TEACHING ZOO'S MONKEY KOKO, 43, EUTHANIZED.

Byline: ERIC LEACH Staff Writer

MOORPARK -- Koko, a 43-year-old capuchin monkey who had befriended nearly 100 students over several decades in the Moorpark College exotic animal training zoo, was euthanized this week because of health problems associated with old age, officials said Thursday.

Koko was donated to the zoo in 1975 by Van Nuys residents who kept her as a pet. The intelligent brown monkey became a kind of goodwill ambassador for America's Teaching Zoo at the college, which has about 25,000 visitors a year.

``She was a particular favorite of mine,'' said Dr. James Peddie, a retired Thousand Oaks veterinarian who is a past director of the college's Exotic Animal Training and Management Program and worked there 27 years with Koko. ``She was very, very elderly. The combination of good diet, medical care and parasite control probably doubled the life span she would have had in the wild. The students were constantly working with her, stimulating her mind. She enjoyed a very good life.''

Zoo officials said Koko's health had declined rapidly. Veterinarian Cynthia Springfield had been monitoring the monkey's failing condition, which included poor circulation, loss of mobility and generalized weakness, college officials said.

Chuck Brinkman, a counselor for students in the exotic animal program, said it was a sad time at the school, where officials estimated Koko was one of the world's oldest capuchin monkeys.

``Koko was a favorite of the students for many, many years,'' Brinkman said. ``She was friendly and became very protective of the students she got to know. They became her friends, part of her family. She worked with nearly 100 students and would remember them when they came back to visit. But she started having health problems as she got older. Her age was a testament to the good care she received.''

Zoo officials said capuchin monkeys rarely live beyond 15 to 25 years in the wild.

The Moorpark EATM Program has about 200 animals on a five-acre hilltop next to the campus. It trains students to work with animals in television, films, amusement parks, zoos and educational programs. Koko was often used in outreach efforts to help people learn about the zoo and the program.

``In public, you have to keep a close eye on her,'' Peddie said. ``These little guys are very, very animated. They put their hands in your pockets. They are just everywhere, like a 2-year-old on steroids.''

As for Koko, he said, ``I would visit with her on a daily basis. She would reach out to me and grab hold of my hand, making these little noises. She would start grooming me. Once I had been gone for almost a year and a half, and she instantly reached out to me. I really liked her.''

He and Brinkman noted that Koko's cage was next to another capuchin monkey named Bennie, who apparently hasn't realized Koko is not coming back. ``Bennie will take a while to realize she is now gone,'' Brinkman said.

eric.leach(at)dailynews.com

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Koko, who entertained thousands at America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College, was euthanized this week. At age 43, the capuchin monkey lived a good 20 years longer than most monkeys of its kind in the wild.

Chuck Brinkman/Special to the Daily News