Monkey Cushion

A contingency reserve of monkeys at Santa Ana Zoo, Orange County.

In 1949, Mr. J.E. Prentice donated 12 acres of land to the city of Santa Ana to establish a park but in so doing stipulated that the city keep no fewer that 50 monkeys at all times.

Recently, The L.A. Times reported that a descendant of Prentice’s “informed city officials last summer that he had dispatched ‘independent individuals’ to run a head count of the zoo’s primates, finding fewer than 50 monkeys at least five times. Powell asked for proof that the city was living up to the accord. If not, the letter from his attorney read, ‘We plan to proceed with our rights under the grant deed to have the property revert back to Mr. Prentice’s heirs.’”

It seems that the zoo’s monkey population fell to 48, after the deaths of two monkeys, but rebounded when a golden lion tamarin gave birth to twins.

The L.A. Times concluded, “From now on, city officials say they’ll work at keeping the zoo’s monkey total at 55. A monkey cushion: that’s one phrase we never expected to write!”