The scene of a young vervet monkey meticulously grooming her older friend is enough to melt anyone’s heart but this beautiful glimpse of life here at the sanctuary is particularly special. This is the very first time that the little monkey, Kiki, has been able to spend time in the company of others of her own kind since she was taken from her mother at just a few months old to be sold into the pet trade. Our team is so delighted that one of our newest arrivals has taken this important step on her road to recovery and we just had to share it with you.
Navigating Primate Social Complexities
Those of you who have been following Kiki’s journey will know that we brought her to the sanctuary back in June, after she was surrendered by her former owners, who had kept her as a pet for more than five years. The process of introducing monkeys to one another is complex and can take months – or even years – to do safely.
What should be the most natural thing in the world – living in social groups – is totally alien to monkeys who have been denied that fundamental need for their whole lives and so meeting others can not only be terribly frightening, it can also be dangerous. If a newcomer does not know how to read body language, understand vocalizations, or take heed of other important social cues, they can overstep and be reprimanded, or even attacked, by the other monkeys. As such, introductions are taken slowly and carefully and are only carried out when we feel we have a clear idea of the individual’s behavior and can predict as best we can how the dynamic between them and existing residents might play out.
For Kiki, this meant spending the last few months in spaces immediately adjacent to our existing vervets. We carefully watched how she interacted through the fencing, how her stress levels were looking (based on her behavior, appetite, body condition, and other factors), and if she seemed to be forming a particular bond or interest in other members of the vervet group.
What should be the most natural thing in the world – living in social groups – is totally alien to monkeys who have been denied that fundamental need for their whole lives…
Good Vibes between the Vervets
In the last week, we noticed something we had been hoping to see – Kiki began grooming an older monkey, Billie, through the fencing. We knew it was time for her to take the next step!
Over the last week, we have been working to introduce Kiki to individuals from a small, established group of three monkeys, Billie, Bouf, and Charles. We began by allowing her short periods with each of them individually and seeing how that went. All was calm and Kiki seemed completely un-phased by her new companions being in such close proximity.
It was with a little trepidation that we agreed this morning that it was time to give her a chance to meet everyone at once. We opened up the connecting tunnels between their enclosures to give them the most space possible, we stood back, and watched with bated breath to see if everything was going to be okay.
Kiki Makes New Friends
And, it was! Kiki seemed so delighted to be around other monkeys that she started playing in a large hammock that hangs from the roof of the enclosure. She ran, she jumped, she tumbled, and she peeked out at her new friends after each new stunt to see if they were watching (they were not – they were calmly going about their day!). When she didn’t get the response she wanted from her antics, she climbed down and jumped up on a platform just behind Billie and began to groom her. We held our breath to see if this somewhat bold approach would be tolerated. Not only was it tolerated, Billie gently lifted her arm to show Kiki where she would most like to be groomed and allowed her new little companion to gently comb through the fur on her back with her delicate little fingers.
We soon separated them back into their normal day-time setups so as not to push them too quickly but, as a first step, we are extremely hopeful that Kiki will be fully integrated, just in time for some snuggling during the colder winter months.
We are so proud of how far Kiki has come in just a few short months and look forward to updating you with more as her socialization progresses!
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Liz
