The Jungle Place is a Spider Monkey rescue habitat. As the name suggests it is in the jungle, about twenty minutes from the Mayan ruins in Tulum, Mexico. The monkeys came to the sanctuary with various ailments. Some with broken limbs others with a history of abuse from their former human “owners.” New arrivals that need more intense care due to their trauma sleep in the house with Heidi and Joel, owners of The Jungle Place. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

It all started when Heidi and her husband Joel fell in love with the area and purchased the 20 acre jungle property with a residence on it. A friend asked Heidi if she would consider caring for an infant Spider Monkey that was very ill. The veterinarian in nearby Playa Del Carmen informed Heidi that the monkey had double pneumonia and a host of other ailments and he would not survive past the next 24 to 48 hours. Heidi asked the doctor if he had antibiotics and the other needed medications. The doctor said yes, but the little guy did not have much of a chance. “Then go to work” was Heidi’s response. Today that monkey is big and strong and the Alpha male of the Spider monkey community at the sanctuary that now houses 19 healthy moneys that have been rescued over the past fifteen years.

After giving birth, the mother devotes the first four years of a newborn monkey’s life teaching them survival skills. Since most of these monkeys were either born in captivity or plucked from the wild as infants and sold as pets or became lab animals they never learned survival skills and therefore, can never be returned to their natural environment.

When we arrived the monkeys seemed excited to have company. However, before entering the habitat Heidi gave us some important instructions. Leave all items outside that the monkeys could possibly take from you, such as glasses, watches, flips flops. In Heidi’s words: “Inside, possession is 130% of the law. You will not get back anything they take from you.”

When we entered the habitat the monkeys immediately started playing and interacting with us. As I walked in a female named Ichele (Michele without the M) jumped on me and never left me for the hour plus we were in with them. She cuddled, snuggled and gently ate Cheerios from my fingers. Maya, the only monkey born at the habitat, bounced around us and on us like a child showing off for company. Happy, healthy and active, their past injuries erased by the labor of love of Heidi and Joel.

Over the years, Heidi and Joel have expanded on the accommodations to include several bungalows available for vacation rentals. They are charming, a little rustic and befitting the jungle environment, but with all of the modern conveniences including air conditioning, full kitchens and even wireless Internet access. During our visit we met a class of eight high school students with their two science teachers from Washington staying at The Jungle Place for the week. Visits and tours are twice a day by appointment only and are kept to small groups. We arranged for our visit by e-mail for our two college age kids, my wife and I prior to leaving for a week vacation in Playa Del Maya. The care and feeding of the monkeys are from donations of the visitors. It was the best value for the money we spent during our vacation and an experience none of us will ever forget.

www.thejungleplace.com

www.locogringo.com/akumal/jungleplace.html?name=The%20Jungle%20Place