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Primarily Primates Newsletter
Summer 2009


Who’s That New Chimpanzee – Curious George? No, It’s Buck!

Summer 2009

Update from Priscilla Feral , President

Buck was born on the 15th of September 1994, to be kept as one of three chimpanzee pets in a Missouri home. Buck did a lot of things no chimpanzee born free in Africa would have ever done: live inside a house. Receive drinks of beer.

As the couple that owned Buck aged, it became apparent that Buck would outlive them—and it became terribly expensive to keep three mature chimpanzees, especially when it turned out—well, is it any surprise that full-grown chimpanzees will beat up on each other in close quarters?—Buck had to be separated from the others.

One of the owners contacted Primarily Primates in March 2009, desperate to find out if the refuge could accept Buck. After the owner agreed to send some money with Buck—to help pay for initial vet checks, a vasectomy and basic care— travel arrangements were made. On the 13th of April 2009, Buck arrived in San Antonio , and the sanctuary’s staff and veterinarian Dr. Val Kirk were on hand to ensure Buck safely returned to consciousness.

When I saw Buck the next day, he wasn’t much interested in fruits and vegetables, and we found it would take more time for Buck to learn about mangoes, greens, melons, oranges and other fruits and vegetables. Stephen bought strawberries, thinking sweet fruit could help the adjustment.

At first, Buck was afraid of grass, and avoided it and stayed inside, or walked along little strips of cement. Soon Buck navigated the 60 foot long, 40 foot wide and 20 foot high outside area by walking along the elevated platforms, and learning how to move quickly to cover the area.

On the 23rd of April, Buck met 38- year-old Mandy and 24-year-old Holly, who arrived at Primarily Primates in 1997, after the closure of the Scotch Plains Zoo in New Jersey.

Buck, Mandy and Holly are friends now. There’s lots of playful activity among them. Buck has also learned from Holly and Mandy how to enjoy melons and other fresh, nutritious foods, and now Buck’s getting accustomed to the Texas heat and sunshine. And grass.

The Rescue of Larry

The director’s diary

This spring, an exhausted and desperate telephone caller reached our office. The caller, from the Arizona animal control department, was notifying Primarily Primates about Larry, an adult ringtailed lemur (a lemur is a nocturnal primate whose ancestral home is Madagascar ; both apes and monkeys are related to lemurs way back in evolutionary history). Larry had been confiscated during a drug bust in Arizona .

The two men found on the premises of the drug lab were both arrested. And there was Larry, in the middle of a marijuana and ecstasy producer’s premises. His history was unknown. Was Larry a pet who was tossed about from one place to another, or was he always living in a drug lab?

In any case, now Larry needed a home.

Despite the endangered status of ring-tailed lemurs, the Arizona animal control department could not find a home for Larry even after searching for almost two weeks. I accepted Larry and looked forward to introducing this individual to other lemurs.

There was still a problem: no funds for transportation. It was a very long and tiresome road trip but the animal control agent shared it with me. We met near a midpoint.

Larry is doing very well in his new home at Primarily Primates. He is around many other ring-tailed lemurs—who, like him, were from the pet trade. He is not a very sociable primate, but over time we can help him adjust to his new surroundings and new lemur friends.

They Make a Handsome Pair

On April 20, in early morning, came Buck, a chimpanzee. That afternoon, the barks of macaques filled the air as we welcomed two additional residents: Abe (10 years old) and Moe (9), two male rhesus macaques from an educational institute. They were used in a vision study. When another sanctuary made the decision not to accept Abe and Moe, it was left to us to take Abe and Moe. Macaques used in research are often very difficult to socialize after living years in isolation. They develop neurotic problems like hair-plucking or self-mutilation.

Despite their history, these two unusually nice macaques became good friends. All they needed was their own habitat. They were ready to find a new life. We had to give them that opportunity.

When Abe and Moe arrived, I knew we made the right decision. They were in awe of all the new sights and sounds, and began calling out to the barks of the other macaques in the distance. And it was great to see them later that day sitting by each other eating leaves from a hackberry tree whose limbs expanded near their habitat. They are great friends—and great residents.

