Visiting Florida and want to hold a monkey? Fortunately, there are a few places that offer monkey encounters in Florida.
Although there aren’t a lot of places that offer this service, there are enough to make it possible if you really have your heart set on holding an adorable monkey.
The following is a list of places where you can hold a monkey in Florida:
Exotic Animal Experience:
Address: Orlando, FL (Call for complete directions)
Website: www.exoticanimalexperience.net
Established in 2010, the Exotic Animal Experience is a private zoo in Orlando that features exotic animals. The zoo is home to exotic animals such as monkeys, lemurs, kangaroos, sloths and more.
For an extra fee, visitors can hold one or both of the zoo’s two spider monkeys, Ella Blue and Jake, or they can pet and hold a sloth.
Zoological Wildlife Foundation:
Address: 16225 SW 172 Ave Miami, FL
Website: zoologicalwildlifefoundation.com
Established in 2000, the Zoological Wildlife Foundation is a zoo in Miami that features rare and endangered animals. The zoo is home to animals such as American alligators, leopards, monkeys, chimpanzees, tigers, jaguars, ligers, lions and more.
For an extra fee, visitors can take part in the Primate Experience or the Primate Encounter.
The Primate Experience is a one-hour encounter during which visitors can play with a variety of primates and get to watch juvenile and adult primates from a distance.
The Primate Encounter is a five minute interaction with a primate of your choosing.
In addition, the zoo offers a number of other animal encounters, such as a cougar cub encounter, feline experience, serval encounter, tug-of-war big cat experience, kangaroo encounter, tamandua encounter, owl encounter, sloth encounter, F1 savannah encounter and more.
In 2020, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued the zoo a written warning after a child was bitten by a chimpanzee at the zoo.
Tree Top Exotics:
Address: 6950 Cleary Pines Trail, West Palm Beach, FL
Website: treetopexotics.com
Established over 20 years ago, Tree Top Exotics is a supplier of exotic animals in West Palm beach that allows visitors to tour their facility. The facility features Fennec foxes, monkeys, tortoises and Kinkajous.
Visitors to the facility are allowed to hold and feed monkeys and enter the Fennec fox enclosure to view the foxes.
Emerald Coast Zoo
Address: 5262 Deer Springs Dr, Crestview, FL
Website: www.emeraldcoastzoo.com
The Emerald Coast Zoo is a 10-acre, private zoo in Crestview that features exotic animals such as monkeys, tigers, kangaroos, lions, giraffes, zebras, bears, sloths and more.
The zoo occasionally hosts visits from an animal handler called the Monkey Man who will allow visitors to pet and hold a monkey for a small fee. Follow the zoo’s social media pages for updates on when the Monkey Man is visiting next.
The zoo offers other animal encounters as well, such as the opportunity to feed a giraffe or exotic birds, pet a sloth or train a lion.
If you live elsewhere in the country but would also like to hold a monkey, check out this article on where you can hold a monkey in the U.S.
Sources:
“Pricing.” Exotic Animal Experience, exoticanimalexperience.net/exotic-animal-encounter.html
“Animals.” Exotic Animal Experience, exoticanimalexperience.net/exotic-animals.html
“Book Your Tour.” Zoological Wildlife Foundation, zoologicalwildlifefoundation.com/visit/tours
Hensel, Karen and Daniel Cohen. “SW Miami-Dade Zoo Featured in ‘Tiger King’ Hit with Violations of Federal Animal Welfare Act.” WSVN, 14 Sept. 2021, wsvn.com/news/investigations/sw-miami-dade-zoo-featured-in-tiger-king-hit-with-violations-of-federal-animal-welfare-act/
