Phoenix Zoo home to oldest mandrill monkey, 37-year-old Nikki

PHOENIX - The Phoenix Zoo now officially in the Guinness World Records as home to the oldest living mandrill monkey in captivity, known for their bright colors on both ends of their bodies.

Nikki, a 37-year-old, was recognized Wednesday as the oldest living mandrill monkey in captivity, even though she doesn’t seem to know or care.

Monkeys are always a big hit at any zoo. But at this zoo, Nikki is making history.

"The monkeys are probably my favorite part of a zoo just because of how interactive they can be and how human-like they are," Danyelle Benza, senior keeper of the Primate area of the Phoenix Zoo says.

"She’s just slower and you can see when you look at her a little more hunched over she got a lot of arthritis which is what happens when you get older."

Benza said Nikki arrived in Phoenix from a zoo in Portland six years ago and is still getting along just fine.

She said Nikki could be the oldest living mandrill monkey in the world.

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"She’s doing her thing and she still interacts with the others a little bit, but she tends to keep to herself and she interacts with her food or keepers and enrichment just living her best life," Benza said.

Mandrill monkeys are native to Africa, known for their bright-colored faces and big red rear-ends.

Danyelle says Nikki mostly keeps to herself. 

Nikki keeps the monkey business to a minimum these days. She is unaware of her new celebrity status, but the zookeepers know and have been going bananas.