NEW! Mexican Spider Monkeys at the Charles Paddock Zoo!

The City of Atascadero and the Charles Paddock Zoo are pleased to announce the new addition of the three young Mexican Spider Monkeys that arrived at the Charles Paddock Zoo (from another AZA accredited Zoo) to join our longtime resident Spider Monkey, Izzy.

The new monkeys are just under a year old, and Izzy is about 45, so you can imagine how much fun they are to watch! Mexican spider monkeys are an endangered species found in parts of Mexico and Central America, threatened by loss of habitat, and being hunted for the pet trade. They are found in the Mesoamerica biodiversity hotspot: The Mesoamerica biodiversity hotspot harbors the highest montane forests of Central America, with the most extensive and best-protected cloud forests in the region. The hotspot is one of the 34 richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth.

The Spider Monkey Habitat has just been given a facelift with fresh new coatings and we are proud to announce that MGP Coatings is the new sponsor of the Mexican Spider Monkey Habitat at the Zoo! A special thank you to Matt Gifford for all his hard work and dedication to this project!

The Charles Paddock Zoo specializes in animals present in biodiversity hotspots. Around the world, biodiversity hotspots represent just 2.5% of Earth’s land surface, but they support nearly half of all bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species that are found nowhere else on Earth. The Zoo’s hot spot habitats are an opportunity to learn about the different species that inhabit hot spots and why biodiversity is so important to us all. As part an accredited Zoo of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Charles Paddock Zoo is dedicated to the conservation of endangered species.

Over 300 animals call the Charles Paddock Zoo home, including red pandas, monkeys, fossa, meerkats, parrots, a Malayan Tiger, a variety of reptiles and more. The Charles Paddock Zoo is open daily and located at Atascadero Lake Park on Hwy 41/Morro Road, one mile west of Hwy 101. For information, go to www.charlespaddockzoo.org or call (805) 461-5080.