International Primate Rescue

New arrivals Annie and Felix

2011-03-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

We collected new arrivals Annie (Brown Capuchin) and Felix (Weeper Capuchin) on Friday morning. The vet was there to sedate Felix as we were told that he was a big, aggressive primate. Felix proved more difficult to sedate than we had expected as he realized what was going on and was not going to co-operate. Annie, a gentle soul was hand caught without being sedated and sat calmly in her traveling box. When we arrived back at the sanctuary, Felix was still out cold and we started to become concerned. The day did not go exactly as planned as we were looking forward to releasing the two of them into their huge enclosure but Felix was still asleep. We grew increasingly worried about him as he was just not waking up. We took his temperature and turned him over every fifteen minutes with no response at all until 5pm. We were very relieved when he came round and within the hour he was eating and drinking. In the meantime, we moved Annie into a temporary cage so that she could be freed from her traveling box.

On Saturday morning we took them both out to their new enclosure and were delighted to see them enjoying the large space and tree. Annie spent the entire day in the tree and would not even come down for treats. Felix investigated the enclosure but was calm and taking food from our hands within the hour. Felix did not show any sign of aggression towards any of the volunteers and we were really pleased that he was so relaxed.

Annie is absolutely adorable – very sweet and gentle. Felix is more energetic but not aggressive. On Sunday morning Annie came down to take her supplements and was investigating more but loves her big tree.

We took Chino (baby Brown Capuchin) up to meet his foster parents. A volunteer sat on the outside of the enclosure with him so that he would feel safe. He was a little clingly and nervous of Felix. We will be taking him up every morning so that he can slowly get used to them.

Capuchin enclosure, Gerry & Tommy

2011-03-04T01:35:00.001-08:00

We had planned to collect the Capuchins today, but the enclosure is not ready. The new date for collection is 11^th March 2011. The roof of our new Capuchin enclosure is going on today, so hopefully we will have plenty of time to complete it before next Friday. Baby Chino (Capuchin) spent some time with volunteer Scott up one of the trees in the new enclosure and tested out some of the branches.

Other news is that Gerry (Marmoset) came home yesterday. He had been in the animal hospital undergoing tests for almost a week. He is being treated for an ulcer and will be taking medication for the rest of his life.

Poor little Tommy (Marmoset) also visited the vet and had to have two toes amputated after a fight with Joshua. He is doing well though.

The capuchin enclosure

2011-02-23T00:25:00.001-08:00

Sonko (Marmoset) went back to the vet who said that she thought the swollen testicle had gone down a little. We were relieved that he did not need to be castrated, especially since he has already had a vasectomy. We still need to keep an eye on things but the vet was happy with his progress and will not need to see him again unless his condition gets worse.

Poppy (dog) had some teeth out (ouch !!!) but will probably be a lot more comfortable once she has fully recovered.

The volunteers are working very hard to complete the new capuchin enclosure so that we can collect the two new arrivals (two adult capuchins). They will be foster parents for Chino, the baby capuchin we are currently hand rearing. We are building the enclosure in two sections with an introduction area for baby Chino so that he can slowly get acquainted with his new mom and dad and we can be sure that they will accept him before he joins them permanently.

Sonko

2011-02-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Poor old Sonko had to go back to the vet again today with the same embarrassing problem of a swollen testicle. At first the vet was going to castrate him, but then decided against it and decided to put him back on a course of antibiotics.

Today, we tried to find a friend for single Maverick. We put his small cage beside five or six other monkeys to see if they would get on, but no luck and Maverick was returned to his enclosure. We were really hoping that we could find a friend for him

The poles for the Capuchin enclosure were delivered and our young, strong volunteers continued work for our new arrivals.

Still no water !!!!

2011-02-03T20:34:00.003-08:00

The sanctuary faced yet another day without water. The borehole repairs man arrived to sort the problem out but could not get it working. The borehole keeps turning itself on and off. Eventually it was decided to try and fill our tank and there was slight relief as we actually got water out of the taps. We filled up as many containers as we could and some were lucky enough to take a shower but it was not long before we were out of water again. In the meantime, we are dependant on the kindness of neighbours for all our water supply. We are really hoping that it can be repaired tomorrow.

The good news is that the volunteers started on the new capuchin enclosure and made very good progress. All the holes are dug and we hope to start dropping the poles tomorrow.

Despite the water crisis, volunteers got stuck in and have been very supportive.

