Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 3, Issue 7, Part 1

PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT

This month we mourn the passing of our beloved Saddleback Tamarin, Gaia. She was rescued from a research laboratory and came to PPS in 1996 along with her twin sister Galatea, their parents, and 2 uncles. We paid for the airfare to bring the monkeys here, where they could live out the rest of their days in peace. When they arrived, they were in terrible condition. One of the monkeys, Aeneas, was curled up in a ball of pain and was urinating blood. He never even had a chance to experience life at the Sanctuary. Tragically, all of the other monkeys who came with Gaia and Galatea passed away within two weeks of their arrival, the result of years of neglect in the laboratory, which no amount of care could remedy.

Gaia and Galatea were young, and fortunate to be able to live their rest of their lives in the greenery, free from exploitation. Each morning, the these two sisters would climb along the mesh in their outdoor enclosure, exposing their bellies to the warmth as the sun’s rays glistened on their coppery fur. Each caregiver passing by would always pause to watch them. Their songs rang through the corridor, so unique, it was impossible not to smile when you heard them. Gaia was a beautiful old woman at 15 years old, and lived a long, happy life at the Sanctuary. We will all miss her dearly, and always remember her amazing melodious calls, her sweet disposition, and what a privilege it was to care for her.

Please help us continue to provide monkeys such as Gaia and Galatea a refuge from Research Laboratories. Donate now at: http://www.pacificprimate.org/help-donate.htm

SANCTUARY NEWS

Happy 17th Birthday Bruno!!

Bruno came to Pacific Primate Sanctuary as an antisocial, traumatized, Laboratory monkey. At 17 years old, Bruno is the oldest White-tufted Eared Marmoset at PPS. After rehabilitation at the Sanctuary, he is living a natural, long life with a loving companion.




Carlos and Montana have settled in well to their new enclosures! They have been taking full advantage of all that their new home has to offer: lounging on platforms in the sun, brachiating across branches, foraging from the many plants, moving from one area to the next to explore and gaining confidence. All of the extra activity has done wonders for the boys, their coats are shiny and they have both slimmed down!

It is very moving to see that the Spider monkeys have come home to a place of peace and healing after witnessing them on display at tourist attractions for most of their lives. At PPS they can finally experience their full range of natural movement, a green environment, the nurturing of devoted Sanctuary caregivers, and the respect they deserve.

WHAT’S HAPPENING at PPS?

Congratulations to Erin on becoming PPS Manager: In addition to her duties as Operations Officer, (doing a wide variety of administrative tasks), Erin is now supervising morning walk through, assessing the status of each monkey and leading our weekly staff meetings. She will also be aiding in the training of new volunteers and overseeing the growth and management of our Sanctuary. Erin has been developing the leadership skills to be an effective manager. She is now doing the planning, organizing, supervising, and assisting in allocating our resources, to achieve the Sanctuary’s goals and objectives. Her skills and dedication are an inspiration. We are blessed to have her managing Pacific Primate Sanctuary!

Congratulations Dr. Bud for being selected as the County of Maui's Volunteer Center Quarterly Hero! The Volunteer Hero Program is a project that recognizes outstanding volunteers and acknowledges their contributions. The program awards individuals for their outstanding service and commitment to the community. Pacific Primate Sanctuary nominated our Vice President, Dr. Bud, for his loyalty and many years of devoted, caring service to the monkeys and our organization.

Updated PPS Website
Lucy and Erin are currently working on updating the Sanctuary Website. Most recently, we have made changes to our History and Mission Page (http://pacificprimate.org/history.htm), as well as Species at the Sanctuary (http://pacificprimate.org/meet.htm). These pages have been revised to include the Spider monkeys, new pictures, and current information. We have also made some style changes to the Monkey Videos page (http://pacificprimate.org/cam.htm).

Next, we plan on re-doing the old Volunteer page, to include quotes and pictures of our current PPS Angels! Please check back soon to see what changes we have made.

Helping the Monkeys
We are currently in need of more local volunteers! If you live on Maui and 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. We are looking for Animal Caregiver Volunteers, as well as Office Assistants, Handymen, and Gardeners/Landscapers.


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!

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. 3, Issue 7, Part 2

PPS INTERNSHIP

Introducing Caroline:
We are very pleased to announce the arrival of our newest Resident Intern. Caroline has been serving in the Peace Corps Panama as an Environmental Conservation Agent in Panama for the past two years. She has a B.A. in biology, and spent 4 years doing animal care in a Zoo setting. Additionally, she has experience working as a Vet tech. Although she has worked with many different animals in the past, this is her first experience caring for primates. Caroline arrived on July 1st, and is already well on her way to becoming a wonderful caregiver. Already, the monkeys are very calm and comfortable around her, as though she were an old friend.

