Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Primate Update November 2009



PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT

Oona is a seven-year-old female White-Tufted Ear Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).  She came to Pacific Primate Sanctuary, along with her parents and siblings in March of 2004.  The family had been living in a laboratory prior to their arrival here. Happily we were able to find 

a wonderful match for Oona in Nigel. These two soon formed a close bond, and began a family of their own.

Oona has adapted very well to the naturalistic environment at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, and enjoys spending time basking in the sun.  It is common to see Oona on the ceiling of her enclosure, soaking in all the glorious rays!  She is highly inquisitive and very playful, and loves searching for bugs throughout her enclosure.

 

NOTABLE NEWS

Our newest residents, Fern and Xylophone, have been settling in well to life at Pacific Primate Sanctuary.  Their coats, which were rather sparse and rough when they arrived, are growing in nicely, and are looking very lush and shiny.  They also look as though they may have gained a little weight; overall they are looking very healthy!  Many of the other Tamarins in the corridor have enjoyed communicating with the newest pair, and they have been talking right back.  Recently, Fern and Xylophone were moved to a spot in the corridor with several other Cotton Top Tamarin families nearby.  The pair has been watching their new neighbors with great interest.

 

Fern and Xylophone observing the other monkeys at Pacific Primate Sanctuary


We are continuing to see great progress with Pacey and Macaco, two ex-“pet” marmosets.  Pacey is showing less and less interest in his human caretakers.  He has often directed primate communication behaviors towards people, rather than other monkeys.  We are working to discourage this behavior, in the hopes that he will instead begin to bond with the other monkeys.  In the past month we have seen great progress with Pacey, and have noticed far fewer incidents of these behaviors.

Macaco had his first ever experience with another monkey this month!  We placed Allegra, a young female marmoset in with Macaco for a few hours.  Macaco is not quite sure how to respond, having never been in close contact with another monkey.  While the two are not ready to be paired yet, we will continue to give Macaco the opportunity to observe and interact with the other monkeys.

All four Capuchins are doing fantastically.  Our youngest, Viola loves to play and try out new moves, swinging and jumping.  Viola was abandoned at birth and hand reared by resident interns until she was 6 months old, and weaned enough to go in with her Grandmother Miranda.  Viola is now a little over a year, and has bonded with Miranda.  It is a joy to watch her interacting with Miranda, and playing like any other young Capuchin.

All of the Capuchins have really been enjoying the bounty of donated foods this month, particularly the mangos and date cubes!

             Viola enjoying donated mango 

Meet More Monkeys

Carlos, a Black-Tufted Ear Marmoset peering from behind a leaf.  Carlos is currently living in a portable with Margarite, and the two are very close.  This pair needs to get out into the green world.

 

 


Galatea, a Saddleback Tamarin, enjoying the sunshine.  Galatea came to Pacific Primate Sanctuary from a research laboratory along with her twin sister Gaia.

 

 

WHAT’S HAPPENING at PPS?

 

In the past couple months we have welcomed many new Volunteers.  Mahalo to each of you for donating your time and compassion to the animals in our care. Each new Volunteer that joins our ‘Ohana raises the bar and helps to create a better home for the monkeys in our care.  Your valuable contributions and wonderful energy are greatly appreciated.


Our new mailing is finished and is currently at the printers!  We should have the brochures back soon, and will need help folding, stamping, and addressing them all.  Please contact Erin (pps.coo@gmail.com) if you live on the island and would like to volunteer some time to this important project.


PPS Extension

We are in urgent need of funds to construct additional housing for the primates.  There are currently 20 monkeys living in indoor portables who need to get out into the green world.

The plans for the new addition are coming along well!  We have not quite finalized them yet, but have been brainstorming to make sure all the details are figured out.  Thank you to everyone who has helped with this important project, particularly Steven, Robin, Alli, Dr. Bud, Lucy and Erin.  A lot of thought has been put into making sure nothing is forgotten, and we appreciate everyone’s input.

