Primarily Primates

A Journey of 1,700 Miles, From Toxic Tests to Sanctuary

55 Macaque Monkeys Find Refuge as Advocates Rush to Collaborate and Construct Living Spaces

San Antonio, Texas -- Early Thursday morning, 15 July, a transport vehicle, packed with 55 crates of four- to six-year-old male Java macaque monkeys, heads for New Castle, Oklahoma.

At an Oklahoma primate sanctuary called Mindy’s Memory, eight monkeys will be welcomed. All weigh from four to seven pounds. All come from an Oxford, New Jersey animal testing lab that recently closed its doors. Today, they’re identified by their numbers: 28739, 28740 … But they will soon have names, friends, love, and caregivers who will never again let them be used for others’ benefit.

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The Director’s Diary:

The Arrival of Joey, a Capuchin Monkey

In March, we received a call from a Pennsylvania couple about to leave the country. They hoped to place Joey, their 7-year-old capuchin monkey, at a sanctuary.

Joey was the baby of a black-and-white capuchin and a cinnamon capuchin. Pet breeders sometimes mix species of capuchins to sell for high prices. One website called Primatestore.com markets baby black and white capuchins for up to $7,500.

Baby Joey was taken from those black-and-white and cinnamon parents and sold to someone who knew nothing of the care a monkey needs. When the Pennsylvania family acquired Joey, he couldn’t move well or be touched without screaming in pain.

A veterinarian diagnosed the young monkey with severe rickets -- a disease of the skeletal system resulting from Vitamin D deficiency and insufficient exposure to sunlight. Rickets caused a softening of Joey’s bones. Joey’s spine is slightly curved, and both his arms and legs are bowed.

Two years of medical treatment had Joey living in and out of casts. The new owners supplemented the monkey’s diet with Vitamin D.

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News from Primarily Primates

Description of Event:  Wonderful vegan food, raffle, prizes, music

RSVP through online reservation at primarilyprimates.org
For more information call: Primarily Primates at 830-755-4616

Proceeds of event help feed and care for the sanctuary's 390 apes, monkeys and other residents.

Primarily Primates Newsletter
Winter 2010

Max and Lorenzo: Two Great Escapes

Max and Lorenzo, both aged six, are black-and-white Holstein cows once destined for a veal slaughterhouse. They joined the sanctuary’s other two cows, Daisy and George, and are spending the winter on 10 acres of the sanctuary’s land. Later this year they’ll have access to a full 65 acres.

After Max was pulled from his mother so that her milk could be sold, he was housed without food or water for four days while the dairy farmer waited for the truck that hauled veal calves to slaughter to arrive. When the truck came, Max collapsed, and the farmer started to beat him with a stick to force him to stand. A witness called the police, who confiscated the young calf, and sent Max to Sunny Day Farm sanctuary in LaCoste, Texas. The sanctuary manager spent hours caring for Max—near death from starvation and shock. Thanks to the caring people who rescued Max and invested in his survival, he’s now very big, covered with patches of black fur.

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Watermelon Party Video

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