Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 4, Issue 1, Part 1

PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT

Adam’s parents Echo and Apollo were rescued from a research facility. When they arrived they were traumatized, and injured both mentally and physically- missing fingers, toes and Echo also had a torn lower lip. We provided them with a home that was free from terror and exploitation. Their physical injuries healed and we helped them overcome some of their emotional wounds as well. Over time, Echo and Apollo began to thrive socially- forming a close bond. We knew their rehabilitation was successful when they became parents, giving birth to Adam on January 20, 1998- two years after their arrival. Adam lived with his parents for several years, helping to raise his younger siblings when they were born, just like tamarins would do in the wild. This is an opportunity that is often stolen from monkeys born in many research facilities, where the young are taken from their parents as infants. Adam learned many important social behaviors from his parents. When he was paired with Nadine, he knew how to be a partner and a father. Adam helped raise his children, carrying them around on his back, and sharing equally in the parenting responsibilities.

Adam is a Cotton top tamarin, a species that has been listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN RedList. Over the last 18 years, their population has been reduced by over 80%, and is continuing to decline. With a species on the brink of extinction, each individual is especially sacred, and every new birth is a miracle. Cotton top tamarins who can successfully raise offspring, such as Adam, give us hope for the future of the species.

Please help us continue to provide monkeys like Adam a home where they can live with others of their own kind, and provide hope for the survival of their species. Donate now at: http://www.pacificprimate.org/help-donate.htm

SANCTUARY NEWS

The monkeys at Pacific Primate Sanctuary had a great holiday season! Humans aren’t the only primates that enjoy special occasions, so we made sure the monkeys were included in all of the celebrations. We decked the halls with bright colorful lights, and the monkeys watched the visual display in wonder each evening, before snuggling in to bed. Sanctuary Volunteers cooked special meals of warm oatmeal and baked apples, along with slices of freshly picked citrus fruit. Small packages of dried fruits and nuts were wrapped up in ti-leaf “wrapping paper”.

Every monkey received one of these presents to unwrap, simulating his or her natural foraging behavior. The presents were a huge success, and the monkeys had a great time tearing open their packages to get to the delicious treats inside.

Li, a friend of Intern Linda’s, volunteered his time and skills to benefit the monkeys while he was on Maui. Li drilled holes in the bottom of several nestboxes, making them easier for our caregivers to clean. He also cut and drilled PPS bamboo to make two new bamboo bridges. Sanctuary Volunteers later put these wonderful new bridges into two enclosures so the monkeys can enjoy them.
Thank you Li for your contributions!

Jason examines his new bamboo bridge

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. 4, Issue 1, Part 2

WHAT’S HAPPENING at PPS

Spider Monkey Dedication Ceremony

Spider monkey brothers, Carlos and Montana, spent 16 years at tourist attractions. They lived in a small cage, on display 24 hours a day, enduring a steady stream of sightseers. In 2010, we gave them refuge, and brought them to the peace and quiet of Pacific Primate Sanctuary. They were placed in temporary housing, with the hope that we would be able to build them a new enclosure. Plans were drawn up for a 40-foot enclosure. It would be filled with jungle plants and would allow Carlos and Montana the space to express their natural behaviors; brachiating, exploring, and foraging.

However, new enclosures are expensive, and Pacific Primate Sanctuary does not receive any federal funding; we rely on the donations of compassionate individuals to support and sustain us. We are fortunate to have an amazing assembly of angels, and we appealed to them to help us create a new home for the spider monkey brothers. One Miracle Worker in particular has been there for Pacific Primate Sanctuary from the beginning, supporting us in our life-saving work. Her generous donations have made so much possible for Pacific Primate Sanctuary!

PPS Board Members and Supporters at the 

Spider Monkey Enclosure Dedication Ceremony

Joani has contributed to the creation of the Sanctuary Facility, the Capuchin enclosures, the Extension and sponsored our Internship Program. When we began construction on the Spider Monkey enclosures, once again, this compassionate supporter stepped forward, funding almost the entire project! On January 2, 2012 the Sanctuary hosted a ceremony in honor of her vital partnership over the past 20 years, dedicating the Spider Monkey Enclosures to her.

