Coke-Stealing Monkeys and Dog-Eating Eagles: Summit Zoo Panama


Coke-Stealing Monkeys and Dog-Eating Eagles: Summit Zoo Panama

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Written by Administrator

Monday, December 11 2006

Jaguars, monkeys with attitudes, and the largest bird of prey. You can see all of these critters at Summit Zoo. Don't worry, it's real close to Panama City and is one of the coolest zoos I have ever been to because it's small and all of the exhibits are really close to each other. I don't know about you, but I don't like walking long distances in the heat or the cold and I don't like zoos that are so big you feel like you need a golf cart to get around. When you get there one of the first exhibits you will see is an enclosure of Capuchin Monkeys. These are the little organ grinder monkeys you associate with old- school Russian street performers. I have only seen them in movies but I am convinced they exist.

These monkeys live in abundance here in the lush Panamanian forests where they can find plenty of food. An easy place to see them in the wild is Monkey Island in Lake Gatun. There is no barrier protecting the monkeys from people and people from monkeys because you can go right up to the fence. As a result, jackasses start feeding the monkeys candy and giving them coca-cola through the fence. Monkeys have no manners. They will snatch something from your hand if they like it and if they hurt you, they don't give a rat's ass.

So this one woman I saw- dumb as could be, started giving one monkey coke. The leader of the troop who was a strapping, mean looking little bad ass ran up to her and tried ripping the coke can from her hands and in the process scratched her. The woman got a little shook up, angry, cursed the monkey and through the remainder of the coke on the monkey. It's not the monkey's fault- they have an IQ of 5 and don't live by our rules.

Summit Zoo also has Mono Titis and Spider Monkeys. If you walk along side the Spider Monkey be careful. He looks like he's up to something. He will follow your every move which was a little spooky. Don't get too close to this guy; he looked pretty smart for a monkey. They also have a giant crocodile that looks like he can eat a horse. A couple Jaguars also call the zoo home. When you see them you will be left in amazement and will understand why these guys were revered in indigenous cultures as mythological creatures. They were thought of as spirits.

But perhaps the reason why the zoo is famous is because of its Harpy Eagles. They have a pair of them, male and female. The females are larger, weigh about 20 pounds and stand more than three and a half feet tall. The Aguila Harpias as they are called in Spanish, are so big, they could easily carry away my roomate's dog. They dive from the canopy of tall trees and swoop down on sloths and monkeys and eat them for lunch. The Harpies are so big they look like feathered freaks. No doubt if you take a picture of them and show it to your friends at a bar they will think you used Photoshop and doctored the picture.

So if you got the time, go check out Summit Zoo. Admission is around three dollars and it's about 20 minutes outside the city in the direction of Gamboa. It's a nice drive because you go parallel to the canal where you can see a few gigantic ships. Besides, where else can you see a troop of aggressive monkeys and a couple of eagles that can eat fido.