One of those days

2011-02-01T21:23:00.000-08:00

Today was just one of those days. We woke up to the problem of still having no water. One of the labourers, who had worked with borehole before was confident that he could fix it, but almost electrocuted himself and had to be taken home. All the borehole specialists we tried to contact did not answer their phones. In the meantime, Kerry was transporting containers of water to the sanctuary from a kindly neighbor. Finally, we managed to contact a borehole repair man, but he could only come at 5pm and we all struggled on. He finally arrived on time and quickly discovered the problem was the control box (which we bought new last August), but it was too late to purchase another one as the shops had closed. So, we face another night with limited water.

The good news is that Maaitjie and Abbu (Marmosets) took their medication and are looking much better. However, volunteers noticed that Fidget (Marmoset) was looking lethargic and decided to give him an antibiotic just to be on the safe side. Then, just so that nobody got bored around here, Tommy and Joshua (Marmosets), starting fighting and had to be separated. We are hoping that it is just a little tiff over food or something. We will review the situation tomorrow and decide whether they need to be separated permanently. Goofy is still depressed, so we may be able to pair him up with Tommy – time will tell.

Things were just not going to go right – l went off to buy new mattresses for the volunteer beds, but they did not fit. Then we noticed that some of our tools had been stolen so l have not bought a padlock for the store room.

We received another called regarding the two Capuchins we will be receiving, so hopefully l will have time to design their enclosure tomorrow and order the materials. We need to get the enclosure up as soon as possible.

Never boring around here – more news tomorrow

Medicating monkeys

2011-01-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

Maaitjie, Ruben, Fiona and Abbu absolutely refused to take their medication this morning – so, they all had to be hand caught and force fed. It was not fun !!! Our usually peaceful sanctuary was shattered by the sound of screaming monkeys for an hour or two, but it had to be done.

Monique and Manuka were finally let out into their extended outdoor area. It was wonderful to see them jumping around and enjoying themselves.

Janet, Kerry's friend arrived with her camera and took some really good photos of all the monkeys. She is going to put them all on a disc to give to me and hopefully l can share them soon

We had a visit from a perspective local volunteer, who fell in love with Chino, our baby Capuchin – who wouldn’t – he does happen to be the cutest baby monkey in the whole world. She will be back next Saturday to start volunteering for the day.

Maaitjie and Abbu go the the vet

2011-01-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

This morning, Maatjies eyes looked a little better, but we caught her up and took her along to the vet with Abbu, who was booked in for a vasectomy. As it turned out, Abbu could not have his vasectomy because he had a temperature and diarrhea, so instead he was sent home with medication and we will take him in again when he has recovered. There was better news for Maatjie – we were expecting her to have to stay at the hospital for her medication, but the vet said that she could come home because her eyes were on the mend.

We were concerned as Abbu is the fifth Marmoset going down with diarrhea. The vet said not to worry about it too much and that it was probably a result of the rain and likely to be some bug or something moving through the enclosures infecting the monkeys. She did suggest that we keep a close watch on all the monkeys and that the cage mates of the infected ones also received treatment.

Sarah prepared the medication this afternoon but not one of the monkeys would take the fowl tasting stuff. A bit of a problem, since four monkeys are on it. We tried everything but they were having none of it, so there is only one option left – we have hand catch them and force feed them. Since it was getting late, we will begin this undertaking tomorrow.

Maaitjie goes to the vet

2011-01-27T06:56:00.000-08:00

This morning Sarah noticed that Maatjie’s eyes were swollen and so we took her along to the vet. She said that it could be an allergy and gave her a few shots. If it is no better tomorrow she will have to be admitted to the hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, there was no real improvement by 5pm this evening so it looks likely that she will have to go back tomorrow when we take Abbu in for his vasectomy.

We are really concerned about Goofy, who seems depressed since his separation for Koosie and Sartjie. Goofy, who is very elderly rejected Koosie a few days ago and he and Sartjie were moved to another enclosure. We are all considering the options and who we can try and pair poor old Goofy with.

Today, the Abso’s (Georgie, Candada and Bobby) were released into the extension area of their enclosure and had a great time investigating.

Work continued on the Macaque enclosure, who are enjoying their new feeding system of scattering their food rather than presenting it in a feeding bowl.

Fiona and Abbu

2011-01-26T06:02:00.000-08:00

It rained almost all morning, very frustrating because we were keen to introduce Fiona and Goofy. The volunteers finally went to fetch Fiona just after 2pm – only to find her and Abbu hanging on the wire lip smacking each other. It was obvious that they were bonding and we decided to leave them together. They are currently in adjoining enclosures and will have to stay that way until Abbu has had a vasectomy. We made an appointment for Abbu to have his vasectomy on Friday and we hope to allow them direct contact with each other later on in the day.

