Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 2, Issue 8, Part 3

PPS INTERNSHIP

Welcome to the two newest PPS Interns: Cheryl and Lisa

Cheryl arrived on Monday, July 25th from England. She has recently received a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Animal Studies. She is passionate about working with primates, and is intrigued with primate intelligence and social structures. Cheryl spent time exploring Chimpanzee grooming habits within zoos for her undergraduate dissertation. In 2007 Cheryl visited South Africa for 6 weeks as a volunteer for a Vervet monkey sanctuary. During this time she worked hands on with orphaned babies as well as helping to maintain the other 100 or so monkeys. Cheryl writes: “I have a great passion for primates and would love to expand the experience I’ve already gained and would like the chance to work with different species in a place like yours that is completely dedicated to the well-being of the monkeys.


I feel that my previous experience gained from volunteer work with monkeys will be useful as I have proven that I am able to adapt to new environments by myself, take on responsibilities that are key to the monkeys well-being, and show that I am able and willing to undertake every aspect of keeping monkeys and ensuring that they are healthy and happy… I want to thank you very much for offering me this position and giving me such an amazing opportunity to further my experience working with primates…I am really looking forward to learning as much as I can from people who have already gained expertise… and aim to contribute as much as I can to give to the primates the best life that they deserve…“


Lisa arrived on Tuesday, July 27th. She has a B.S. in Biology and has worked with 52 exotic big cats in a sanctuary environment, provided care for a variety of birds at the Dallas Zoo, and assisted with avian rehabilitation at the Texas State Aquarium. Lisa writes: “No matter how I write it, it cannot express how excited I am or thankful to be joining you all at PPS…


You never know when the opportunity of a lifetime will appear, but I’m so thankful it did. I found out about the Pacific Primate Sanctuary through one of my email groups. When I visited the website, I knew that it would be the right place for me, and after visiting with Lucy & Erin on the phone I was even surer. I think what drew me most to PPS was the simple message ‘Where the suffering stops and the healing begins!’

Welcome Lisa and Cheryl, we are so happy to have you

as part of the Sanctuary Family!

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Special Topic- Dana


Ryland’s Marmosets and Tamarins
Systematics, Behavior and Ecology


Chapter 7: The Social Organization of Marmosets: A Critical Evaluation of Recent Concepts

In this chapter, the authors Rothe and Darms discuss marmoset group composition, size, and mating habits. Understanding migration rates, and the age and sex of individuals is the key to deciphering the marmoset mating system.

In wild populations, immigration (monkeys joining the group) and emigration (monkeys leaving the group) seem to affect the structure of a society more than births and deaths. Immigrants are usually only welcome when it benefits all the family members, or they’ll be met with hostility. In the wild, friendly contacts between individuals of different social units do occur, but rather infrequently. Potential immigrants are only welcomed if they would benefit all family members. However, in captivity, marmoset groups/families are usually unwilling to integrate adult strangers whatsoever; therefore, births and deaths are what determine group size and composition.

In captivity, marmoset groups regulate their group size and composition by evictions of subadult/adult members. The probability of being expelled, especially by same-sexed siblings, increases with family size and with the increasing age of the social unit. The authors expect that in the wild, most juveniles will settle on natal or adjacent home ranges. Because of this, marmosets have a keen understanding of who is kin, so that inbreeding can be avoided.

White-tufted Eared Marmoset Couple

In any marmoset group, reproduction is the privilege of the alpha pair. The pair-bond is formed after the establishment of the group hierarchy. There have been about 160 Callithrichid societies observed for long periods of time, and monogamy was observed almost 100% of the time. One of the main advantages of monogamy is considered to be male investment in offspring. Co-operation, especially involving infant care, is an important aspect of callitrichid social organization. Having helpers raise offspring can be explained by 1) gaining rearing experience 2) the contribution to inclusive fitness via kin selection (by helping raise your sibling’s offspring you are ensuring that your family genes are passed on) 3) belated benefits through reciprocal altruism (i.e. I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine). The authors conclude that helping to rear infants is probably a matter of seniority and/or hierarchical status.

-Rylands, A.B. Marmosets and Tamarins. Systematics, Behavior, and Ecology. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1993.

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 74 primates saved from research laboratories, animal dealers, and smugglers. Here they can heal, form families, and live free from exploitation.



May all sentient beings be endowed with happiness.
May they all be separated from suffering and its causes.
May they be endowed with joy, free from suffering.
May they abide in equanimity, free from attraction and aversion.

— The Tibetan Book of the Dead


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