Whether you adopted a monkey or monkeys for yourself or gave or received a monkey adoption as a gift, your compassionate and generous support of the monkeys has a lasting and important impact.
Adoptions provide the sanctuary monkeys with nutritious food, veterinary care, enrichment opportunities, and much more. Thanks to you, the monkeys are thriving!
Monkey adopters are the very backbone of our work at the sanctuary. Monkey adopters like you are the very backbone of the sanctuary. If you adopted a monkey or monkeys with a one-time payment, I invite you to renew your adoption early or adopt additional monkeys. If you adopt on a recurring monthly basis, there is no need to renew your adoption, but please consider adding more monkeys to your sustaining gift.
Monkey Updates from the Sanctuary
Please scroll below to read up dates on each of the adoptable monkeys or click on the name of your adopted monkey to jump down to his or her section. From new enclosures to new friendships and new treats and toys, it has been a big year for the sanctuary monkeys – and it was all possible thanks to you!
Mrs. Wilkin and Anna
Japanese macaque and rhesus macaque, 27 and 17 years old.
Mrs. Wilkin and Anna arrived in January of this year and have settled in beautifully to their new lives here at the sanctuary. As you are aware, the pair came from an awful roadside zoo and were part of a heroic rescue operation spearheaded by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF).
At first, we were deeply concerned about Mrs. Wilkin because of her advanced age and her many health problems, including significant bone deformities and chronic arthritis. We were worried that she may only be with us for a short time. She had been through so much and the medical records and photographs we received in advance of her arrival painted a grim picture. Happily, we could not have been more wrong! Immediately when she arrived, she showed us who was boss – reaching out boldly from her transport crate to take food from us and crossly throwing her water at us when we didn’t get treats to her with the speed that she required. She may be old, but by goodness is she feisty!
Her companion, Anna, on the other hand, is a quieter and gentler soul, who follows the lead of her elderly friend. Anna prefers a tranquil life. The young, pretty macaque can often be found sunbathing in her enclosure, foraging quietly for seeds and plants, or grooming her friend, Mrs. Wilkin, with a gentle touch. We are delighted to report that the “stereotypical,” stress-related, behaviors that Anna demonstrated when she first arrived have diminished significantly — a clear sign of her growing comfort in her new home.
The pair have settled into the sanctuary wonderfully. The staff delight in watching Anna and Mrs. Wilkin grow in confidence and gain a healthy color as they now spend time outdoors, for the first time in their lives. We are so pleased that you have chosen to be part of their journey.
Marlin, Presley, and Violet
Hamadryas baboon, hamadryas hybrid, and olive hybrid, 16, 10, and 10 years old.
Marlin, Violet, and Presley arrived in March of this year. They were rescued from the same roadside zoo as Mrs. Wilkin and Anna. Shortly after they arrived, we discovered from the court transcripts relating to the rescue that the three are likely related. We believe that Marlin is father to both Violet and Presley, and the girls are half-sisters. This helped to explain the very close bond the three have.
Starting a new life in a new place is scary, particularly when you have come from a traumatic background. It wasn’t surprising the three stuck closely together as they first explored their huge one-acre, open-top enclosure. As time went on, we began to see them grow in confidence and begin to interact both with their caretakers and also their baboon neighbors. We are delighted at how far Marlin, Presley, and Violet have come in such a short time and we are so grateful that you have been there with them, thanks to your generous support.
At first, the two big male baboons who live next door, Darwin and Kaleb, were not very welcoming and did a lot of angry posturing along the fence line they share with the newcomers. After a short time — and only as long as their human caregivers were not watching — bonds began to form. We would often see Marlin sitting quietly next to Kaleb, enjoying one another’s company. Other times, Darwin and Marlin might share a short grooming session through the fence. The girls quickly made friends with the big boys, too, and can often be found chattering to them and grooming in the sunshine.
Betsy
Guinea baboon, 37 years old.
Betsy has had a great few months, with lots of exciting things going on in her neighborhood at the sanctuary. Not only have we enjoyed a particularly dry spring and summer, meaning she has been able to spend lots of time outside, Betsy also had new neighbors move in next door. Marlin, Presley, and Violet now live in the enclosure directly next to where Betsy and her best friend, Bruce, live. Betsy has had a wonderful time over the last few months joining in the excited calling backwards and forwards between the newcomers and the existing residents. She has enjoyed having baboons, Darwin and Kaleb, spend more time grooming with her as the novelty of the new baboons has drawn the big boys into the area where Betsy’s enclosure is.
Betsy and Bruce continue to enjoy their retirement together. On very hot days, they can be found sitting underneath their wooden shelter, chattering to each other and grooming. As ever, Betsy enjoys her new blankets and teddy bears, which are a welcome addition to her day.
Buddy
Olive baboon, 9 years old.
Buddy continues to be our lovable rebel. He is a firm favorite of staff and has extremely close bonds with Elvis, who is akin to a brother to him, and Dane, the other male olive baboon who shares Buddy’s enclosure. Never one to miss out on any action, Buddy will closely follow any caregivers working close to his enclosure and give them a friendly “lip smack” greeting if he can catch their attention.
When new arrivals, Marlin, Violet, and Presley showed up in March, Buddy and his boys had a field day! They could see the newcomers, who moved into the enclosure on the other side of the road, and would create elaborate and energetic displays of strength close to the fence line to show off their prowess. This, accompanied with loud “hooting” baboon calls, meant the baboon neighborhood was an exciting place to be for some time this year!
Grinch and Mig
Bonnet macaques, 23 and 15 years old.
It has been an exciting year for Grinch and Mig as they, and their closest friends, moved into a much larger enclosure that gave them lots of extra space to do what they love doing most – foraging, climbing, playing, socializing, and relaxing!
