Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 2, Issue 12, Part 1

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ALL THE MONKEYS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS!

PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT

Meet Apollo and Echo

Echo and Apollo are critically endangered Cotton Top Tamarins. They were born in a research laboratory in April 1995. There are currently 120,000 primates in laboratories in the US. Echo and Apollo spent the first two years of their lives in a lab. They were sent to Pacific Primate Sanctuary, along with 9 other Cotton Top Tamarins, whose endangered status protected them from being put to death in the lab. Both Echo and Apollo were missing fingers and toes because of bad housing and poor living conditions. They were injured both physically and mentally and were very traumatized when they arrived at the Sanctuary.

Echo

Today, Echo rushes to her feeding platform eager for breakfast, always the first one in her enclosure to greet the volunteers bringing her food. She and Apollo spend hours in outside. Now, in their advanced age, their mobility has greatly decreased and they are no longer able to jump and climb as they once did. We have created a jungle walkway for them (from re-cycled refrigerator shelves) so they can continue to live outdoors and enjoy the sun, the wind, and the many plants in their enclosure. Echo

Please help us continue to provide monkeys such as Echo and Apollo a refuge from research laboratories and the inhumane exotic pet trade.
Donate now at http://www.pacificprimate.org/help-donate.htm

NOTABLE NEWS

This Month we grieve the passing of our precious Jane, a White-tufted Eared Marmoset. Jane was born at a biomedical laboratory and came to Pacific Primate Sanctuary with her family in 2004. Jane spent the last 6 years with us here at the Sanctuary with the sun warming her fur as she leapt through the greenery with her partner, Emilio, by her side. We will all miss her dearly.


The monkeys were very excited with the enrichment they were given this month. Deidre and Daisy were enthralled with paper bag foraging. They were given a paper bag that was crumpled up after being filled with treats. The monkeys had to open up the bags and go digging inside to find their surprise. Deidre and Daisy worked their way into the bag at the same time, so you could just see their back legs and tail sticking out! Other monkeys enjoyed the enrichment involving popcorn. Chloe and Guido liked working popcorn off of a string, while Lily and Nikki spent lots of time hanging from their mesh ceiling to get to the popcorn that was scattered across the top of their enclosure.

Leticia eating a Thanksgiving sweet potato

The Volunteer Caregivers here at PPS prepared a wonderful Thanksgiving meal for the monkeys this year. Breakfast for the Marmosets and Tamarins included sweet potatoes and maple yogurt. The Capuchins were given yummy pumpkin and celery with peanut butter and raisins, while the Spider monkeys enjoyed baked sweet potatoes and raisins. The special holiday foods were a big hit with all of the monkeys. All primates like celebrations!


We have continued to move monkeys into the Extension, and now have 21 primates living in their new home! This last month we moved Abraham over, an elderly Black-tufted Eared Marmoset. Abraham seems to be quite content in his new enclosure. Carlos and Margarite were also moved in, and have been eagerly exploring all the plants and enjoying the sunshine.



We have two monkeys with birthdays this month, and they happen to be twin sisters! Dyna and Vida will be turning 7 years old on December 31. Please join us in wishing these two sisters a very Happy Birthday!

Vida cuddled in a blanket

MEET MORE MONKEYS

Armando enjoys a special Thanksgiving treat of sweet potato perched on his nestbox.

Viola is exhibiting the relaxed open mouth display, or “play face”. Her facial expression indicates that she feels safe, secure, and comfortable and that she wants to play.
Sometimes it is accompanied by bouncing, reaching out her tail, foot or arms, and an excited “hhaa, hhaa, hhaa”!

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.

Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 2, Issue 12, Part 2

WHAT’S HAPPENING at PPS?

We have begun working on to our next big project- new enclosures for the Spider Monkeys! Steven has created a general design plan, and we are eager to move forward with it. The site has been prepared and materials have been ordered. Soon Carlos and Montana, the Spider Monkey brothers rescued from tourist attractions, will be able to move naturally through the trees in a new 40-foot enclosure as they were meant to do!

