Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 3, Issue 12, Part 1

Happy Holidays from all the monkeys

and their caregivers at Pacific Primate Sanctuary.

May we all have peace and plenty throughout the New Year.

PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT

Happy Birthday Carlos and Montana!
Carlos and Montana are spider monkey brothers, who have turned 20 and 21 respectively this year. We don’t have the exact birth dates for Carlos and Montana, so we celebrate their lives at the end of each year.

Brothers Carlos and Montana come in close for a hug

In March 2010, these two brothers were given refuge from a tourist attraction, where they had been living on display for 16 years. Initially, Carlos and Montana were wary, however they soon became very close to all of their new caregivers, and seemed to enjoy the peace and quiet here at the Sanctuary. Upon arrival at PPS, Carlos and Montana were placed in temporary housing, with plans to build new enclosures custom designed for them. Construction on the new enclosures began in December 2010.

Soon after the construction started, we began working with Carlos and Montana to become comfortable entering a carrier crate in preparation for the move. We were so excited when Carlos and Montana were moved into their home in June 2011.

The new enclosures are 40 feet long, and full of lush jungle plants. Carlos and Montana have a full 360-degree view; their enclosure allows them to see the orchard, palms and a bamboo grove. Finally, they are able to brachiate, hand over hand across the branches, expressing their natural movement for the first time in their lives. They forage and eat the leaves from plants growing in their enclosure. Their fur has grown thick and lustrous and they spend their days in the sun, sitting high up, looking out over their green environment.

Please help us continue to provide monkeys like Carlos and Montana a home where they can live free from pain and exploitation at human hands. Donate now at: http://www.pacificprimate.org/help-donate.htm

PPS INTERNSHIP

When Mary arrives she will be

 living in this beautiful yurt!

We are pleased to announce the selection of our newest Resident Intern, Mary, who will be arriving in January. She recently graduated from the University of Michigan, with a Bachelors degree in Zoology. Growing up on a farm, Mary has a long history of caring for animals. Additionally, she spent the last 2 summers interning at the Denver Zoo, working with a wide variety of animals. Mary is passionate about working with primates, and is very excited about the opportunity to join us here at Pacific Primate Sanctuary. Her references speak very highly of her, describing her as hardworking, trustworthy, responsible, and someone who really stands out from the rest. We are so excited for Mary to join Team PPS!

Mary Writes:
Expanding my exotic animal skills with a focus on New World primate care is a rare opportunity Pacific Primate Sanctuary could provide me, as well as the opportunity to broaden my awareness regarding conservation of primate habitats. For as long as I can remember I have been interested in working with primates and feel this internship would help me to gain valuable knowledge and the hands on experience necessary to further my dream of a career caring for primates.

Pacific Primate Sanctuary’s Resident Internship is a unique immersion program, facilitating learning about New World primates and animal sanctuary management on an intimate, in depth, all encompassing level. When Mary arrives, her training will begin with Primate Care and Facility Maintenance. During this module she will learn how to provide daily care to the 69 monkeys living here at Pacific Primate Sanctuary.

Intern Annabel prepares 

medications for the monkeys

Once she has mastered the skills in this portion, she will move on to the Emergency Care Training Module. Mary will be trained in a wide variety of medical care procedures- including special individual care, how to administer subcutaneous fluids, calculate medication dosages, and check vital signals, just to name a few.

In the third module, Interns are trained in Sanctuary Management. Our current Interns, Linda and Annabel, are engaged in this area of their Internship training right now. The goal of Sanctuary Management is to become competent in teaching new volunteers, updating PPS Manual documents, and learning about colony management (primate management, pairing, and transfer).

Intern Linda

In colony management, the special needs of each primate must be understood and considered in order to select and create the best possible environment, pairing, location within the Sanctuary, and enclosure set-up. Right now, we have been focusing on colony management, since several of the monkeys needed to be re-located. Annabel and Linda have been delving into the intricacies of colony management and have gained a good understanding of the importance of appropriate placement and social groupings. They have been moving monkeys into more suitable locations, and we have seen a real difference in the overall atmosphere at the Sanctuary! Many of the marmosets and tamarins are much calmer, and seem quite content with their new living arrangement.

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