Poor Goofy is still alone, but he appears to be fine. Perhaps he is enjoying the peace and quite after living with lively Koosie and Sartjie for the last couple of months. He is enjoying the attention of the volunteers and hopefully it will not be too long before he will have a friend

Marmoset News

2011-01-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

This morning, Koosie was hiding in the grass, terrified of Goofy who had obviously been terrorizing him. Koosie and Sartjie (Common Marmosets) were removed and put into Fiona’s old enclosure and it was not long before they were relaxed and investigating their new home.

We decided against putting Howard with Fiona because when we came to take him out, he Vosi and Vince were all cuddled up together and we could not bear to separate them. We moved Fiona in beside Abbu for the time being. Tomorrow, we will see if she will get on with Goofy.

Gabbi is recovering well, and we were very pleased to see that Sonko’s testicle had almost returned to its normal size.

The labourers were able to continue working on the Macaque enclosure again today. We are hoping that the weather will allow us to give the boys more space in the very near future.

Lots of happenings at the sanctuary

2011-01-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning carers noticed that Fonzie (Marmoset) was lethargic. He was given medication but continued to deteriorate. He was eventually rushed to the vet, but died on the way. His body has gone in for a full autopsy so that we can establish his cause of death. Shortly after discussing a suitable companion for Fonzie's widow Fiona, Vosi and Howard had a fight - so tomorrow we will take him out of the enclosure (leaving Vosi and Vince together) and introduce Howard to Fiona. This morning Gerry (Marmoset) was not looking well, so not wanting to him to suffer the same fate as Fonzie, he was rushed along to the vet, who confirmed that his temperature was normal and she could not see anything wrong with him, but put him on a course of antibiotics anyway.

The other news is that Sonko’s (Marmoset) one testicle has swollen up again. What is going on with our sanctuary monkeys ???. These things always happen over the weekend when vets are not easy to get hold of. We will discuss his condition with the vet tomorrow when Lulu is taken in to get her vaccinations.

Tonight, the carers will move Pecan and Shacked (in their sleeping box because they are impossible to trap), to a new enclosure and hopefully we can work on getting Maverick and Abbu together. All very complicated - lots going on at the sanctuary right now.

Baby Chino (Capuchin) arrives at the sanctuary

2011-01-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

Seven week old Chino (Capuchin)

On the 4^th February, we received a call from a distraught owner of a seven week old Capuchin. She said that she had purchased the baby four days ago and now realized that she had made a mistake. It was agreed that we would take him. Within hours, we were traveling to Polokwane to collect the baby. Since it was a six hour round trip, we arrived back late at night with adorable little Chino. He was understandably confused and bewildered on his first night with us. Volunteers are taking it in turns to care for him during the night because he is still on two hourly feeds. Later this year, we will be receiving more Capuchins and will introduce him when he is old enough.

A friend for Fossy

2010-12-30T19:19:00.000-08:00

Johnny (Marmoset) was moved into an intro cage beside Fossy (Marmoset) following the death of his companion Teddy (Marmoset). We are hoping that the two of them will become friends and can live happily together. So far, it looks good. If all goes well, we will open the trap door between the enclosures within a couple of days so that they can have direct contact.

Stav (Macaque) was reunited with his friends, David, Solomon and Johanthan after having to live in an adjoining enclosure because they were all picking away at his wound.

We finally bought Pixie (dog) home after she was stitched up and have completed and separate area for her so that she can be safe from Casia who attacked her on Christmas day. We had to make a hole through the wall to Sarah's bedroom so that she can have access to the outdoors.

Much to our releif, Lulu looks better after treatment and is acting like a puppy again.

Busy Day

2010-12-28T09:57:00.000-08:00

The day started off with a broken geyser, broken washing machine, two leaking toilets and electrical problems. Thanks to our efficient handy man, the geyser, one toilet and electrical problems were fixed fairly quickly. The washing machine still has to be tested and then just as we thought we had everything under control, the geyser started overflowing with boiling water. Never boring here !!!.

As the volunteers were trying to prepare the primate food, a swam of bees decided to help themselves to some juicy fruit. They were everywhere – it was a real problem and slowed down the process of the preparation. The only solution will be to contact a bee collector and have the bees removed, no doubt at great expense but it was the only thing that worked last year when they were helping themselves to the monkey food in the enclosures and we were worried that a monkey would get stung.

Stav (Macaque) will be able to join his friends tomorrow as his wound has healed up. We had to separate him for a while because the other Macaques took his stitches out and were picking away at his wound.