Caroline writes:

I would like to… officially thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a member of such a valuable team. I am enthusiastic to get to know each and everyone of you. Though, I don’t know any of you on a personal level I believe anyone who cares for the well being of any animal big or small must have a kind heart. Anyone that seeks out what is best for an animal, especially for the exotic species (i.e. primates) whose existence is becoming threatened and endangered in all parts of the world, is someone who is worth getting to know and working with.


From working in Peace Corps Panama, I have acquired patience …(try riding on a school bus aka Diablo Rojo for 2 hours stuck between two sweaty men, it’s not easy.) I am also accustomed to working with different cultures/lifestyles. I am an open minded, hard working individual who is motivated and ready to get the job done. I always try to have an optimistic outlook on life (glass half full kind of girl, not half empty). I will bring a fresh pair of eyes to whatever project lays ahead…


One of my main goals at the sanctuary is to grow as an individual learning about the primates through the daily care in which I will provide. While I worked at Brevard Zoo, I held tours through the primate exhibits and taught the visitors the basics about the primates but I had always wanted more. I wanted to care for the animals and now given the opportunity to do so I am prepared to give it all I’ve got. Thank you PPS

Welcome Caroline, we are so happy you have you here!

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Special Topic- Intern Simon:
Feeding ecology and behaviour of the genus Saguinus; by Paul A. Garber

Tamarins of the genus Saguinus are New World monkeys found in Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and northern Brazil. There are 11 known Saguinus species—more than any other New World monkey genus—and within those 11, there are 29 known sub-species. The species are further sorted into three categories: hairy-faced, mottle-faced (or spotted-faced), and bare-faced. Here at PPS, we house two species of Saguinus tamarins: Cotton-top Tamarins (which are bare-faced) and Saddle-back Tamarins (which are hairy-faced). This chapter explores relationships between diet, ranging patterns and territorial defense among this genus of tamarins.

Unlike many other primate species, Saguinus males and females are roughly the same size, and that size is small: between 320 to 564 grams. Just to provide some context, there are about 454 grams in one pound. So these tiny primates weigh less than a pound and a half. As a result of their small stature, limited gut volume, and rapid rate of food passage, tamarins rely on a diet high in nutritional quality and energy abundance. They get this from fruits, gums, and insects.

A Saddleback Tamarin 

examines nectar filled 

Ginger Flowers

Fruits and nectar are a high-energy resource for tamarins, providing carbohydrates and sugars. Likewise, gums provide a source of sugar as well. However, unlike marmosets, tamarins lack the longer lower incisors to extract gums. They must depend on either natural damage to the bark or wood-boring insects to be able to access the gum. Certain gums also supply calcium. Interestingly, pregnant and lactating females were found to dominate gum sources. In a study of wild Saddle-back Tamarins, only the sole breeding female was observed to scent-mark gum licks. This is a testament to the value of gums as a calcium source for tamarin mothers.

Regarding prey, grasshoppers and crickets are the main insects that tamarins consume. Since insects do not really want to be eaten, tamarins must rely on their stealth and quick reflexes when hunting. Hunting is not a cooperative effort for them—they hunt individually, not in groups. Group members will stray at least one meter away from the others in their troop and begin their forage by turning over leaves, peaking inside knotholes, and poking around palm fronds, quickly pouncing on any unfortunate critters that are upturned and delivering a swift bite to the head. These insects provide a high amount of protein for a small-bodied tamarin. Whereas a larger-bodied monkey like a capuchin would have to eat many insects—and expend vast amounts of energy in doing so—a tamarin gets the requisite dose of protein from just one or two grasshoppers. So size really does matter, in this case small size is more advantageous.

Relative to their size, tamarin home ranges are quite large, ranging anywhere from 8-50+ hectares. And within those boundaries, they travel from one- to two-thousand meters a day—pretty impressive when you consider how small these primates are. Because their home ranges are so large, it is not uncommon for two separate tamarin troops to have home ranges that overlap. Territorial battles between rival groups do occur, and can involve both hostile vocalizations and physical combat. But field studies have shown that battles are only rarely started as a result of boundary encroachment. Large fruit trees within the overlapping zone of two neighboring groups are the more frequent cause of conflict. When boundary areas do not contain major food resources the neighboring tamarin groups adopt more of a “live and let live” attitude. Only when there are valuable scarce commodities worth defending do tamarin groups wage war.

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

"Although other animals may be different from us, this does not make them less than us." 
 — Marc Bekoff in Animals Matter


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 72 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.