WORDS OF APPRECIATION

Thank you for doing what you are doing. I see how happy Carlos and Montana are and how they are enjoying their new enclosure. They will always have a special place in my hart because I used to take care of them…I am so glad they finally have a real home! —-Elaine

What a wonderful privilege to have spent time as a Pacific Primate Sanctuary volunteer…Each monkey has left an impression on my heart and together have taught me to take more care with this world…The Sanctuary is an amazing place full of love and light. — Past PPS Volunteer, Stacy

HOW TO HELP THE MONKEYS

Did you know that you can earn money for Pacific Primate Sanctuary just by doing things that you already do anyway? The average person can easily raise $50 for the Sanctuary over the course of the year using GoodSearch.com, GoodShop.com and GoodDining.com! GoodSearch.com is a Yahoo based search engine. After designating Pacific Primate Sanctuary as your charity of choice, every time you do an Internet search, using GoodSearch.com, a penny will be donated to the Sanctuary. If you search the web 6 times each day, by the end of the year you will have raised $20! GoodShop is a network of popular online stores. If you designate Pacific Primate Sanctuary as your charity of choice, when you shop at any of these stores using the GoodShop.com network, the store will donate a portion of your purchase to PPS at no extra cost to you! Plus, there are over 100,000 coupons available for you to use to help you save money. The newest addition to GoodSearch.com is the GoodDining program. If you eat at one of thousands of participating restaurants, part of what you pay for the meal will be donated. All of these programs are easy, free and turn simple everyday actions into a way to help the Sanctuary and make the world a better place.

For more details, please watch this informative video online: http://www.goodsearch.com/getstarted.aspx?viewType=RV

Volunteer Your Time
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, volunteering your time and skills, please e-mail us at pps@aloha.net

We need Animal Caregivers, Office Assistants, Handymen, and Gardeners/Landscapers. Retirees are welcome!

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

Welcome Mary!
Our newest Intern, Mary, has arrived. She has begun her training, and is already showing great skill and an enthusiasm to learn.

Mary Writes:

I can offer Pacific Primate Sanctuary my animal care experience from working with a wide variety of farm animals all of my life and from my experience working with exotic animals in a zoo environment. My goal for this internship is to acquire as much knowledge as possible regarding New World primates.
I have always wanted to work with these species and hope to use this opportunity to fulfill that dream.
I believe Pacific Primate Sanctuary can provide me with a new perspective regarding animal care and more specifically a vast amount of knowledge regarding New World primate care in a naturalistic setting. I also hope to gain experience involving primate medical care.


I do not believe there is any other place like Pacific Primate Sanctuary and I hope to absorb every aspect of the daily sanctuary operations.

Welcome Mary, We are so excited to have you on our Team!

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. 4, Issue 1, Part 3

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Special Topic: Intern Annabel
Diets of wild spider monkeys

Spider monkeys are frugivorous, with 90% of their diet consisting of fruit and nuts. They are a classic example of a frugivorous primate and are often considered to be “ripe fruit specialists”. Spider monkeys compliment this heavily frugivorous diet with other plant parts such as leaves (mainly young leaves), flowers, seeds, aerial roots, palm hearts, and the liquid endosperm or “milk” from inside immature palm fruits. In some areas, spider monkeys were also reported consuming other items, including a few species of invertebrates (mainly caterpillars, meliponid bees, and termites), fungi, decaying wood, soil from mineral licks, and arboreal termite nests. Spider monkeys obtain most of their water requirements directly from the fruits, leaves, and flowers they consume. They will occasionally drink water directly from tree holes, arboreal bromeliads, and small streams around mineral licks.

Carlos and Montana are provided with

 a wide variety of fresh fruits

We try to mimic this diet with our Spider monkeys, Carlos and Montana. We give them a varied diet consisting of fruit, vegetables, and a protein (usually nuts), twice a day. We also use specially designed primate biscuits that provide them with all the nutrients they need to remain healthy. Carlos and Montana drink from a tap that they operate themselves. We also give them browse regularly that includes mulberry branches, and ginger flower branches. This gives them a chance to work for their food and replicate behaviors that would be displayed in the wild. Giving them hard un-cracked nuts, such as hazelnuts, provides them with a challenge and keeps their minds occupied.


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


Special Topic: Intern Linda
Comparative Aspects of the Social Suppression of Reproduction in Female Marmosets and Tamarins

A Family of Cotton Top Tamarins at PPS

In the social structure of marmosets and tamarins, a hierarchy is seen consisting of the alpha pair and their subordinates. Though marmosets and tamarins share many similarities, there are also many differences between the genera. Reproductive suppression plays a very important role in social dynamics and for the species collectively (younger females, though sexually mature, do not reproduce). Reproductive suppression is beneficial because it produces a communal rearing system and subordinates acquire valuable offspring rearing experience.

Below is a table comparing the similarities and differences of reproductive suppression between two species that are found at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, white tufted eared marmosets (common marmoset) and cotton top tamarins.

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

“If we all give up hope and do nothing, well then indeed there is no hope. It (the Earth) will be helped by all of us, every one of us taking action of some sort.”
-Jane Goodall



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 70 primates saved from research laboratories, animal dealers, and tourist attractions. 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.