Please join with us in this life saving work.  With your help, we can build this new addition with outdoor enclosures for the monkeys now living indoors.

 

Please send your tax-deductible donations to:

Pacific Primate Sanctuary

500 A Haloa Rd

Haiku, HI 96708

 

Or donate on our website, www.pacificprimate.org using PayPal.


Pacific Primate Sanctuary on the Web

We have been adding to our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Haiku-HI/Pacific-Primate-Sanctuary-Inc/278605635163. 

This month we posted pictures of the animals in our care, as well as some pictures of the Sanctuary Grounds.  If you haven’t had a chance to view these yet, take some time to check them out!  Also, keep your eyes open for some wonderful videos of the monkeys that should be posted in the near future.


PPS PEOPLE in the SPOTLIGHT


Meet Volunteer Morgan L.:  At 13, Morgan Lapp, may be the youngest volunteer at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, but she sure does make a big impact!  We first began to know Morgan when her mom, Anne, became an Animal Caretaker Volunteer a year and a half ago.  Morgan was only 12, and too young to be a regular volunteer with us, but she wanted to help in any way she could.  Morgan donated time to help with our Gift Wrapping fundraiser, as well as spending 40 hours one week as part of a school project.  During this week, Morgan did a great observational study for us, spending time watching to see how Viola (a hand reared Capuchin) interacted with her Grandmother Miranda, who was fostering her.  Morgan also helped out with the monthly and weekly tasks while she was with us. 

We soon realized that she was not an ordinary 12 year old, and we decided to have Morgan become a Mentored Volunteer with her mom on Sunday evenings.  Morgan continues to make valuable contributions to the Sanctuary. Most recently, she has wowed us all with her video editing abilities!  

Morgan has been working with Erin to create videos of the animals to post on our facebook page, and hopefully our website as well.  Morgan has a positive, upbeat attitude, and always comes to the Sanctuary with a smile.  She reminds us to look at the world with “child’s” eyes, and to enjoy the wonder of nature.  She is truly a joy to have around!


Morgan with her mom Anne after our monthly Talk Story meeting

 

 

PPS VOLUNTEER UPDATES

 

Welcome to our newest animal care Volunteers Jessica Bardos, Robin Guerrero, and Sarah Guerrero.  Jessica is joining us for the Monday AM shift each week, and has cared for many different pets in her life.  She has never worked with primates, and is excited to be here at the Sanctuary.  Robin and Sarah are sisters who will be volunteering on the Sunday AM shift each week.  Robin has a degree in Psychology, and Sarah is currently a senior in High School.

 

Welcome to JK Martinovich who will be volunteering his expertise as a handyman. He is very interested in alternative energy sources, and organic gardening. JK has 30 years of handyman experience, and will be coming in each Sunday to keep everything running smoothly!

Congratulations to our newest Graduates, Morgan S. and Heather! Morgan S. has completed the training for the PM shift, while Heather has graduated from the AM shift.  Now it is time for our new graduates to begin their Emergency Care Training.

SPECIAL THANKS

A special Mahalo to all of the PPS caretakers for sharing your knowledge and expertise in the training our newest volunteers.

Mahalo to Sue for helping us to finish our new Sanctuary mailing. We hope it will help to raise funds for building the outdoor extension for all of the monkeys now in portables.  Sue has a great eye for detail, and a unique perspective.  We also are grateful to Sue for helping teach Erin how to use InDesign in order to help with future mailings.

Thank You to Down to Earth, for their important weekly donation of produce, dairy, tofu and other goodies to the monkeys each week!

Mahalo to Steven for donating your expertise in many areas to help the Sanctuary.  Thank you for all your help on the Sanctuary fridge. A special Mahalo for creating the designs for the new addition, for listening to our suggestions and needs, and then recreating the drawings to incorporate all of our best ideas into the new extension plan.


