Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 3, Issue 6, Part 2

WHAT’S HAPPENING at PPS?

Spider Monkey Enclosure

Carlos eating a leaf he foraged for 

in the new Spider Monkey Enclosure

Carlos and Montana were successfully moved into their new enclosures this last month!! Montana was quite comfortable entering the carrier, and was moved in first. A few days later, with some adjustments to the carrier crate, we were able to get Carlos in and take him up to join his brother. The two have been exploring their new enclosures, and look absolutely liberated in their new home. The Spider monkeys are enjoying all of the changes to their living environment. Carlos particularly likes foraging for leaves on the many plants, something he has never been able to do before! Montana has really gotten the hang of brachiating and has been nearly flying across the length of his enclosure daily.

Carlos and Montana stretch out on a platform!

Carlos and Montana’s new enclosure is fully assembled and open for their exploration! The final structure is 40 feet long, and filled with lush jungle plants, branches to brachiate across, ropes to climb and platforms to rest on. They now have a 360° view and can see the Bamboo grove, the orchard, the palms, and the ocean to the north. They seem to most enjoy stretching out, fully relaxed, on a high platform in the sun.

The new Spider Monkey Enclosure!

Farewell to Extern MC!

Deep appreciation and gratitude to Extern Mary Catherine for coming to Maui to be a 40-hour a week volunteer for a year! Thank you for contributing your expertise, compassion, for your willingness to be of service, and for passing on the knowledge you have gained over the last year to the new Interns and Volunteers.

Thank you for sharing positive reinforcement training with the volunteers and making life more interesting for the monkeys. (You say “foot?” politely and Miracle gives you her foot!) FAREWELL! We will miss your positive outlook, your gentleness, and dedication to the monkeys.
You have truly learned about and come to treasure each and every monkey at PPS. The monkeys have been so fortunate to have you caring for them. Thank you for creating the valuable Quick Reference Guide to the Monkeys. This descriptive summary of all of the monkeys’ medical histories is a wonderful resource and teaching guide and will be an amazing asset for years to come.

Extern MC’s Leaving Letter:

MC sharing videos of the monkeys at the

2010 PPS fundraiser

Of all the years that have rolled by in my life, I’m finding this year I’ve spent at PPS to be the hardest one to see end. Memories of the year resonate inside me and rage at its conclusion. Like a stubborn child at a fair, I do not leave here willingly. What good is a morning that doesn’t begin with walking into the corridor and saying, ‘good morning, my little menehune!’ My mornings here always began that way, followed by taking Iktomi and Leticia’s sheet down and seeing Iktomi’s expression that would tell me how he was feeling that day.


What is a day that doesn’t include hearing Leticia’s silly noises she makes at Lazero and Anna when she is eating a tasty treat? Each individual monkey here has touched me daily with their distinctive personalities and created for me a life sublime… My days at PPS are filled with small moments of enormous meaning, and I have a lifetime of memories to carry with me….


These monkeys have shared with me moments of divinity that will accompany me for the rest of my days. The opportunity has been life altering. I hope, as I leave PPS, the legacy of love and the unique lives of each individual monkey continue to be honored and kept precious in the minds and hearts of all who care for them. Thank you to everyone who cared for the monkeys with me. I am astounded by the dedication each one of you have to these divine beings. Much love and respect to all the primates here, big and small.


Welcome to New PPS Extern, Dawn

Pacific Primate Sanctuary is pleased to announce the selection of our June 2011-2012 Extern, Dawn. She is leaving her business, selling her car, and moving to Maui from Cheshire, United Kingdom in order to volunteer her time here at PPS!

As a full time Volunteer, Dawn will be carrying out the same duties as our Resident Interns, and will be given the opportunity to become a Primary Animal Caregiver. Caring for primates will be a new experience for Dawn, who has been working in marketing for many years. She says: “ This would be a complete change of direction for me, but I feel certain that it is the right thing to do at a time when I have taken stock and find myself drawn toward a more meaningful way of life, with the ability to help others to have a better life too.” We are very excited to have Dawn join us and contribute to the growth of PPS.

In her letter of acceptance Dawn writes:
I would like to thank you for giving me this amazing opportunity and therefore please do take this as my acceptance of your very generous invitation to join you as an Extern at the Sanctuary.


I am extremely honoured and proud to have been selected for this post, and my main objective now is to become immersed in every aspect of the role, contributing to the already very professional, dedicated and caring team.


The idea of working with primates has been a lifelong dream for me and although I am starting on a completely new path fairly late in life, I have no regrets because in my heart, I know that this is the right time for me.


My plan is to work hard and learn from the wealth of experience I will be exposed to, but also put to good use my own skills to help raise the profile of PPS and in doing so, add to the life quality of the monkeys. I look forward to meeting the Sanctuary Volunteer family and becoming a part of this very special place.


Farewell to Dr. Elizabeth Lyons, who is retiring from her position as Federal Veterinary Inspector for Hawaii, Alaska and Guam.

Betsy Lyons at PPS

Dr. Lyons has been a true friend and advocate for the animals. She was instrumental is ending the sale of baby monkeys to tourists in Lahaina and helped relocate the squirrel monkeys from a bar in Honolulu to the rainforest zoo on the Big Island. Betsy Lyons supported Lucy in finding homes for the 25 primates at the defunct Maui Zoo, in getting the Spider monkeys to PPS, and in passing regulations making it illegal to have primates as pets in Hawaii, which we spent decades lobbying for.