Following extensive construction work last year, when a number of our monkey groups moved to brand new enclosures, Grinch and Mig were able to move into an even larger enclosure. It took them a little while to pluck up the courage to fully explore their huge new space but, after just a few days of settling in, there was no stopping them! Grinch, in particular, will often be found in a far corner of the enclosure busying himself with foraging or simply relaxing in his own private little world.
Mig continues to share her very close bond with the other females of the troop – particularly the diminutive Ecki (affectionately known as “Lil Bit” because of her tiny size). Both Grinch and Mig have enjoyed welcoming two new arrivals to their group, too. Jessica and Merkyx were already residents of the sanctuary but lived as a pair in a different part of the site. We were keen for them to join the other bonnet macaques and our team spent a number of months carefully socializing them. For the last few months, Jessica and Merkyx have formed part of the now seven strong stable troop of bonnet macaques here at the sanctuary.
Teddy
Vervet monkey, 6 years old.
Teddy continues to thrive at the sanctuary. Her sweet relationship with older monkey, Charles, keeps her in good spirits and out of trouble as Teddy knows her place and treats Charles with care and respect. On her days that she spends with him, the pair can often be found sprawled out together in the sunshine with Teddy meticulously grooming her friend. She splits her time between the calm Charles and the boisterous Mikey, with whom she plays rambunctious games to use up some of her endless energy.
The two young vervets will often try to play tricks on caretakers, hiding until they come into sight and then jumping out of their hiding places and trying to grab them as they walk by. Despite her cheeky antics, Teddy is also a very affectionate monkey with the sanctuary staff. If she has not seen someone in a few days and they walk by her enclosure, they will be welcomed with a loud vocal greeting as Teddy does her signature “belly rub” – a sign that she is pleased to see you!
Khy and Dawkins
Japanese macaque and rhesus macaque, 13 and 12 years old.
Khy and Dawkins have both had eventful years. You may recall that Khy was living with another former “pet” monkey, called Spanky, who was a number of years older than him. Spanky sadly passed away after a short illness in late 2019 and so we had to find Khy a new companion. As fate would have it, Dawkin’s best friend, Flo, who was also quite elderly, passed away at around the same time, so the two young macaques seemed like a good match for one another. In early 2020, the pair were moved to a new enclosure in a different part of the site. The slow process of introduction began. Both young, fit, and healthy monkeys, a friendship between the two would mean both would have a long-term companion for play, foraging, relaxing, and grooming. The pair’s friendship is now growing day-by-day and we hope that we may have found a great match for them both!
Gizmo
Long-tailed macaque, 16 years old.
Gizmo and his friends have had an exciting few months as their living space has doubled in size! Due to new construction and moving monkeys between enclosures, Gizmo and his group of three friends – Conner, Tiny, and Edgar – now have access to a whole new enclosure as well as their original space. This also means that they have a straight line of sight to a number of other groups of monkeys who they couldn’t spy on before, so they spend a lot of time checking out what everyone is doing.
Gizmo’s group is very bonded and they spend a lot of time in close contact with one another. They follow the direction of Conner, who they all look up to as their leader. Gizmo has a particularly close friendship with elderly and shy Edgar. Edgar likes to spend much of his time in the indoor warm house, but will venture out to enjoy a grooming session in the sunshine with Gizmo.
Nala
Pig-tailed macaque, 22 years old.
Nala continues to enjoy the close company and care of her family. She is the beloved matriarch of her troop and is fiercely protective of her family members. She is also an excellent leader and, while ensuring that everyone close to her is safe and well, she is quick to reprimand any of her troop who step out of line. Despite her old age, Nala is not averse to getting into a fight with one of her own to assert her dominance! In times of peace, Nala can usually be found basking in the sunshine, grooming or being groomed by one of her children.
Poco
Rhesus macaque, 15 years old.
Poco cares little for her human caregivers and is very much a “monkey’s monkey.” She is very close with her enclosure mate, Ollie, and chooses to spend her time with him. She loves monkey chow – a kind of nutritionally complete food for monkeys, which looks similar to dog food. Most of the monkeys go straight for their fresh produce at feeding time, but Poco can often be found stuffing her cheeks with chow instead! She also loves to play with mirrors, angling them this way and that to spy on unsuspecting caregivers as they go about their day!
Poco was diagnosed last year with endometriosis – a painful disease causing inflammation of the uterus. Veterinary examination showed a hysterectomy, which is a complex surgery in itself and one we generally seek to avoid due to the potential complications, would have been too dangerous for Poco and so alternative treatment had to be found. Thankfully, treatment for the disease, which is administered via a shot, has been very effective and Poco no longer experiences monthly pain.
To ensure no breeding occurs at the sanctuary, males are neutered as this is simpler, and less invasive, procedure than hysterectomies are for our female monkeys.
Creed and Oscar
Rhesus macaques, both 15 years old.
Creed and Oscar remain inseparable. Although the pair came from the same laboratory, they did not know one another prior to arriving at the sanctuary. The two rhesus macaques hit it off immediately and have now been best friends for the last two years! Their enclosure is situated close to the sanctuary’s clinic and one of the boys’ favorite pastimes is shouting support for any monkeys who they see being taken into the clinic for treatment.
Oscar is the more human-oriented of the pair, and will often come over to see his caregivers and try to instigate a gentle game. If Creed catches sight of his friend fraternizing with the humans, he is quick to intervene and Oscar quickly joins in with Creed’s playful “threats,” which are made with an open-mouthed facial expressions. It is hard to take the threats seriously, though, because the boys are known to be two of the friendliest moneys at the sanctuary.