Thanks to all of our readers who submitted questions for the inaugural Curious Comox Valley.
Following the online vote, the top question, submitted by Stan S. of Courtenay was: Was there some sort of monkey farm near the Comox military base? Who ran it and where did it go?
Here’s the answer: According to a previous owner of the property - which was located close to CFB Comox off Military Row and Knight Road - there was indeed a monkey farm owned by Mr. Hiebert. While the reasons behind the origin of the farm are unclear, Hiebert did own a variety of monkeys, including Howlers, Wollies, and even Gibbons. The Howler monkeys were so loud in fact, they could be heard throughout the area.
Hiebert had even created a pulley system in one room in his house which opened a trap door to allow the monkeys to go outdoors.
In addition to monkeys, Hiebert had an anteater and a cougar on the 10-acre property, which people called “his own private zoo.”
Unfortunately, legend has it that some passerby fed magic mushrooms to some of the monkeys, and they subsequently died. Those who survived were eventually given to a zoo.
When the land was sold, some monkey cages remained on the property, along with empty bags of Purina Monkey Chow which doubled as insulation in some of the walls of the home.
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Thanks to all the readers who submitted questions. Do you have a question you would like answered, or is there something you’ve always wanted to know? Submit your questions on anything that makes you go ‘hmm’ beginning tomorrow, June 28 at 9 a.m. on ComoxValleyRecord.com or visit our Facebook page and click on Curious Comox Valley.