Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 2, Issue 2, Part 1

We hope that you enjoy this February issue of Pacific Primate Sanctuary’s E-Newsletter.

PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT

Olivia was born at Pacific Primate Sanctuary on October 24, 2001. Unfortunately, her mother Edie, passed away while giving birth so Olivia was hand-reared by compassionate volunteers.

Once old enough to be weaned, Olivia was placed near other monkeys to learn natural primate behaviors.

Her first pairing was unsuccessful, with the male acting aggressively towards her. It was important for Olivia to have a mate and a family, to be a part of the normal social group that she missed out on as an infant.

Then, in 2004, a family of Marmosets came to the Sanctuary from a lab on the mainland. The family consisted of a mother and father, along with several of their offspring. Lucian was one of them, and he turned out to be an ideal mate for Olivia. Initially, volunteers weren’t sure if this pairing would work, with both animals exhibiting abnormal behaviors. However, over the years, Lucian and Olivia have bonded extremely well and have had a few children. Through this process, Olivia has learned normal marmoset behaviors and communication. She has a caring relationship with her mate and become a successful mother- she is often seen grooming Lucian or her offspring and being groomed in return. Lucian, who had never seen the outside world before coming here, spends hours in the sun, climbing in the trees and vines in his enclosure. He has demonstrated normal parenting behaviors and has helped to raise their offspring. The pair has now been together for almost 6 years, they have formed a family and created natural social bonds. Their rehabilitation has been a true success, and they are thriving!


NOTABLE NEWS

The monkeys at Pacific Primate Sanctuary really
seem to be enjoying one another’s company this month! Oona and Little Bea, who have been companions for only a few months, have been nestled closely together in their sleeping box most evenings. Iktomi and Leticia, a pair of Cotton Top Tamarins, enjoyed cuddling up in the sunlight on many different occasions. Lucian and Olivia, along with their daughter, Bianca, were seen all grooming each other in the morning light.

Olivia, Bianca, and Lucian sitting in the sun

The primates have also been very playful this month. Sylvan greatly enjoyed playing and exploring his fresh blankets after a sleeping box cleaning. Juas, an elderly Tamarin with limited mobility, may not be able to jump about anymore, but he has been doing a lot of climbing and hanging on the mesh in the sun. Lazero and Anna, a pair of Cotton Top Tamarins, have been spending lots of time together in their favorite tree. Two enclosures got a great pruning this month, thanks to our wonderful Volunteer Dr. Bud. The monkeys in these enclosures showed their appreciation by spending hours enjoying all the extra sunshine.

Our youngest Capuchin monkey, Viola, has been enjoying a new form of enrichment this month- painting! So far, the other Capuchins haven’t shown much interest in painting, but Viola jumps right in.

Viola painting

We have seen some very exciting progress in Macaco’s rehabilitation (Macaco spent many years as a pet, and came to the Sanctuary less than a year ago). This month, he spent quite a bit of time near Dyna, a female marmoset. He was very curious about Dyna, and enjoyed watching her. Soon after being near her, we began to hear brand new monkey sounds from Macaco!! One communication is a “chitter”, which is a sound sometimes used to express displeasure. (Intern Alli says Macaco’s chitter sounds exactly like Dyna’s.) Another vocalization he is now making is a quiet peeping noise, which we hear most often when the monkeys get favorite foods. This vocalization is often made into their food bowl as they dig in. Macaco has also started climbing to the ceiling of his home to expose his belly to the warmth of the sun or heat lamp. We are keeping Macaco and Dyna close together, so he can continue to watch her. Hopefully we will continue to see more monkey behaviors from Macaco as time goes by!

Macaco observes his monkey neighbors

MEET MORE MONKEYS





Delightful Figs!

Young Viola watches as Grandmother Miranda eats a fresh fig. Viola, always a speedy eater, finished hers first and is watching intently, seemingly with the hope that Grandma will share her sweet treat!

Devoted Couple

This close knit pair sticks close together as they observe their surroundings. Davis and Cordelia have been together for many years. Davis is an extremely loyal mate, and is always at Cordelia’s side.






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