Pixie (dog) who was attacked by Casia (another dog) was came home on the 26^th December after spending the night at the animal hospital but has had to go to the vet every day (except today) to have her wounds flushed out. She will be stitched up tomorrow. We are busy building a separate area for her, adjoining Sarah’s room so that she will have somewhere safe to stay when we cannot be around to supervise her with Casia.

Lulu, our new puppy who was found in a garbage bag by the side of the highway is not well today and not eating very much. She is still underweight and we are worried about her, so she will be going in to the vet with Pixie tomorrow.

Then, at pellet time Jax came down to tell me that Teddy (Marmoset) had suddenly collapsed. I went rushing straight up, but he had died. It was very upsetting for everyone. We have no idea what caused his death, but will take him in for an autopsy tomorrow.

The problems of the day were not over yet. Sarah came to tell me that Shapken (Mona monkey) had what looked like a blood blister on the side of his mouth. It looks like an injury. He was eating well and behaving normally, so we gave him some pain killer and will monitor him.

Quite an eventful day !!!!

Not the average Christmas day

2010-12-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone. All the volunteer were up at 4am and the duties were split up so that we could get the morning feed done early on Christmas day. The first drama occurred when we found a poisonous snake in the blind lemurs enclosure. With the Lemurs at risk, we quickly removed it.

Then, we noticed that the chickens ready to be prepared for Christmas lunch did not smell very good and were obviously not fit for consumption. Very fortunately a shop nearby was open and we managed to buy some more. Despite the set back and a very late lunch, we had a really good time and everyone enjoyed the feast laid on by Sarah, Reet and Jackie.

Everyone joined in to give the monkeys their afternoon, hand fed pellets and we had planned to sit down and have some chocolate cake when we had finished. However, that was not to be - Sarah arrived at the house holding Pixie (dog), who had been attacked by Casia (dog). Her injuries were really bad and we had to rush her to the out patients at Onderstepoort (animal hospital). We stayed with her until almost 9pm while her wounds were treated by the vet. She was admitted to the hospital for further care. Pixie’s wounds will need to be flushed out everyday to avoid infection before she can be stitched up and come home on Tuesday.

We are now agonizing over how to move forward from here. This is not the first time Casia has been aggressive towards Pixie.

Hmmmmmm !!!!

2010-12-22T10:33:00.000-08:00

Well, today was interesting and the unexpected happened – as it often does at our sanctuary. I was just on my way into town when a call came in regarding 4 baby birds, whose nest had been disturbed during house renovations. The lady with the baby birds arrived at the house and handed them over. They were obviously just hatched, not a feather in sight on their pink, almost wet little bodies. I fed them and then decided to take them into Onderstepoort (animal hospital) for further care as l felt that they would receive better care there.

While l was there, l heard about a Lulu, a six week old puppy who had been found in a garbage bag on the side on the road and very nearly died. She had been on a drip for days. I was invited through to see her……. And you know the rest of the story. Yes Lulu has joined our family. She is gorgeous, looks a little like a tiny Doberman, with a black head and dapple grey body. She still is not well and is on medication. Reet will be her sleeping partner tonight, but no doubt there will not be a shortage of volunteers to look after her.

All was quiet up at the enclosures with all of the monkeys behaving well.

We say goodbye to Twiggi

2010-12-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

It was with great sadness that we said goodbye to fourteen year old Twiggi (Common Marmoset). She died peacefully in her enclosure. Over the past months, she had become almost blind and deaf and required additional care. Twiggi had been at the sanctuary for a number of years. She leaves behind her mate Mukka, and foster daughter Suri, who fortunately, are very close. Foster son Nigel, who was only three years old, died a few days before after he ingested something sharp which punctured his gut. It has been such a sad time for Mukka and Suri. They are being monitored closely and seem to be doing ok.

Twiggi and Nigel will be buried together in our memorial forest, under a plum tree.

On a brighter note, Fossy (Common Marmoset) is doing much better on his gluten free diet.

Three year old Nigel dies

2010-12-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

Three year old Nigel (Common Marmoset) was found dead in his sleeping box this morning. It was a very sad moment for the volunteers who pulled his little body from the box. Late this afternoon, we took his body in for an autopsy. The results revealed that a foreign body (perhaps a piece of twig or something) had punctured his gut. Nigel was a beautiful, always healthy little monkey who arrived at the sanctuary as a baby three years ago. It is very sad to lose them when they are so young.

Volunteers were also watching very elderly Twiggi (Common Marmoset) closely today after noticing that she was bleeding heavily from her vagina. It may have been just part of her female cycle so she was given a pain killer and monitored. By lunch time, she had dried up, much to our relief.