CONTINUING ED 

Dr.Bud Special Topic: Capuchin Deceptions

         Tufted Capuchins (Cebus apella nigritus) are fruit eating monkeys in South America.  Group members will often peep or hiccup to alert other members of the group when there are snake or cat predators around.  These monkeys have also been observed making these alarm calls, even when there are no cats or snakes around.  However, when they do this, there is a presence of food.  The alarms will scare away other members of the group, which allows the monkey who made the call full access to the food source!

Bensen, et al. Wild Things, Life as We Know It, Smithsonian Magazine, October 2009.

 

 



Special Topic— Intern Alli’s Observations:

Rehabilitation: From Laboratory to Sanctuary Living

New World primates (monkeys from South and Central America) have one of the most complex and sensitive social structures of the primate world.  This fact alone makes caring for these amazing animals in captivity an extremely delicate science.  In the wild, Callitrichids (marmosets and tamarins) can travel in groups of three to 15 individuals, which can include a breeding male, one or two breeding females, offspring, siblings, parents, and members who have immigrated from other groups.  Replicating this type of social structure in captivity can be very difficult as some offspring may be willing to stay in their natal group for years while others may show aggression towards family members once they reach sexually mature.  It is also extremely important to provide enough stimulation and enrichment to ensure mentally and physically healthy monkeys.  The type of housing the monkeys are placed in can greatly affect their health and behavior as well.  In other words, understanding normal, healthy behaviors can help tell us whether we are meeting the needs of monkeys in captivity.  As Jane Goodall puts it, “Only if we understand can we care.  Only if we care will we help.  Only if we help shall they be saved.”  Therefore, having a better understanding for where the monkeys at Pacific Primate Sanctuary came from will help us to more successfully rehabilitate them into a wild-like setting.

         Upon learning that I had been selected to take part in the conservation and rehabilitation effort here at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, I immediately began to search for somewhere to gain more first hand primate experience.  I was extremely surprised when my request to observe the marmosets at a major primate research center was granted, and more than that, they offered to train me in all aspects of marmoset care.  During my six months at the lab, I was able to get a feel for what I thought was normal behavior of the 150+ marmosets housed within the six rooms set aside for New World primates.  Almost every monkey was housed with a mate or family unit in a portable about two feet wide by 5 feet deep by 6 feet high.  Each portable was outfitted with a shelf, two wooden dowels, and a metal nest box, which doubled as a carrier.  The portables were lined up against the walls so that each room contained anywhere from 20 to 65 marmosets.  I left the laboratory thinking I had a fairly comprehensive idea of what normal, healthy New World primate behavior was.  I learned very quickly upon arriving at Pacific Primate Sanctuary that many of the behaviors I had been observing at the laboratory over the past six months were very different from behaviors exhibited by the monkeys at PPS.

         By contrast, most of the monkeys at Pacific Primate Sanctuary are housed in large indoor/outdoor enclosures with lush greenery, large branches, nest boxes, hammocks, soft sleeping houses, and ropes for climbing or perching.  The 10 or so indoor portables here are outfitted with at least three large branches, multiple ropes, a soft sleeping house, and greenery, which is replenished weekly.  I found out very quickly that this difference in housing, among other things, had quite an influence on what was considered “normal” behavior for the monkeys.  For example, one of the first observations I made upon arriving at PPS was that there was a much greater occurrence of grooming here than at the lab.  I found that most of the monkeys preferred to groom in the sunlight, which was impossible to do at the lab since all light was controlled and artificial.  The few times I witnessed grooming at the lab it was almost always between a mated pair; while at PPS it’s extremely common to see offspring grooming parents or siblings grooming each other, as well as mated pairs. 

