Primarily Primates Newsletter
Autumn 2011


The Director’s Diary:


Leaf-Eating Monkeys With Booming Whoops
By Stephen Rene Tello | Autumn 2011
Kalpana, one langur at Primarily Primates
Photo by Dave Harris

Hanuman is the Hindu god of healing and worship in India. Although Hanuman langurs are considered sacred to Hindus, they’re threatened by habitat loss in India, and it’s rare even to find them in sanctuaries. Yet Primarily Primates is home to a group once used in research at the University of California in Berkeley.

For years, the conduct of langurs has been studied by students there, though the reactions studied were likely imposed by the students’ lab work. Animal advocates protested. Thirteen years ago, the university expressed its desire to release the monkeys to a sanctuary. That’s when we learned that Primarily Primates was selected to receive the langurs, after agreeing to create special enclosures and supply a high level of care for the leafeating monkeys.

Every evening, as the sun sets behind the hills, casting long shadows in and around the tall oak tree surrounding the sanctuary’s langurs, the otherwise quiet and stately monkeys fill the air with booming whoops and lively displays. Mogli, Ghandi and Mahatma shake the steel siding that frames their enclosures to create the thunderous boom that marks and declares their territories. At times, their guttural calls too sound like thunder.

A mixture of territorial displays and langur vocalizations tells me we’ve come to the end of a day. A seat near them at the day’s end, from where I can also watch shadows cast on four chimpanzee habitats across the pond, is particularly satisfying.


Enrichment Enhanced With Ladd’s Arrival

Shelly Ladd came to Primarily Primates as an intern, helping to raise baby Neytiri. Shelly has a record of facilitating hundreds of primate rescues— helping sites such as the Center for Great Apes, Mindy’s Memory and Jungle Friends.

We’re happy that Shelly stayed on, and lives at Primarily Primates as our Enrichment Coordinator. With Shelly’s constant attention, our care staff is busy every day with oatmeal treats, frozen-fruit popsicles, buckets of seeds, raisins, popcorn, and cut produce to offer animals for their psychological enjoyment and enrichment.


Up With Spider Monkeys
W.C. at Primarily Primates
Inside the newly renovated Spider Monkey habitat at Primarily Primates

In other spider monkey news: A year-long construction project is finally completed. By late September, eight spider monkeys will be playing in the limbs of a 40- foot high tree, enjoying an impressive, also full of swings, ladders and ropes.

This lovely area is a few feet away from a sanctuary pond, near the chorus of a couple dozen chimpanzees. The pool within the habitat should also provide interest for monkeys intent on looking for floating treats.

 

Neytiri, Tina Marie and
Minkey Team Up

Update from Priscilla Feral, President
Neytiri, a baby spider monkey at Primarily Primates

Neytiri is a spider monkey now aged a year and a half. Neytiri was unexpectedly born to parents Tina Marie and Mikey—both black spider monkeys. Minkey arrived at Primarily Primates 24 years ago. Minkey, like other spider monkeys at the sanctuary, now has had a vasectomy.

Neytiri was not able to nurse well enough from her mother. With the help of volunteers, she has been provided constant care. Now that she’s consuming a normal spider monkey diet of fruits and vegetables and has developed the physical strength to move competently around a new, expanded enclosure, she’s being reunited with Tina Marie and Minkey.

 

 

Monkeys and Birds Arrive From Tennessee

by Robin Raven
A view of a renovated enclosure, full of swings, toys and interesting additions for macaques.

It is never a good idea to keep primates as pets. This lesson was taught the hard way in the first week of August 2011 when a fouryear- old macaque escaped from a cage. Disoriented and frightened, the monkey was shot to death for lashing out against humans—biting an area resident and a sheriff’s officer before retreating to the garage of the monkey owner’s house.

The macaque was one of five kept as pets by a resident of the Shelbyville area of Tennessee. One Java macaque was held in a birdcage, while another macaque was kept in an altered wire animal trap that had only six square feet of room. The other two surviving macaques (a Japanese snow macaque and a toothless rhesus) had 25 square feet of cage room, but lived in the owner’s garage.

When a group of advocates called Animal Rescue Corps (ARC ) arrived on scene, none of the animals had access to food. water, or psychological enrichment.

Bedford County Sheriff’s Department’s Captain Tony Barrett described the call: The escaped monkey approached, then “stopped and leaped five or six feet through the air after the deputy. The deputy shot at him. I don’t know if he hit him or not, but he didn’t hurt him too bad.”

Then, after the monkey reportedly bit Deputy Ronnie Gault on the arm, Captain David Williams sent a buckshot and a 12-gauge slug into the frightened animal. The macaque died on the scene.

Lee, a Java macaque enjoying cranberry bread in one group’s newly renovated living area. Lee and 24 others, now healthy, arrived at the sanctuary in July 2010 from a defunct New Jersey toxicology lab.

The remaining macaques now live at Primarily Primates, where they will be shown respect, care and a much more free way of living. Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of Primarily Primates, is excited about introducing the animals to a different environment. About the female Java macaque who had previously led her life in a tiny parrot cage, Tello said, “I can’t wait to meet her and change her world.”

The macaques are not the only new animals to make it to Primarily Primates in August. Thirty-five birds, including 15 conures, 17 love birds, and four parakeets have also joined the sanctuary after 116 exotic birds living in hideous conditions were liberated from a bird mill in Tennessee, also by the Animal Rescue Corps. An additional 20 birds were received by Primarily Primates for temporary housing during the costly rescue mission.

Animal Rescue Corps president Scotlund Haisley reported, “These are the worst conditions for birds I’ve ever seen. Basic necessities have not been provided to them for a long time. Filthy enclosures, putrid water and inedible food in every cage.”

A woman running an exotic bird mill out of her home has been charged with five counts of animal cruelty.

Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of Primarily Primates, credits ARC partner and primatologist Bob Ingersoll, president of Mindy’s Memory, for facilitating the homing of the rescued animals: “I was excited to get the call for help from Bob and I am proud to assist ARC in this rescue and in improving the quality of life for these imperiled primates and birds,” Tello said.

Through the efforts of the volunteers, staff members and donors at Primarily Primates, these macaques and exotic birds will all be able to live much happier lives.

T h a n k y o u

We’re especially grateful to everyone for your heartfelt contributions, which sustain our rescue efforts and help cover high operating costs. Your generosity provides life-long care for nearly 400 residents, fresh produce, enrichment, and on-site veterinary care. Your confidence in us invigorates a hard-working staff.

Please know we’re so grateful for your support. We put your tax-deductible contributions to immediate Use—making the endless improvements all sanctuaries require, as life-saving work continues.

Warm wishes,

Priscilla Feral
President

Stephen Rene Tello
Executive Director

MEMORIALS AND DEDICATIONS

Gifts in any amount are deeply appreciated to remember someone special or to observe a special event.

In Honor of Primarily Primates’ newest
primate: Soutine, the Rhesus macaque
Douglas Cohn

In memory of Stephen Kredel
Judith K Brown

In Honor of All God’s Creatures
Brien Comerford

In Memory of Bunny Cat, who was
disabled yet giving to her cat family.
Eileen R Rogers

In Memory of James and Jesse—
Mountain Lions who passed in May.
Irene Anderson

Wish List . . . for the Animals, of Course

Our staffers request the following items to offer animals in their care.

Parrot toys
Kong toys
Raisins, apricots and other dried fruit
Sunflower seeds
Unpopped pop corn
Unshelled, unsalted nuts
Oatmeal
Peanut butter
Grape jelly

 

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