PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT
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!
Macaco, an ex-“pet” marmoset
Meet More Monkeys
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.
Pacific Primate Sanctuary
500 A Haloa Rd
Haiku, HI 96708
Or donate on our website, www.pacificprimate.org using PayPal.
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!
“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.
Retrieved from: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/306/5703/1909
Retrieved from: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122191902/abstract
Retrieved from: http://www.ip.usp.br/ebottoni/EthoCebus/arquivos/2009_CB_Visalberghi&al.pdf
Retrieved from: http://www.physorg.com/news152984550.html
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 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 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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