Jerry’s story will be the most adorable and inspiring thing you read all day. Jerry is a Vervet monkey who suffered an unimaginable trauma when a car ran into her and her mom. Sadly, her mama died in the accident.
Jerry was just a tiny baby when the accident took place. She was one very lucky monkey, though, because the fantastic people at the Vervet Monkey Foundation found her in the nick of time. Dave, a coordinator at the VMF, raced her to the sanctuary to attempt to get her some help.
POOR BABY
Workers at the sanctuary took Jerry directly to sickbay for treatment. Once the doctor assessed her, they found she had scratches on her face, a broken foot, and bruising on her tail. On top of all that, she was also incredibly traumatized by the horrors of the accident.
The workers gave Jerry plenty of snuggles and love as they quickly wrapped up her broken foot so it could heal properly.
SANCTUARY
The marvelous people at the VMF are doing incredible things for these Vervets. The rescue takes in injured monkeys as well as those that people kept illegally as pets. Their ultimate goal is to rehabilitate the monkeys so they can live out their lives like they are supposed to – in a troop of monkeys high in the trees, or not.
The whole point is that it is up to them.
You see, monkeys can’t just get released into the wild on their own. They need a social support structure to survive in the wild. The good people at the sanctuary provide the exact things the monkey’s need to meld into a troop of their own right there on the grounds.
JERRY
So, what was next for sweet Jerry? Well, when they first put her in with the other monkeys, her foot was in the bandage. She wasn’t able to keep up with them while they played around her, and she didn’t quite understand why.
So she spent a couple of weeks like that. She was sort of on the outside looking in. But then, it was time to take off that bandage, and everything changed for Jerry.
As soon as that bandage was off, so was Jerry. She was so excited to be free, and she joined the other babies right away.
Workers at the sanctuary were delighted to see that Jerry was unquestionably the “sweetest little monkey ever.” She turned into quite a nurse, and she did indeed start to tend to the other babies when they were in need.
But that wasn’t the end of the road for Jerry, either. She still needed to be introduced into the troop. For that, she would need a foster mom to show her the ropes.
There are several foster moms at the sanctuary that volunteers use for this purpose. For Jerry, workers decided the best bet would be Mrs. Gold. Mrs. Gold has been a foster mom for several years. Everyone hoped with all their hearts that Mrs. Gold and Jerry would be a good fit.
The second that Jerry entered the enclosure, Mrs. Gold wrapped her up in an adorably epic hug. The pair bonded right away.
Then, it was time for the big day. It was time for Jerry to join her new family finally. This moment would be the most telling of all.
Mrs. Gold is such a good mom; workers report that Jerry is just “all over the place.” The foster mom did such a good job teaching Jerry how to be confident; she fits into the troop with ease.
Jerry overcame unimaginable trauma and grief, and if that tiny monkey can accomplish so much, it certainly makes me think I can too.
Share this inspiring story with your friends to lift their spirits. Watch the full video about Jerry’s story below.