Wild Monkeys Lived in The Jungle
Adapted from a blog post first published June 22, 2020
https://junglecountryclubhistoryproject.blogspot.com/2020/06/hey-hey-were-ring-tailed-monkeys.html
Back in February 1924, a curious experiment began at Pasadena (Bear Creek) Golf Course: a small group of “ring-tailed monkeys” was released onto Monkey Island, near the 9th tee. (They were actually lemurs, relatives of monkeys and apes.)
Over the next several months, caretakers introduced a variety of simian species. Natural competition followed, and soon tensions flared among the residents.
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But by late 1926, the Florida land boom had crashed. “Handsome Jack” Taylor, the developer behind the resort and its whimsical monkey inhabitants, closed shop. Abandoned and forgotten, the lemurs were left to their own devices on the island.
In January 1927, locals reported a dramatic clash. One group of lemurs launched a full-on escape across the lake and disappeared into the Jungle neighborhood.
Then, almost a year later, eight escapees and four young offspring were discovered by a group of schoolchildren picnicking in the area.
One of the early eyewitnesses, Jungle developer Walter P. Fuller, described spotting the lemurs strolling along his seawall near 450 Park Street North. He said they thrived in the Jungle for several years before being captured and relocated.
