Billie, a female vervet monkey, came to the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary in 2014 after being confiscated from a hoarding situation in Pennsylvania. She was kept in a dog crate in a severely inadequate environment before coming to the sanctuary.
At the sanctuary, Billie lived with other monkeys who became her family. Bouf, an elderly vervet monkey, was Billie’s closest companion until her passing in 2023. The two gentle monkeys would spend time grooming and enjoying one another’s company. Over the years, Billie’s group welcomed more and more newcomers, as they were rescued from lives of neglect and cruelty. Billie helped them overcome their past trauma as they healed. A young monkey called Willis, who arrived in 2021, ran to Billie when he was first introduced into her enclosure and held her in a tight embrace. Billie didn’t know where this little guy had come from, but she tolerated his somewhat aggressive affection. Willis perhaps saw Billie as the mother figure that he so sorely missed.
Billie’s constant and gentle demeanor allowed her to live peacefully alongside other monkeys during her 12 years with us. She would stand up for herself when needed – particularly if younger monkeys tried to push her around – but enjoyed the simple things: sitting under her mister on hot summer days, grooming with her friend Charles as they both got older, and foraging for sweet green plants. As her health began to fail, she became less mobile and lost sight in one eye. But her friends still looked out for her and loved to spend time with her.
In recent weeks, she took a turn for the worse as her cumulative age-related health issues came to the fore. We knew that our beloved Billie would suffer without intervention, and so we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to our friend in order to prevent incurable pain and stress.
As we mourn this loss, please join us in thanking the caregivers and veterinary staff at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary for giving Billie such dedicated care.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Liz
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The Born Free USA Team