One possible explanation for this difference is that most monkeys at the lab were pulled from their natal groups once they reached sexual maturity (around 9 months to a year old). The size of the laboratory portables only allowed a limited number of adult monkeys to live together at one time.  Once the monkeys reached adult size (sexual maturity) they would often be pulled and paired with a mate in a separate portable.  Since many social behaviors, like grooming, are learned while within these natal groups, taking young monkeys from their family group prematurely can hinder them from learning these normal behaviors.  This could be why grooming, an important social behavior, was such a rare occurrence in the lab setting.  At Pacific Primate Sanctuary, however, enclosures are large enough to accommodate many generations within a family unit.  Therefore, offspring can learn valuable parental and social skills by remaining in their family unit to help rear their younger siblings.  These are the skills that will be used when they themselves become parents.

Another set of behaviors I see much more frequently at PPS than in the lab setting are territorial gestures and behaviors. These displays include threat faces, piloerecting (puffing up their fur), and chittering and are common in the wild in order to claim territory, food sources, and mates.  I notice these behaviors most often when I’ve entered an enclosure or am standing too close to an enclosure; which is naturally when the monkeys should feel most territorial.  In contrast, when I would stand extremely close to a portable at the lab, most of the monkeys would either cower towards the back or ignore me completely.  This told me that the lab monkeys either didn’t feel that their portable was actually their territory, or they just didn’t feel safe within their territory.

One type of behavior that I saw more frequently at the lab was repetitive, nervous behavior, which usually indicates that the monkey lives in an un-stimulating and unsatisfactory physical, social and behavioral environment.  These behaviors include flipping, running in repeated circles or patterns, and self-injurious biting.  In contrast, I have only observed this type of patterned behavior occasionally with two monkeys at Pacific Primate Sanctuary and both of them came from research labs.  For example, on a few occasions I have witnessed a 15-year-old marmoset, who came from a major research lab, run in small circles on the floor of his enclosure. This type of behavior (stereotypy) is common in laboratories and is a result of an impoverished living environment.  While many of the elderly monkey’s lab behaviors, like food aggression, have vanished as a result of his years at PPS, his nervous running will still randomly appear.  Another, younger marmoset also exhibits similar “running patterns” and is also an ex-lab monkey.  Since both of these monkeys are now living in large indoor/outdoor enclosures with multiple forms of stimulation, I can only assume that these behaviors are a remnant of their life before PPS.

         Knowing these disparities in behavior and housing can assist us while we are rehabilitating a monkey from a lab to a naturalistic environment.  One way to help lab monkeys immediately upon arrival is to show them that the enclosure they now live in is truly theirs, and as caretakers we only enter it to help them.  We do this by only “invading” their space in order to provide food, enrichment, fresh bedding, or to clean it.  Another good rehabilitation technique is making sure that the new monkey can see an enclosure with monkeys that exhibit natural behaviors so that they can begin to learn from their peers.  This way the monkeys can teach each other how to act and react to certain stimuli that they might not have ever experienced before.  More recently, we have seen that this practice has allowed one of the ex-pet monkeys here to learn normal marmoset vocalizations that he had never heard before arriving here.  Finally, and most importantly, all monkeys in a captive setting need constant and regular enrichment.  A study done at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Lab actually showed that marmosets in captivity showed less signs of stress when the occurrences of environmental enrichment increased.  Therefore, it is extremely important to always have something that the monkeys can manipulate (chew, tear, pull apart, etc.) in their enclosures. 

While understanding where these monkeys come from cannot change what they have already been through, it can provide an explanation for some of their behaviors and help us care for their specific needs. Pacific Primate Sanctuary continues to rehabilitate and care for laboratory primates and protect their future generations so they will never have to endure the same negative experiences.

Sources:

The Common Marmoset, Primate Info Net, WNPRC, pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheet/entry/common_marmoset/cons

Current Common Marmoset Behavioral Research, Primate Info Net, WNPRC, pin.primate.wisc.edu/callicam/research9.html

The Psychological Well-Being of Nonhuman Primates, Committee on Well-Being of Nonhuman Primates, Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council, http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=4909 (free on-line copy)

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of Pacific Primate Sanctuary’s  E-Newsletter.  Thank you for your support of our life saving work. Because of compassionate people, the Sanctuary can continue to provide a place of peace and happiness for 70 primates saved from research laboratories, animal dealers, and smugglers.  Here they can heal, form families, and live free from exploitation.

