A tiny monkey that went viral on social media for his human-like face is not lucky in love.
And it may be because he’s a bit of a jerk.
According to zookeepers at Tianjin Zoo in eastern China, the 19-year-old tufted capuchin has been stuck a “bachelor” for his whole life. The unidentified zoo resident, who arrived at his current home in 2002, captured the internet’s attention last year with his anthropomorphic demeanor, which some of the 1.3 million who observed him on Chinese social media site Weibo said resembled a distressed old man.
He may look like a person, but the tree-dweller reportedly lacks interpersonal skills, and exhibits an “aggressive” personality.
“He is very active and aggressive,” a zoo spokesperson told Daily Mail. “[He] likes playing with mud and smashing coconuts.”
Like Jack Tripper on the sitcom “Three’s Company,” the grumpy monkey previously lived with two female companion capuchins, but they apparently would have rather died than mate with him — they passed away before romance ever blossomed.
Visual China Group via Getty Images“He currently has three playmates,” the zoo said. “We bought three other Margarita Island capuchins in 2016.”
Unfortunately, they said, none of the new inhabitants are “sexually mature yet,” so keepers are waiting patiently for some sparks between the loner primate and the new, younger housemates.
“When the younger capuchin monkeys grow up, we hope there will be chemistry between our human-faced monkey and one of them and he can finally find … a ‘wife.’ ”
Despite his social media stardom, the infamous animal gets no special treatment by his caretakers, they insist.
“Keepers have been looking after him as normal,” they said. “We have more than 20 types of monkeys in our monkey pavilion, and keepers will not give him any special treatment.”
Native to the forests of the Central and South America, capuchin have been kept as household pets, though not always legally. The cute creatures have also frequently appeared in movies and television, perhaps most notably in the second season of “Friends” as Ross’ pet monkey Marcel. (The two monkeys who have shared that role have gone on to have illustrious acting careers).
The intelligent species appears to have a promising future ahead, according to scientists in South America who last year discovered that a group of capuchin had entered their own Stone Age — becoming the fourth non-human primate species to have been observed using rocks as tools.
Barcroft Media via Getty Images