And the Habitat Renovations Continue . . .

In 2007, we had set out to preserve and renovate a naturalistic squirrel monkey habitat. This habitat in particular held a unique honor in that it was the first naturalistic habitat designed for the rehabilitation of primates in the country.

An Eagle Scout took on the task re-visiting this habitat and greatly expand the existing climbing and planting several new donated trees and over a dozen edible vines. In all, it took close to 15 scout project volunteers almost seven hours to get the habitat just right for the little primates.

I remember the day some of these squirrel monkeys first arrived, transported in their stainless steel lab cages (approx. 2’ x 2’ x 2’) set on wheeled racks, one cage on top and the other below. Each cage had a small, stainless steel food dish and a perch made from a small wooden board.

To see these squirrel monkeys running along the complicated entanglement of ropes, branches and trees as they would in the wild reminds me of our promises and goals we have set for our primates. Thanks to the continuing Eagle Scout projects, monkeys are enjoying happy times.

Sincerely,
Stephen Rene Tello
Executive Director

It’s Nearly Nirvana for Seven Spider Monkeys

 

In PPI’s Spring 2009 newsletter, we reported that WC’s group of seven spider monkeys would soon be relocated to a glorious wooded area at the sanctuary. That move was completed in May. As expected, it has produced blissful results.

Michael, who oversees the monkeys’ care, says WC, Rosie, Ian, My-Boy, Scooter, Bertha and Connie all have their own favorite spots in one of several trees in the expanded living area, and that has relaxed the interactions within the group. Monkeys who once competed are no longer aggressive when other monkeys are offered chunks of bananas—their preferred fruits. Monkeys who sometimes picked on others have turned to grooming rather than trying to dominate other spider monkeys.

This is all great news. Increased space and a slice of nature have induced contentment for both monkeys and care staff.

 

A LETTER TO REP. RICHARD ROY, WHO CHAIRS THE CONNECTICUT STATE LEGISLATURE’S ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

Wild Animal Ban Bill – A Review and the Work Ahead

June 2, 2009

Dear Rep. Roy:

After speaking with Connecticut’s Attorney General months ago, I had such hope that the legislature would avert another tragedy by passing HB 6552 to ban the possession of potentially dangerous animals.

It’s most discouraging that the bill was weighed down with distracting amendments not germane to keeping primates and other wild animals as pets. Friends of Animals encouraged all legislators to support the bill as written—not to weaken the measure by allowing exemptions for keeping smaller primates.

Attorney General Blumenthal’s efforts to stop undomesticated animals from being possessed as pets acknowledged these animals’ interests in flourishing in their natural settings. Making exemptions for smaller primates and keeping them as pets sabotaged the bill, was unfair to the animals, and made it dangerous for humans.

Attorney General Blumenthal advanced the sensible idea that any animals being held as pets should be allowed to live the rest of their lives in sanctuaries with surroundings that more closely resemble their natural habitat and introduced carefully to members of their own species. That should have been everyone’s focus.

Friends of Animals offered our services to the DEP to locate a sanctuary when monkeys, prosimians, apes and other animals held as pets in Connecticut are confiscated or turned into the agency for placement. We manage a primate sanctuary in San Antonio. Forty percent of the 450 animals who are residents of this primate sanctuary were released from the pet trade, as wild animals bite or otherwise revolt against their captivity, and are eventually abandoned.

Connecticut must lead the way in stopping the custom of breeding and trading in primates for human use and entertainment. Please count on our support for this pressing measure when the Connecticut legislature resumes in December, and kindly work with Friends of Animals to keep distracting, competing interests from subverting a vitally important, intelligent bill.

Sincerely yours,
Priscilla Feral, President

Wish List

Our animal care staff asked for the following food items to offer the animals in their care.

* 50 pound bags of unsalted, unshelled peanuts

* Dried apricots and other dried fruit

* Other unsalted nuts, shelled or unshelled

* Unsalted popcorn

* Coconuts

* Pears, plums, apples, melons and other fresh fruit

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