“No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.
 We must learn to see the world anew.”
                                —Albert Einstein


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Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Primate Update October 2009



PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT

Fern and Xylophone are Pacific Primate Sanctuary’s newest residents. They are critically endangered Cotton Top Tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) who have spent their lives in college laboratories.  After a long day and a half of traveling, the two arrived on September 15, 2009. Fern is a 10 year old Male, and Xylophone is an 8 year old Female and the two have been paired for many years. Fern and “Xy” are settling in very well, and have been welcomed by the other monkeys in the corridor.  We have heard several of the other Cotton Tops communicating with the new pair, and they have reciprocated.  They are very curious, and have been observing their new surroundings.  They particularly seem to enjoy basking in the sunlight, something they have most likely never had the opportunity to do before!                

 

NOTABLE NEWS

 



Xylophone, an endangered Cotton Top Tamarin given refuge at PPS






Pacific Primate Sanctuary has given refuge to two new endangered Cotton Top Tamarins this month, Fern and Xylophone. These two are slowly adjusting to their new environment, and we are happy to have them here!

 

 



 Allegra, a young female marmoset

 

Macaco, an ex-“pet”, is coming along well in his rehabilitation.  He is currently right next to Allegra, a young female marmoset, and the two are showing a lot of interest in each other.  Macaco spends quite a bit of time watching Allegra, and displays protective signs when caretakers are in the vicinity.  Allegra seems to enjoy being near Macaco, and is very curious about all that he does. We are hoping to pair these two in the near future, so that Macaco can have monkey companionship for the first time in his life.  

 

                               

Macaco, an ex-“pet” marmoset


 

Meet More Monkeys

 




Sweet Otis, a White-Tufted Eared Marmoset, needs a Companion and a Green Room.  Otis is the son of Stevie Wonder, who was rescued from the back room of a pet shop. 


 

 

 

 





Brenda is an elderly White-Tufted Eared Marmoset.  She was given refuge at Pacific Primate Sanctuary after having spent the first several years of her life in a laboratory.

 

 










WHAT’S HAPPENING at PPS?

 

 

PPS Extension

 

We currently need to build more outdoor enclosures to accommodate the monkeys now living indoors in portables. There are 14 portables now crowding the corridor. Their presence is creating unstable social dynamics in the established monkey groups in the outdoor enclosures.
We have designed a cost effective extension, which will provide much needed housing for the monkeys living in portables. It would be adjacent and parallel to the existing building, in close proximity to water and electric, and very accessible to the caregivers.   


We submitted the drawing to our friends at Corners Ltd., who created all of our current marmoset and tamarin enclosures. Jim Pestoor, founder of the company, has been very generous in his pricing and donations of goods and services over the years.  (Jeff Smith. the manager there, writes: You are very special to all of us and it has been a privilege to play a small role in the work that you are so committed in doing for the monkeys.

Corners has given us a generous discount of 1/3 off their price, and Jeff has offered to come to Maui from Kalamazoo to install the enclosures. We now have to raise about $37,000 to get 16 outdoor habitats up as soon as possible.

                                                     

                               Lush Jungle Enclosure at PPS created by Corners Ltd.


 

 Please send your tax-deductible donations to:

Pacific Primate Sanctuary

500 A Haloa Rd

Haiku, HI 96708

 

 

Or donate on our website, www.pacificprimate.org using PayPal.

 

Pacific Primate Sanctuary on the Web

 We have created a Facebook page for PPS: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Haiku-HI/Pacific-Primate-Sanctuary-Inc/278605635163. 

On this page we will be posting updates, information about the Sanctuary, images, as well as the Primate Update E-Newsletter.  If you have a Facebook account, please become a Fan of Pacific Primate Sanctuary, Inc. to keep updated!  You can also suggest this page to friends and family who want to know more about the monkeys and their wonderful caregivers!