Spider Monkey Enclosure 3-D design plan

Long time donors and friends of Pacific Primate Sanctuary have offered their contributions towards the construction of the Spider Monkey facility, however we still need to raise $5,000 to complete this project. Generosity and Compassion are the stuff miracles are made of. We appreciate your continued support.

What You Can do to Help the Monkeys!

‘Tis the Season of Giving
The Holiday season is upon us; it is a time of year to celebrate with friends and family- a time when joy, compassion, and the spirit of generosity abound. Below are ways you can help Pacific Primate Sanctuary during this season of giving.

GoodShop
Use GoodShop.com for all your holiday shopping. After designating Pacific Primate Sanctuary as your nonprofit of choice, you can shop at more than 900 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will automatically be donated to the Sanctuary! For example: if you shop on eBay using Goodshop.com, 25-35% of eBay revenue will be donated to PPS! GoodShop also provides many valuable coupons to use towards your purchases. When you select a store, you will automatically be redirected to a coupon page for that store. PLEASE use GoodShop this holiday season!

Gift Contributions
Many of us are sick of the holiday buying binge and are searching for truly meaningful gifts. We would like to present a gift giving opportunity:
Gift Contributions can be made to Pacific Primate Sanctuary in the name of anyone on your holiday list. Your Gift Recipients will receive a beautiful Contribution Certificate showing you have made a donation in their name, along with information about PPS. This thoughtful and significant gift helps to feed and care for threatened, endangered and distressed primates. Please see the PPS Holiday Gift Contribution Form located in this blog for details.

Rescue Fund
A Rescue Fund will allow us to provide refuge for at risk animals needing to be brought to the Sanctuary immediately. Laboratories and pet owners often have deadlines for placement and may not contribute to the costs involved in getting the animal to Pacific Primate Sanctuary or provide for their housing and care. Your contributions will allow us to reach out to these monkeys and bring them to this safe haven. If you would like to donate to the Rescue Fund please make a tax-deductible donation at the sites above.


Sponsor an Intern!
We have had several people interested in the PPS internship position who are unable to afford the cost of travelling to Maui and volunteering for a year. For example, we just received the following e-mail from a very qualified applicant:
“I recently graduated with my Master of Science degree where my focus was primate conservation and my bachelor's degree was in anthropology/primatology. I have lived in the jungles of Borneo doing orangutan rehabilitation and Costa Rica. My undergraduate and graduate theses were in captive primate behavior. I also have graduate level experience in Grant Writing and Proposals.”
He is an ideal candidate for our Internship program. Unfortunately, he does not have the finances for an airline ticket or for personnel expenses.

The Sanctuary provides housing and an orchard and organic vegetable garden for our Resident Interns, however we do not have the funds to fly qualified students to Maui or to provide a stipend. If you are interested in sponsoring an Intern by purchasing airline tickets, donating Airline Miles, or providing a monthly stipend for our Resident Interns please contact us at pps@aloha.net.



How to Donate Directly
Please make tax-deductible donations to the Sanctuary in any of the following ways:

You can donate online on our Website: www.pacificprimate.org or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PacificPrimateSanctuary using PayPal
or send a check to:

Pacific Primate Sanctuary
500-A Haloa Road
Haiku, HI 96708

With your support, you make everything we do possible.

PPS PEOPLE in the SPOTLIGHT

We would like to express our deep appreciation to the many Volunteers at Pacific Primate Sanctuary. We are truly thankful for all that you do, for the many and varied gifts you bring to the Sanctuary. Thank you for helping us nurture our fellow beings and protect their precious lives.


Following are some of the PPS Volunteers in action!

Dr. Bud pruning

Mary Catherine, Judi, Loli and Lisa

spreading the word about PPS

Lisa and Mary Catherine providing a delicious Thanksgiving breakfast

Cyndi and Lucy at the Flatbread Fundraiser

Brad helping set up the new extension

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.

Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 2, Issue 12, Part 3

PPS INTERNSHIP

Introducing our newest Resident Intern: Simon Breen
Pacific Primate Sanctuary has selected Simon Breen as our Resident Intern beginning in December 2010. Simon spent the last two years working in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua. He is planning on going to Graduate School in the fall, and some day hopes to open a primate rehabilitation center in Colombia. Simon has a passion for primate conservation, and is very excited to join us at the Sanctuary. Simon writes:

It is with the utmost enthusiasm and joy that I accept the position as a resident intern primate caregiver at the Pacific Primate Sanctuary. I am so sincerely honored to have this opportunity to join the family at the sanctuary in your mission to protect distressed primates and contribute to their conservation.


I promise to arrive with able hands and open mind, ready to listen, to learn, and to perform the tasks expected of me. During my time as your resident intern I promise to devote myself wholehearted to the primates at your center, to adhere to your rules and protocol, and to never forget that the needs of the primates come before my own.


I understand that the position is unpaid, but the reward of sharing in this noble cause is payment enough. This sense of fulfillment will sustain me for the duration of my internship… I predict that my interning will be the beginning of a meaningful lifelong partnership between your center and myself in the effort to conserve New World primates.


My reverence for the work that you and your esteemed staff and volunteers do at your sanctuary for New World monkeys is immeasurable. Thank you for this opportunity to serve these magnificent beings alongside you. I earnestly hope that in time, I will come to be accepted by all the monkeys at your center and their bipedal counterparts.

Welcome Simon, we are so happy that you are joining the Sanctuary Family!

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Special Topic: Lisa
Spider Monkeys, Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution of the Genus Ateles


Chapter 5: Factors influencing spider monkey habitat use and ranging patterns

There are a variety of factors influencing primate-ranging behavior. These can include food abundance and distribution, even the location of water resources, and sleeping sites. Due to the fact that spider monkeys are ripe fruit specialist, they exhibit wide-ranging behavior. Spider monkeys tend to be found in the relatively tall evergreen and semi-deciduous (refers to plants that lose part of their foliage) tropical forest types throughout their range. Some of the factors that affect their habitat use and ranging patterns are the availability and distribution on fruit resources in the forest. In some species of spider monkeys, mineral licks and water resources are an important influence on their ranging behavior. While much research has been done about habitat use patterns there have been relatively few studies that examine habitat use in terms of overall habitat preferences, this would be useful in giving a more complete understanding of factors affecting spider monkey foraging and ranging behavior.

-Campbell, Christina J. Spider Monkeys: The Biology, Behavior, and Ecology of the Genus Ateles (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology). UK. Cambridge University Press. 2008.

Special Topic: Mary Catherine


Positive Reinforcement Training Update

Positive reinforcement simply refers to rewarding a desired behavior in order to increase the chances of that behavior occurring again. This technique also provides a way to communicate with others in a clear and humane manner. A positive reinforcement program implemented in daily husbandry routines can result in captive animals and their caregivers experiencing mutually beneficial effects.

Here at PPS the marmosets and tamarins are being taught to voluntarily step on a scale when one is placed in their enclosure. Every monkey learns at a different pace, so while Mariette enjoys hopping on the scale and receiving a treat, FIONA is still a bit suspicious of stepping up entirely onto the scale for more than a few seconds. These are two examples of how monkeys can work with their caregivers and communicate to them their comfort levels in performing certain actions. Patience and continued exposure to the scale is likely to increase Fiona’s comfort level with this action while also developing trust for her human caregivers.

MIRACLE, a female capuchin, has been busy this month learning to associate a “click” from a handheld clicker with a small treat. Once this connection was established, Miracle quickly learned specific behaviors, such as holding out her hand for her human caregiver to inspect. Aside from being mentally stimulating, this technique is helpful in the event that a finger or hand injury needs to be examined. She has also learned to hold out each of her legs on cue. Miracle is quite clever so she is learning and retaining a lot of information.





“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” —Helen Keller


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.

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.