Primate Postings:
India settles into her new life
India, the newly arrived pig-tailed macaque, has settled in well. She had a busy week getting to know the individuals from the social group in the adjoining enclosure, all former “pets.” They were very welcoming to her, and within just a few days she was grooming and being groomed through the dividing panel. The contact was so positive that we decided to move forward with her socialization into this group.
Another new arrival
The arrival of India, a female pig-tailed macaque, caused quite a stir this week. Kept as a “pet,” she was confiscated from her “owners.” We have housed her in an introduction pen next to one of our mixed macaque social groups, which includes Gilbert, Teddy, and Justin. Gilbert was beside himself with excitement and approached India straight away. He chattered to her, eager to make contact through the fence. Although she was slightly apprehensive at first, it wasn’t long before India and Gilbert were playfully touching each other. She did the same with Teddy. It shouldn’t be too long before she will be able to join them.
A new arrival
We were fortunate not to suffer the severe storms that hit most of south Texas last week in the wake of Hurricane Dolly. We experienced rain, strong winds and a slight cooling in temperature.
To peel or not to peel...
We had a good delivery of fruit this week and, after many months bananas have finally come down in price. One of the things I enjoy is watching how individual monkeys eat. They each have their own particular way of preparing the food before eating it. Most will peel the skin off fruits such as bananas or tangerines with their fingers or teeth before eating it. However, Marco, a 20-year-old bonnet macaque, will bite off the tip of the banana and then squeeze the banana through the opening created using his teeth. Sometimes he will eat both the fruit and skin.
Sanctuary evenings
After a week of regular rain showers, the Sanctuary has turned a nice shade of green. With the cooler temperatures, the monkeys have been active throughout the day, foraging, eating, playing with and chasing each other. But, now we’re back into the dry heat and they are spending their afternoons seeking shade and sleeping among the trees and other vegetation in the enclosures.
Rain at last
Well, we certainly received plenty of rain this week. What a refreshing respite to the weeks of dry and hot weather. Green shoots of vegetation are now springing up all over the Sanctuary and the monkeys are enjoying eating it and foraging. Certain individuals, like Boon, will pull out clumps of grass and put them straight into their mouths. Others, like the bonnet macaques, will delicately pick away at the root clump before peeling back the outer layer and eating the root.
Watermelon feast
Although there was a slight chance of rain this week, it remained hot and dry. There was no more nutritious or refreshing way to deal with the hot June afternoons here in South Texas than to hand out watermelons. We were fortunate to receive a number of yellow ones this week much to everyone’s delight. Although not enough for 500 monkeys, those individuals living in the semi-natural enclosures all enjoyed large slices. For everyone else, there weren’t too many complaints as we had plenty of strawberries to go around.
Enjoying water
In their natural habitat, many primate species will swim and play in water. Yet, for most monkeys in research laboratories, the only water they know is in the form of a small tube that must be licked in order to get a small amount of water at a time.
Enjoying their new life
The longtail macaques retired from a laboratory have been with us for more than five weeks. It has been wonderful to watch the progress they have made during that time. They now spend their afternoons relaxing, grooming each other, sleeping and lazing around in the water and mud. Some will just sit in the wet mud pools we make for them and splash around, fascinated with the water. After years of living under laboratory conditions, it is great to see how much they are enjoying their new environment.
Mesquite bounty
It has been a hot and humid week, broken up with an unfortunately brief shower of rain. As a result, spending time in the water and eating ice cubes have been popular past times for many of the monkeys. For others, the availability of mesquite beans has been enthusiastically welcomed.
