About The Sanctuary
The Primate Sanctuary is a division of Born Free USA. Our mission is to provide nonhuman primates as high a quality of life as we can, with as little human interference as possible. The 186-acre Sanctuary, located near San Antonio, Texas, is currently home to more than 500 individuals, many of whom were rescued from abusive or exploitative situations.
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Sanctuary Blog
Mississippi Macaque Rescued!
A monkey in Mississippi, long subjected to absolute misery in a cage, on Jan. 25, 2012, began an incredible journey toward living in open spaces along with members of his own species at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary.
Our friends at The Humane Society of the United States came across this adult male rhesus macaque after conducting an undercover investigation of the Collins Zoo, where they documented deplorable conditions. The monkey — currently unnamed — was confined to a small cage (watch him frantically pace in the tiny enclosure). Lions, tigers and other exotic animals exhibited signs of malnourishment and neglect, and venomous snakes were held in unsecured enclosures. A black wolf, whom the investigator pointed out to zoo owners as needing veterinary care, was not treated and a few days later died.
Do or Die for the WAO 113
More images of The WAO 113Chappy, a crab-eating macaque,
will live at the Primate Sanctuary!
(Photograph courtesy of
and by Michelle Reininger)
(This story appears in the fall/winter 2011 issue of Born Free USA's Animal Issues Digest.)
Fifi, a rhesus macaque, had been a "pet" in a tiny cage in her owner's New York City basement. Her tail was amputated, probably to facilitate putting diapers on her. Chappy, a crab-eating macaque, was a biomedical research subject; the stress of life in the lab led him to pluck his body bald. Dex, a stumptail macaque, also exploited for research, has only his thumb and index finger on his right hand.
Fifi and Chappy and Dex (and Maddie and Leo and Stiggy and dozens of other monkeys) all suffered from the start. But thanks to the caregivers at the Wild Animal Orphanage (WAO) in San Antonio, Texas, they were able to experience comparative freedom from their former abhorrent confinement.
Don’t Underestimate Monkeys!
Theo(Photograph by Traci Hanson)
Traci Hanson, Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary's on-site manager, writes:
I think that we as humans tend to underestimate animals. They can do far more then we give them credit for. They are very intelligent and they have a wide range of emotions.