PPS PEOPLE in the SPOTLIGHT


Meet Intern Alli:

 

Allison Gabrielson is here at Pacific Primate Sanctuary for a one year Resident Internship; she arrived at the Sanctuary on February 26th, 2009. Alli has a degree in zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she excelled in primate studies.  


In her acceptance letter, Alli wrote: “I came across the website for Pacific Primate Sanctuary when I was browsing on the University of Wisconsin PIN (Primate Information Network).  I was immediately intrigued by your mission because of the absence of any type of ulterior motive besides providing these amazing animals with a safe-haven to live out their lives.  I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of and was only reassured that this was an amazing organization after speaking with Lucy Wormser over the phone.  I can't wait to be a part of such a selfless, conservation-driven effort…”

Alli has now been at the Sanctuary for 7 months, and has proven to be an amazing asset.  She has a truly joyful demeanor and upbeat attitude. She always has a smile on her face, and creates an atmosphere of fun and enjoyment no matter what the situation.  We are so happy to have her as a part of our ‘Ohana!

Congratulations to Dr. Cathy Johnson-Delaney on receiving the first Oxbow Animal Health Exotic Mammal Health Award. Established in 2009, this award is an annual award presented to an animal health professional who advances the field of exotic mammal medicine and care. Dr. Delaney Has been on the Pacific Primate Sanctuary Advisory Board for over ten years. As a consulting veterinarian, she provides her i insight and extensive knowledge of exotic animal medicine as a service to PPS. She has also come to the Sanctuary to volunteer her time, offering lectures to the Maui Community, training our staff in Critical Care, as well as performing dental surgeries.  We would like to extend our sincere appreciation for her invaluable support.  Dr. Delaney writes to Pacific Primate Sanctuary:

thank you again for the privilege of being able to work with you


Dr. Cathy Johnson Delaney, Mike Delaney and two opossums.

SPECIAL THANKS


Mahalo to Aloha Air Cargo for making it possible to get Fern and Xylophone to Pacific Primate Sanctuary from Honolulu.  A special Thank you to Randy Wun for your excellent customer service, for going out of your way to ensure safe passage, and for donating the flight for our precious cargo. 

 

Mahalo to Sue for your help with the mailing we are working on.  Your graphic expertise, and unique point of view are truly appreciated.

 

Mahalo to Rick Ortiz for all your help in keeping the Sanctuary Web Cam up and running.

 

Mahalo to Dr. Dressler for your continued veterinary support and expertise.  We are in awe of your ability to perform surgeries on these tiny animals.  Abraham is feeling so much better since you performed oral surgery on his poor mouth this month!  We are so grateful for all that you do for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.  Dr. Dressler’s clinic, South Shore Veterinary Clinic, has moved to a new location!  They will be having a Grand Opening celebration next Saturday, October 3 from 12:30 to 4 pm.  The clinic is now located at 330 Ohukai Road, Suite 107 in Kihei.  Please call the clinic at 874-3422 for information about the Grand Opening.  Pacific Primate Sanctuary will be there handing out information, we hope to see you there!

 


CONTINUING ED

 

Operations Officer Erin’s Special Topic: Capuchin Selective Tool Use

If you want the Job done Right, You’ve got to Use the Proper Tools!

In 2004, findings reported the first direct scientific evidence of tool use among wild Capuchin monkeys. In this study, by Moura and Lee, wild Capuchin monkeys were observed using sticks and twigs, which were often modified, to dig for insects and to use stones to crack open nuts and dig.  The use of feeding tools was observed in 3 separate groups of capuchins.  The animals were observed for a total of 312 hours between January and December 2001; during this time 154 feeding-tool use events were recorded, or 5.1 observations per day.  The tools were observed being used for three different things- digging, cracking, and probing. Prior to this, the only strongly documented evidence for tool use among primates was among Chimpanzees.

