he doesn’t like when humans wear hats or rain ponchos. However, he is easily soothed by calm music and talk radio. Izzle is also a very clean monkey. His enclosures are almost always the cleanest of all the monkeys. He doesn’t like to get his hands messy. If we put enrichment treats in his tub of water, he will sometimes dump the tub out to avoid getting his hands wet — and then will pick all the treats out. Some monkeys like the rain but as you probably guessed it, Izzle does not. Regardless, he still loves to sit by the door to watch the rain and keep an eye on the other monkeys. We are so honored to care for Izzle and the rest of our residents!


To see how you can support Izzle and monkey residents at Primates Incorporated, please visit www.primatesinc.com. Thank you!