Silver Springs, near Ocala, is one of the oldest tourist attractions in Florida. Glass-bottom boats have been running over the spring since the 1870s, and Tarzan films were shot on the river. It is also the only place in the eastern United States where you can look up from a kayak and see a troop of wild monkeys in the trees. This was not the plan.
Colonel Tooey
In 1938 a man known locally as Colonel Tooey ran a Jungle Cruise boat ride on the Silver River. He wanted the jungle to look more like a jungle, so he put a small group of rhesus macaques, an Asian species, on an island in the river. The historical marker at the site says they "promptly swam across." Rhesus macaques are excellent swimmers. Tooey apparently did not know this. A later release added more, and the monkeys took to the river swamp as if they had always been there.
The popular story is that the monkeys escaped from the set of a Tarzan movie. The marker, and everyone who has looked into it, says no: they were a tourist gimmick that got loose.
Eighty years later
A 2018 survey put the Silver Springs population at around 300; other estimates run past 400. Roughly a quarter of the adults carry herpes B, a virus harmless to macaques and potentially lethal to humans, though no transmission from a wild Florida monkey to a person has been recorded. From 1984 to 2012 trappers removed or sterilized about 1,000 animals, selling many to research labs, until public outcry ended the permits. Since then the troop has grown and spread: macaques have turned up in St. Augustine, Palatka, Apopka and, in 2020, Tampa. The state banned feeding them in 2017, which is the one thing it has managed to do.
Seeing them: Silver Springs State Park, 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala. The glass-bottom boats run daily; kayak and canoe rentals put you on the river where the monkeys are. Do not feed them, do not approach them, and keep food out of sight. They are wild animals that have learned people carry snacks.
The rest of the invader list
The monkeys are the charming end of Florida's invasive-species problem. The other end is a 19-foot python. Our invasive species guide covers the pythons, iguanas, lionfish and the rest; our alligator records article covers the one native that was never in doubt.
Ocala to the coast
Silver Springs is 90 minutes north of Tampa. If you are staying on the Gulf side, do the river in the morning and get back to the bay for a sunset cruise; our Tampa guide has the plan. For a wildlife-heavy trip, the dolphin tours out of Tampa Bay and Sarasota are the saltwater counterpart to the Silver River.
Questions people ask
Why are there wild monkeys at Silver Springs?
A boat operator known as Colonel Tooey released rhesus macaques on an island in the Silver River in 1938 to improve his Jungle Cruise ride. They swam off immediately and established a wild population.
Did the Silver Springs monkeys escape from a Tarzan movie?
No. Tarzan films were shot on the river, but the monkeys came from the 1938 jungle-cruise release, according to the historical marker at the site.
How many monkeys live at Silver Springs?
A 2018 survey estimated about 300; other estimates exceed 400. They have spread to other parts of north and central Florida.
Do the Silver Springs monkeys have herpes?
About a quarter of the troop carries herpes B, which is dangerous to humans. No transmission from a wild Florida monkey to a person has been recorded. Do not feed or approach them; feeding has been illegal since 2017.
Where can I see the monkeys?
Silver Springs State Park in Ocala. Glass-bottom boat tours and kayak rentals run daily on the Silver River.