North Texas influencer pleads for return of confiscated pet spider monkey ‘Jorgie Boy’
A North Texas social media influencer has started a viral campaign pleading for the return of her pet spider monkey, named Jorgie Boy, after he was confiscated by police when she was accused of driving while intoxicated.
Brandi Botello wrote on a GoFundMe page that she was involved in a car crash in Dallas early Saturday morning, Nov. 9, and had the pet monkey in the vehicle with her. Botello disputes that she was the driver. Jorgie Boy wasn’t injured in the accident, but Dallas police took the almost 3-year-old spider monkey, who was later sent to a wild animal sanctuary, Botello said.
Botello also has shared the campaign on her Instagram, where she has posted photos of the monkey dressed in cute outfits and gained over 40,000 followers. Some of her followers have started the hashtag “Free Jorgie Boy.”
“These past few days have been the hardest days of my life I’m devastated,” Botello wrote on the GoFundMe page. “I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t sit still… I’m so use to waking up every morning with him hugging my face ... I’m willing to keep trying my hardest to get him back home.”
Texas law allows residents to own monkeys and some other types of exotic pets with a permit, but wild animals are prohibited in the city of Irving, where the spider monkey ended up at a shelter before being transferred to the wildlife sanctuary.
Sanctuary says monkey is sick, malnourished
The owner of Funky Monkey Ranch, the Tarrant County sanctuary which is caring for Jorgie Boy, said in a social media video that the monkey has serious health problems including malnourishment and metabolic bone disease. X-rays by a veterinarian showed tiny bone fractures, according to the video.
“His joints are enlarged, he has fatty pockets around his ankles, his face and his jaw are misaligned. He looks completely different than what a healthy spider monkey looks like,” sanctuary owner Dwan Johns said in the Facebook post.
Jorgie Boy is expected to stay at the ranch while Irving animal services officers complete an investigation.
This story was originally published November 13, 2024 at 11:24 PM.