In 2008, further studies recorded the use of tools to open dry fruits in wild populations of yellow-breasted Capuchins (Cebus xanthosternos).  This observational study was done in three different habitats.  Researchers observed the fruits of 6 different plants being opened with hammer stones by the Capuchin monkeys.

 

Studies are now showing that not only do Capuchins know to use tools for nut cracking, but they will actually choose the best tool for the job. The EthoCebus project studies a group of wild bearded Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus libidinosis) in Piaiu, Brazil. The research team here includes Dorothy M. Fragaszy and Elisabetta M. Visalberghi who are the authors of The Complete Capuchin, a book we use regularly at Pacific Primate Sanctuary as a tool for understanding Capuchin behaviors.  The area where the Capuchins are studied has a relatively low number of food resources, with palm trees as the major resource.  However, palm nuts are not easy nuts to crack!  These monkeys regularly take the palm nuts to an area with pitted stone and wood “anvils”, and then select stones to pound open the nut.  Researchers noticed that the monkeys did not just grab any old rock, but instead were very selective about which rock to use.  Sometimes the monkeys would approach a few different rocks, touch, and pick up the rocks before selecting which would do the best job. To crack open hard palm nuts, a stone should be heavy and sturdy. The Capuchins seemed to always know which was the best tool for the job, and would choose heavy, hard rocks.

         The researchers offered the monkeys different tools to see how the animals responded to different rocks.  First, they offered the monkey a choice between two stones that were different in either hardness or in size and weight.  For example:  a monkey might choose between two pieces of quartzite- one large (heavier) and one small, or instead they may have two stones the same size, but one is quartzite (hard) and one is sandstone (soft, easily breakable)

         Next, the monkeys were offered artificial (but realistic looking) stones.  In these trials the stones may be large, but quite light while the other was small but quite heavy, or the stones might be the same size- but different weights.

         With the natural stone trials, the monkeys would go for the most effective stone first.  This indicates that they could tell just by looking which stone was the best one for the job.  With the artificial stones, the monkeys would move, lift or tap the various stones before making their decision. The Capuchins chose the best, most effective stone more than 90% of the time in four of the trials.  In the final trial, where the monkeys selected from fake stones that were the same size but different weights, they chose the most effective stone 85% of the time. 

         This study shows that Capuchins are not only able to use tools, but are able to plan their actions and show intentional selection of the best tool for the job.  Here at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, we have seen the PPS Capuchins banging nuts and other food on the cement and on wooden beams to open them.  So far, we have not observed them using additional tools to aid in their food consumption.  As a form of enrichment, it might be interesting to provide the Capuchins with tools such as stones to open hard nuts.  This would be a great way to see if captive Capuchins also exhibit this tool use behavior.

Sources:

Moura and Lee. December 2004. Capuchin Stone Tool Use in Caatinga Dry Forest. . Science. Vol. 306, no 5703.

Retrieved from: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5703/1909

Gustavo Canale et al. February 2009. First record of tool use by wild populations of the yellow-breasted capuchin monkey (Cebus xanthosternos) and new records for the bearded capuchin (Cebus libidinosus). American Journal of Primatology. Vol. 71, Issue 5. Abstract

Retrieved from: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122191902/abstract

 Elisabetta et al. February 2009. Selection of Effective Stone Tools by Wild Bearded Capuchin Monkeys. Current Biology. 19, pg 213-217.

Retrieved from: http://www.ip.usp.br/ebottoni/EthoCebus/arquivos/2009_CB_Visalberghi&al.pdf

 Physorg.com, February 2009.Researchers Unravel Ways Capuchin Monkeys Select Effective Tools.

Retrieved from: http://www.physorg.com/news152984550.html

 EthoCebus Project Webpage. http://www.ip.usp.br/ebottoni/EthoCebus/echome.html

 Bruce Bower. February 2009. Capuchin Monkeys Choose the Right Tool for the Nut. ScienceNews. Volume 175 #4.

