Clarke Gable is a male spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) born roughly in 1988 and came to Noah’s Ark in 1990. When Clarke Gable arrived he was a parasite covered, emaciated, toothless mess. A primate broker found him living as a pet in South America in terrible condition, and brought him to Noah’s Ark with the words "if you can make him live, he's yours". Who would have ever thought that the wild caught, nearly dead monkey would have impacted our lives like he has? "Gabe" as he is lovingly referred to by keepers and fans, instantly formed a bond with assistant director and cofounder Charlie Hedgecoth, and they have been educating the public about threats to primates in the wild, as well as why they are not appropriate pets for more than a decade. Gabe enjoys leaving his habitat and monkey family to do educational demonstrations with his favorite human, Charlie, but he also loves being free to interact with his own species and do as he chooses in his enriching, natural habitat. After all, he is a wild animal and is free to do as he chooses at Noah’s Ark!
