Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 2, Issue 6, Part 1

PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT

Meet Jason and Ira

Jason and Ira, a pair of twin Cotton Top Tamarins, are the youngest residents at
Pacific Primate Sanctuary. They were born on January 1, 2009 to parents Adam and
Nadine.

Jason and Ira today

From a very young age, we could see these two boys would have very different personalities! Jason was bold, the first to try solid foods, and very inquisitive about everything. Ira on the other hand was the shy, quiet brother. He preferred to stay back, and observe from afar, and would often stick near mom, taking her food rather than going to the bowls on his own. Today, the two brothers continue to have different personalities, although Ira is not quite as shy as before!

Jason and Ira as infants

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, 20,000-30,000 Cotton Top Tamarins were taken from their native habitats, and exported to the United States for biomedical research. This Species is now critically endangered, with fewer than 1,000 individuals left in the wild. When a species is this threatened, each new birth is a miracle. Jason and Ira are symbols of hope for the future of Cotton Top Tamarins.

NOTABLE NEWS

Ezra enjoying a new branch

Summer is on its way, and the weather has been beautiful! The monkeys are using the sunny days to take advantage of their outdoor enclosures. Deidre and Daisy, two Black-tufted Eared Marmosets, have been enjoying the fresh hibiscus flowers growing in their enclosure. One family of White-tufted Eared Marmosets spent a warm morning sprawled out along a single branch basking in the suns rays. Artemis and Ezra, a pair of Cotton Top Tamarins spent a great deal of time running back and forth, exploring the fresh new branches in their enclosure.


We have been using new forms of enrichment this month, and the monkeys have been
very interested! Sylvan, a White-tufted Eared Marmoset, really enjoyed
exploring fresh herbs during a scent enrichment. He was given several different types
of fresh herbs; he really liked the Marjoram, repeatedly sniffing it, and rubbing it on
himself. He was not so fond of the oregano. We also played a CD with a variety of
sounds from the Amazon Rainforest. All of the monkeys perked up, and were very
curious.

The rehabilitation process continues to progress well for many of our resident
monkeys. Fern and Xylophone, a pair of Cotton Top Tamarins, who came the
Sanctuary from a University Laboratory last year, are doing wonderfully. Their coats
are thick and lush, and they have gained weight. After having spent many years on a
very limited diet, they had been quite reluctant to try new foods. However, they are
finally starting to show an interest in sampling the fresh tropical fruits that are
provided, and discovered that they really like fresh papaya! Macaco, an ex-pet, is
showing more and more interest in the other monkeys. This month he spent quite a
bit of time sitting calmly and watching a neighboring couple, Millie and Ernesto.

Carlos selects a grape from his food bowl 

Carlos and Montana, our newest residents, have settled in comfortably and are really enjoying the wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at mealtimes. They indicate their excitement with many “whinnies” of pleasure! They are getting to know the wonderful volunteers that will be caring for them, as we slowly introduce them to each caretaker.

MEET MORE MONKEYS

Cordelia, a Black-tufted Eared Marmoset, rests comfortably on a branch in the sunshine. Her father, Tank, spent most of his life in a
research laboratory. Florence, her mother, was confiscated from smugglers, and sent to PPS by a federal agency.










Allegra peers out from the hammock in her
outdoor enclosure.












This Blog and its content is copyright of Pacific Primate Sanctuary, Inc.—
© Pacific Primate Sanctuary, Inc., 2009. All rights reserved.
Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited other than the following:
you may print or download to a local hard disk extracts for your personal and non-commercial use only
you may copy the content to individual third parties for their personal use, but only if you acknowledge the website as the source of the material
You may not, except with our express written permission, distribute or commercially exploit the content. Nor may you transmit it or store it in any other website or other form of electronic retrieval system.