Primate Update E-Newsletter, Vol. 4, Issue 6, Part 1

PPS PRIMATES in the SPOTLIGHT

Meet Miracle

On April 14, 1991 a beautiful baby capuchin monkey was born.  Her mother, Miranda, was captured in the wild as a young monkey.  She was taken from her family, and the only life she had ever known, suffering in filth at an animal dealer, and then shipped off to an entrepreneur in Hawaii.  When the tourist attraction, where she was going to be displayed, failed, Miranda found herself isolated in a tiny crate, with no space to move or stand up.  The extreme distress, brought on by this suffering, caused her to self mutilate. Fortunately, we were able to rescue Miranda.  When she arrived she was traumatized, terrified, emaciated, and had pulled all of the fur from her arms, legs and tail.  Here, Miranda finally received the compassionate care she deserved, and was given the opportunity to heal mentally and physically.  We gave refuge to two other monkeys from the same tourist attraction, which gave Miranda the companionship she so sorely needed.  She was able to develop a relationship with a male and form a social group. Miranda’s story is one of strength, beauty and hope; it was truly miraculous that she was able to recover enough to become a successful, nurturing mother, which is why we named her baby Miracle.

Miracle is now 21 years old, and has spent all of her life at Pacific Primate Sanctuary, never having to endure the pain and suffering that her parents had to go through.  She enjoys each day: exploring the green plants and large branches in her outdoor enclosure. She is able to live socially, and has had the advantage of growing up in a family group. We provide her with delicious fruits and vegetables each day, often thinking of creative ways to encourage her to work for her food (see Monkey Foraging Boxes on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/pacificprimate). 

Miracle is very intelligent, and likes being challenged.  She especially enjoys doing Positive Reinforcement Training with her caregivers.  Miracle has learned how to touch a target, and present her hand and foot for examination!

Your support can help us provide monkeys like Miracle with a life free from pain and suffering. Donate now at: http://www.pacificprimate.org/help-donate.htm

SANCTUARY NEWS

Guido and Consuelo

Black-tufted eared marmosets, Guido and Consuelo,

were each left alone when their partners passed away.

As a part of their Colony Management training, PPS Interns examine the past history and behaviors of the monkeys, and make recommendations for pairing and placement based on this information.  Since Guido and Consuelo were solitary and in need of companionship, Interns Linda, Annabel and Mary suggested that they would make an excellent pair. 

We placed Consuelo in front of Guido’s enclosure for several days, and we immediately began to see positive signs- including tracking (following one another) and eating calmly near one another.  After observing for a couple weeks, and not seeing negative behaviors, we decided to give them a chance to share an enclosure.  So far, this pairing seems to be a great success!  They are contentedly sharing a nestbox, eating side-by-side, and exploring their new space.   

WHAT’S HAPPENING at PPS

Farewell to PPS Volunteers Charlene and John

Extension Feeding Door

Catch Crate created by John!

Charlene and John have been an integral part of the Sanctuary Team.  Unfortunately, due to work schedules, they are unable to continue their weekly volunteering.  Charlene donated her time as an Animal Caretaker, while John has contributed his skills as a handyman. Charlene approached every task with efficiency, pride, and compassion.  She would often bring in special treats for the monkeys, and mastered food preparation quickly- ensuring each animal on a special diet got exactly what they needed.  Charlene always went beyond what was required, and accomplished many tasks every time she was at the Sanctuary. John first became involved with PPS when he saw Viola Paints on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIlItld7W94&feature=plcp), and he fell in love with little Viola. Shortly after that, he joined Charlene in Volunteering.  Throughout his time here, John has helped out in so many ways- repairing weak wire in the enclosures, making new catch crates, building large double portables, and installing a bamboo wind break around the spider monkey enclosures, just to name a few.  John has generously offered to remain on-call, to help out when needed.  We will feel Charlene and John’s absence, their creativity, generous selfless service, and loving-kindness towards the PPS Family- both the monkeys and their caregivers

Charlene writes:

It's so hard to believe how quickly time goes by, I have been volunteering for over a year already!  It has been an experience that I would recommend for all the people I come across in life.  Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity!

I wish, and I will speak for John as well in wishing only the best for the entire Ohana at PPS, and the non-human primates as well.  A piece of our hearts will always be in attendance at that wonderful sanctuary!!

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.