Unfortunately, Chappy’s time in the lab made him a very anxious monkey; he was terrified of loud noises like thunder, didn’t like the dark, and was very particular about his environment- if anything was the least bit dirty, uncomfortable, wet, or cold, Chappy was unhappy. As a result, we frequently would find him in his indoor shelter, wrapped up tightly in a fleece blanket, refusing to come out unless the weather conditions were near perfect.
Slowly, staff began noticing little signs of a possible friendship between Freeman and Chappy. Both monkeys greeted each other by lip-smacking, making friendly noises, and trying to move closer to each other despite the fences that separated them. After seeing these interactions more and more often, we decided to move Freeman right next to Chappy in a different enclosure in 2016. As they continued to get more comfortable with each other, we decided to allow them to share the same enclosure for the first time. To our delight, they continued to get along and even began grooming each other. Grooming is a common social behavior in primates and usually involves cleaning each other’s fur to make sure it is clear of dirt or bugs. Just like holding hands, hugging, or playing with someone’s hair does in humans, participating in grooming allows monkeys to feel a close bond with each other.
Over the next year, while Chappy and Freeman mostly enjoyed each other’s company, Freeman began to behave a little more aggressively around feeding time – particularly when the feeding involved Freeman’s favorite foods, like bananas or peanuts. Perhaps because of Freeman’s past life as a pet, where he wasn’t allowed to have anything nice of his own, he felt the need to protect these items and felt fearful that Chappy would take them away from him. To make sure that both Chappy and Freeman remained safe and didn’t hurt each other, we decided to separate them and introduce them to new friends that might be a better match.
Over the next couple years, we tried to introduce Freeman to a few other monkeys, including Theo, who was rescued from lab research, and Tamae, another ex-pet. When Freeman acted aggressively towards both of them (even injuring Tamae by biting her back a few times before we were able to separate them), we knew it wouldn’t work, but we didn’t give up hope of finding Freeman his forever friends. It can be difficult for humans to make good monkey matches in captivity, since male longtails choose who they spend their time with in the wild and often shift between different groups of monkeys throughout their lives. Unfortunately, in captivity, monkeys do not get to have the same freedom of choice, so our staff try their best to guess who might get along.
Freeman Finally Finds a Match!
Later that year, we finally found a lasting match. We introduced Freeman to fellow longtails Franklin, Sissy, and Felix. Franklin and Felix were rescued from a lab, and Sissy was kept as a pet. We started slowly and introduced Freeman to the alpha (or the boss) of the group, Franklin, to make sure they both got along before Freeman met the others. Franklin was one of the chattiest monkeys at the sanctuary- any time he would see one of the human caregivers walk by, he would loudly voice his approval (or disapproval) of their presence. In a troop of longtails, the alpha male holds the highest rank over the others, and gets the best access to food, places to rest, mates, and everything else. This dominance is determined by factors like age, size, and fighting ability.
Although Franklin seemed very nervous at the start of the introduction with Freeman, Freeman remained friendly towards Franklin. Each time Freeman got closer to Franklin, Franklin acted scared and would run away screaming. Instead of getting angry or frustrated, Freeman remained very patient and didn’t chase after his new friend. Eventually, after about one hour, Franklin got more comfortable with Freeman, and they finally made positive physical contact by gently holding each other and lip smacking. Also, excitingly, they both ate right next to each other, and Freeman did not show any signs of aggression over the food, which was already an improvement from his previous monkey matches.
Once Franklin and Freeman proved they could live together peacefully, we then introduced Freeman to the others in the group: Felix and Sissy. These introductions also went well and resulted in each of them enjoying frequent grooming and cuddling sessions with each other as they relaxed into their new routine and shared space together. This group lived happily and calmly together for the next four years, enjoying each other’s monkey company.
Freeman Suffered from Poor Health Caused by Conditions of his Former Life as a Pet
Freeman’s health as a previous pet, however, suffered throughout his time at the sanctuary. He frequently struggled with living in the outside world and had almost constant stomach issues from parasites and skin issues from the grass, dirt, and bugs. Growing up inside, “pet” monkeys do not develop the natural defenses against parasites and other environmental irritants that they normally would in the wild. They also often arrive at the sanctuary with nutrient deficiencies, especially with Vitamin D, since monkey “pets” typically do not spend enough time outside to get essential health benefits from the sun. As a result, the sanctuary veterinarian put Freeman on a strict medicine regimen to help him feel better. But, because monkeys are so smart, it can be difficult to get them to take the medicine they need, especially if it doesn’t taste good.
Luckily, the sanctuary staff are very creative and always come up with a way to get the monkeys to take their meds—even if they need to sneakily hide the taste or appearance of the medicine. Some tricks of the trade include hiding medicine in a banana, or mixing it with peanut butter or honey, or cutting the top off a kiwi, mixing the medicine with sugar-free strawberry jam, and replacing the top to avoid monkey suspicion.