Retrieved from:http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/39930/title/Capuchin_monkeys_choose_the_right_tool_for_the_nut


Corridor Awards and Observational Skills:

Good observational skills are a very important aspect of animal care.  By carefully observing the monkeys at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, we are able to provide better care.  This skill allows us to distinguish between the different individuals, and to know what behaviors are normal and those that are not.  Observations will tell us which monkeys are good candidates for pairing, and those that are not, and can help us prevent potential problems before they occur.

 

All that we have to prevent and notice illness in a monkey is our own observational skills. These skills are just like any other skill, and can be exercised to become more efficient. Those of us that are here either everyday, or once a week, should be keenly observing the enclosure floors and behavior of the monkeys upon each and every walkthrough. Only those caretakers who observe the monkeys in their “normal” states are going to be able to pick up on something that is different from that. This is why it is so important to observe the interactions of the monkeys in each enclosure on a daily basis so we can spot something that is unusual

As an exercise to increase our observational skills, we asked the Volunteers at Pacific Primate Sanctuary to create “awards” for the monkeys.  The following selection of “awards” helps us to distinguish the different monkeys in our care, and to know what behaviors are normal for each individual.


Miranda- Most protective grandparent.

Miranda was very protective of her granddaughter Viola from the day she was born. Viola was rejected by her birth parents, and hand reared by Interns Erin and Tez.  Whenever we brought Viola near her grandmother, Miranda continued to show protective behaviors.  From this observation, we knew that Miranda would be a great candidate to care for Viola once she was old enough to eat on her own.  Viola is now over a year old, and Miranda continues to be very protective of her granddaughter


Cordelia- Most luxurious long tufts. 

Cordelia can easily be distinguished from her mate, and her offspring from the length of her black ear tufts.

 

Nikki- Tongue acrobat. 

One distinctive behavior that Nikki has is the frequency of sticking out her long tongue.  With some marmosets, this behavior can be construed as a threat behavior.  However, with Nikki this is a very common behavior, and does not indicate that she feels threatened, but seems to be more of a greeting.

 

Leticia- Most devoted mate. 

Leticia’s mate Iktomi is an elderly Tamarin with limited mobility. Leticia helps take care of Iktomi by faithfully grooming him every morning in the sunlight, and always making sure he has good access to food before eating herself.


Anna- Most talkative tamarin. 

Anna is a very vocal monkey!  It is very common to hear her vocalizing throughout the day and she has a very distinctive voice. Many of the caretakers are able to distinguish Anna simply by hearing her vocalize.

 



Anna in her greenroom

 

 Apollo- Most Distinguished Cotton-top. 

Apollo is very easy to distinguish from the other members of his family because of his unique Cotton Top. He has very large, fluffy hair that sticks straight out in all directions.

 

Ernesto- Super single dad. 

Ernesto raised his two infants, Little Bea and Emilio, singlehanded after his mate died. He was very protective of his children, and was an amazing father!

 

Gaia and Galatea- Most Unique Voices. 

Gaia and Galatea are the only Saddleback Tamarins in the corridor.  Their vocalizations are very different from all the other monkeys in our care.  By knowing what they sound like we are able to know immediately if they are distressed in any way, even if we are not within visual range.

 

Davis- Most Protective Mate. 

Davis is very protective of his mate, Cordelia, and sticks very close beside her all of the time.  It is very unusual to see Davis separated from Cordelia.

 

Deidre- Best outdoorswoman.

Deidre spends most of her time out in her greenroom.  She really enjoys being outside, basking in the sunshine, and moving among the trees. We can tell she is not feeling well if she spends much time indoors.

 

Volunteers bring their own special observational skills and new perspectives that we can all benefit from in providing care for the primates.

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of Pacific Primate Sanctuary’s  E-Newsletter.  Thank you for your support of our life saving work. Because of compassionate people, the Sanctuary can continue to provide a place of peace and happiness for 70 primates saved from research laboratories, animal dealers, and smugglers.  Here they can heal, form families, and live free from exploitation.

“ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” —Mahandas Gandhi




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