On her first inspection visit to PPS, many years ago, Dr. Lyons was seen standing in the corridor, looking up at the monkeys and weeping. When we asked why she was crying, she said that she was witness to how primates were being treated in the places she had to inspect and the contrast in how the monkeys at PPS were cared for, moved her to tears. She did her final official inspection of PPS last week, saving our Sanctuary for last. Thank you Dr. Lyons for your open heart; we know you will always have Aloha for the animals!


PPS goes to Roots School
Operations Manager Erin and Intern Olivia went to Roots School to present our environmental education program, “Be a Primate Pal”. The group consisted of 16 students between 4th and 7th grade. The children were very involved with the presentation, answering questions with thoughtful responses and asking some wonderful questions of their own. They particularly enjoyed seeing two videos, Pacific Primate Sanctuary’s “One Day on Earth” as well as “Prospero’s Etrog” (you can view these videos on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/pacificprimate). Erin and Olivia were thrilled to have such an enthusiastic audience!

Intern Olivia writes about the presentation:
Education is fundamental in the development of any species. Specifically, in humans, we learn through imitation. Until we get a formal education, we learn to talk, by making similar sounds to those of our parents and siblings. We learn to eat by implementing instruments, in a similar manner to our dining companions; and we learn to write by copying the letters in the alphabet. It is time to introduce environmental education into the formal aspect of education, as the actions of the current general population are not what we want the next generation to imitate. The coming generations need to learn to be conscious of their energy consumption, and what types of habitat destructive products are used i.e. in their soap, shampoo, and candy bars. They need help in figuring out ways to have a positive impact on the earth instead of just reaping all the benefits from it. This is where environmental education programs come in, specifically the one presented at the Roots school on June first.


The educational session presented by Erin and Olivia at Roots was designed to open the students’ eyes about primate conservation, specifically with regard to captive primates in the United States, ranging from the entertainment and pet industry, biomedical research, and primates in zoos and sanctuaries.


The different species at Pacific Primate Sanctuary were discussed including the Critically Endangered Cotton Top Tamarin (IUCN, 2010), and the Endangered Geoffroy’s or Black-handed Spider Monkey (IUCN, 2010). We asked the students to list some of the reasons for the threatened condition of these two species and the children had really good answers. They brought up habitat destruction, and capturing the monkeys for human entertainment and research purposes.


We discussed Capuchin monkeys, primates frequently used in the entertainment industry. The class was informed that by watching movies exploiting and ridiculing primates, or buying greeting cards and mazgazines with monkeys dressed in human clothing, they are supporting this industry. This has a negative impact on individual primates, who are often taken from their mothers at a young age and abused into doing tricks that are unnatural for them to perform.


The students learned about White-tufted Eared marmosets, Black-tufted Eared Marmosets, and Weid’s Marmosets, particularly their ability to use specialized teeth to get gum exudates out of trees. Unfortunately, because of their small size, these monkeys are very popular in the pet trade. We talked about the damage that occurs from monkeys being kept as pets, which is evident in some of the individuals here at the Sanctuary who have difficulties adjusting to life with other monkeys.


We ended by talking about different things that the children could do to contribute to conservation and animal welfare issues, and decrease the negative impact they have on the earth. Not consuming products with palm oil would play a huge role in decreasing deforestation. This group was too young to know where building materials come from, but it is important to be aware of where they are imported from, and avoid buying furniture made from hard woods, as these are taken from the rain forests where primates live. Also presented during the talk were ways to prevent the abuse of animals in the entertainment industry: avoid supporting entertainment companies that are known to mistreat animals. Finally, never purchase monkeys as pets, because living with humans is an unnatural environment for the monkey, and these animals may even have been captured from the wild.


Helping the Monkeys

Thank you to Kara, Intern Simon’s wife, for volunteering her time to help the monkeys while she was on vacation. While here, she mended hammocks, helped with observation of the monkeys, and created wonderful new enrichment devices. Lazero, a Cotton Top Tamarin really enjoys the coconut feeder that Kara fashioned. He hangs upside down on a rope to open the top half of the coconut and feast on the yummy treats inside. Kara also created a wonderful bamboo bridge. Hector and Persephone, two Cotton Top Tamarins are thrilled with the bridge, and spend much time sitting on it!

Thank you to Ryan for coming in to help at PPS while visiting Intern Simon. Ryan also created a bamboo bridge, which was placed in Echo and Apollo’s enclosure. This will be very helpful in allowing these two monkeys with mobility problems more access to their greenroom!

If you are interested in becoming one of Pacific Primate Sanctuary’s Angels, and volunteering your time and skills please e-mail us at: pps@aloha.net


How to Donate Directly
We deeply appreciate your continued partnership. You, and your family and friends, can make tax-deductible donations to the Sanctuary on our Website: www.pacificprimate.org and on FaceBook, using PayPal, or by sending a check to:

Pacific Primate Sanctuary

500-A Haloa Road

Haiku, HI 96708

With your support, you make everything we do possible!

PPS INTERNSHIP

Resident Internship Grants

Current PPS Extern and Interns:

 Mary Catherine, Olivia and Simon

Thank you to two generous donors for supporting our Internship Program! The Resident Internship Program at Pacific Primate Sanctuary began in 2004. We have had 23 Interns over the past 7 years and the curriculum has deepened and expanded over time. This mutually beneficial program has provided a unique and valuable learning experience for the Interns, and exceptional animal care for the primates at the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary could not operate without the Interns. These generous contributions will sustain this wonderful program and allow us to continue to offer housing, utilities, and supplies to our Interns. We are deeply grateful to our wonderful donors for partnering with the Sanctuary in providing a resident Internship program. They help to make our dreams a reality!

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