Primarily Primates » » Meet the marvelous Magda
Like many of our residents, Magda came to us with little to no documentation of her life before Primarily Primates – this being very common from prior pets. Experience and observation, however, has revealed many threads of common experience amongst small monkeys, so we have a good grasp on what her back story must have been like.
Magda is a capuchin, weighing in at around 5 to 7 pounds, an average size for her species. She is also of indeterminate age, another factoid missing from her documents – but suffice it to say, she has lived long. Capuchins are a high favorite amongst pet-monkey owners, as they have incredibly cute faces ringed with fur, and as monkeys go, very similar facial structure as human babies. We do know that they probably have had tragic early experiences, as most are frequently torn away from their mothers at a very young age, allowing them to better and more likely bond with a human ‘parent’. Finally, many human ‘parents’ have little to no knowledge of the appropriate needs of monkeys in the wild, so most pets like Magda are kept in caging that confines their ability to freely move to very small areas, and are fed a diet that is unhealthy at its best.
Magda is one of the fortunate ones – when Primarily Primates received the call, we were able to make space for her immediately – which isn’t always the case as sanctuaries across the nation are being asked to care for more discarded animals every month of every year. The reasons are numerous, but the underlying theme is consistent – it was a great idea in the beginning, but owners are unable to continue with their commitment to lifetime care. Like so many other prior owners – roadside zoos, circuses, laboratory studies/experiments – the animals’ ultimate fate is beyond the owners’ desire or ability to assure.
Magda is now living large in a very spacious newly-built capuchin habitat, in a social group of six capuchins. This habitat was built with high areas for climbing and exercise, and numerous toys constructed for enriching her daily activities. She particularly enjoys the company of the alpha male Renaldo – the rest of the group being females. Finally, she isn’t about to break any stereotypes – her favorite food is – you guessed it – bananas!