14/05/2026
When you choose to live on top of a mountain with limited social interaction of the human kind, you find yourself filling in the social gaps by getting to know the local wildlife.
Over 7 years I have built quite the soul tribe of two and four legged critters, all of whom have names and their own unique personalities and stories to accompany them.
I love them all but there is one particular individual who stands out from the rest. She goes by a number of names on our mountain, but to me she has always been Mrs Stubbs. This Capuchin [White-faced] Monkey is the matriarch of our local troop here on Cerro Fresco mountain and I can honestly say that she humbles me with her personal resilience and her dedication to the troop. Let me explain.
When I met her for the first time back in 2019, I was amazed at how adeptly she moved through the trees, and tightrope-walked the electrical cables without the use of a tail. I can only imagine [and have spent many a moment doing just that] how she lost this integral appendage. Their tails are used as a fifth limb to safely traverse the Jungle and unfortunately also the transformer poles and electric cabling that have replaced some of the trees along their feeding routes.
It was on a morning in December of 2025, whilst sitting out on the front porch watching the troop precariously traversing the electrical cable that led from our property to the transformer pole across the way that it happened. For whatever reason she chose to do it, Mrs Stubbs decided to climb up to the 440 volt distribution line. There was an explosion as she made contact and we witnessed this dear soul fall 40ft into the undergrowth. In our minds she was a goner, how could something be hit by such a direct volt and not be fried. It was sad day for the troop, she was still nursing a one year old [thankfully not on her back at the time] and if her reproductive system was working to form she was already pregnant with the newest member of their community.
A few days later, the troop moved through as usual. Mrs Stubbs was on my mind, so when I looked up and saw her sitting in a tree across the way, I really did think I was hallucinating. As I watched, I noticed her right back leg raised stiffly behind her, the flesh had been burnt off and it was evident that the foot was not going to survive the injury. As the weeks went by, we watched as her lower leg and foot decomposed and eventually dropped away. The troop slowed down to accommodate her new disability, and this incredible resilient animal healed and learned to coordinate her movements with only 3 limbs whilst staying on the move.
Now here is the real miracle; the gestation period for a Capuchin Monkey is 160-180 days. On April 18th we witnessed a remarkable sight. Mrs Stubbs sported a brand new baby on her back. If you do the math you will find that not only did she survive that shocking event but so did her fetus.
Thanks for reading this far and sharing in the joy. I hope you enjoy these photos of Mrs Stubbs and her last 3 offspring, Scully, Peanut and Little Sparky.