Fossy (elderly Common Marmoset), was taken in to the vet today as he was also not looking well and then started vomiting. The vet examined him and said that he should be put on a gluten free diet. He was given medication and we are hopeful that he will recover.

Volunteer will be getting an early night after a very stressful day.

Should we build an Ark ??

2010-12-15T01:23:00.000-08:00

Nothing much to report. It has been raining off and on for days. The poor monkeys have been huddled together under their heater lamps.

Roofy, our naughty cat has taken to sleeping on my computer key board and now l battle to get the "u" to work.

The rain has delayed the outdoor area of the Macaque enclosure, so the boys are looking quite bored - we were hoping to have it finished by now.

The good news is that according to the weather report, it will clear up on Friday - hope so.

What a day

2010-12-12T01:37:00.000-08:00

Off to a bad start yesterday morning, with no electrical supply for the monkey’s heating.

The electrician arrived to try and sort out the problem, much to Honey’s (Squirrel monkey) relief as she was missing her heater, the electrician connected the monkeys heating temporarily saying that some of the cables would need to be dug up to find the real problem.

Then the rain came down, in buckets. It was so heavy that Jax (volunteer) bought Fossy (Common Marmoset) to my flat instead to Nina’s room where he usually sleeps to prevent him from getting wet. I was going out, so l left my flat unlocked and headed off.

I returned at 10pm to discover that l could not get into my flat. I thought that someone must have locked my flat but could not find the key and the key to the main house was in my flat, so l had to phone the sanctuary phone and wake up volunteers. We soon discovered that the door had somehow locked from the inside (its not a yale, so we don’t know how that could have happened). In the pouring rain, and dark Mike and l battled the door before giving up and l went to sleep in the main house. Just to add to the fun, Mike told me that the electricity power supply had gone off shortly after l left, and it still was not on. Poor Honey was facing another night without her heating.

This morning, it was still raining, and we still had no electricity, and no access to my flat where Papi's medication and the babies bottles are kept. Clever Sarah eventually forced my flat door open so fortunately Papi had his medication on time (which is important because its an insulin injection). Thank goodness for the gas stove so that we could warm up the babies bottle feeds (Common Marmosets, Lilly, Flash and Zet). The rest of the morning feed was completed in the dark and rain which was not too much fun, but it had to be done. It was cold, and some of the monkeys were shivering without their heating. There was great rejoicing when the power came back on at about 10am and Honey and the other monkeys could thaw out under there heater lamps.

Zet & Flash arrive at the sanctuary

2010-12-10T11:09:00.000-08:00

We got off to an early start to go and collect Flash and Zet. Naturally, the bakkie that we were to borrow was not there on time, so we arrived late anyway. We arrived back with Zet and Flash at lunch time (it was a two hour trip each way) and started putting their toys up in their new enclosure adjoining that of Lilly, Dude and Suki. Flash started back chatting them right away, but the poor little guy was very stressed and we hope that he wil be friendlier when he settles down a bit. Lilly was terribly excited at the prospect of some play mates her age and was darting back and forth along the wire trying to get them to play with her. She was still there long after her foster parents Dude and Suki had gone off to bed. Unfortunately, the newcomers were not in the mood to play.

This morning, the vet came back to see Stav but said that he was going to leave his wound rather than stress him out again to stitch it up. Stav has to be separated from the others while his wound heals though as Solomon keeps picking at it.

Belba, who had two teeth removed yesterday is doing well and taking her antiboitic like a good little girl.

After another busy day, l was not amused when the monkeys heating was not working again. One of the labourers tried to fix it, but we may need to call in a professional. Poor Honey will be very dispointed tomorrow when her heater is not on first thing in the morning.

An apple tree for Zettie

2010-12-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Today l went out and bought Zettie a beautiful apple tree. We are making a memorial forest for the monkeys who have passed on by planting a fruit tree over their bodies. That way, they wil live on through their trees.

We took Belba (Common Marmoset) to the vet. She had to have two teeth out, poor little thing. Belba arrived at the sanctuary on the 11th September 2010. She is tiny because she in inbred - very cute. She is on antiboitics and a pain killer and will feel a lot more comfortable without the painful absess which keeps popping up.

Solomon has taken most of Stav's (Macaques) stitches out. We are waiting for the vet to come and have a look and decide whether he needs to be stitched up again. We are all hoping that he does not have to go through all that again, poor Stav is a nervous wreck and will not even take treats from us.

A tough day

2010-12-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

In the morning, Zettie (Common Marmoset) did not look well and was not interested in taking her supplement. She was offered electrolites in apple juice, but took very little. We were all worried about 14 year old Zettie as she was very lethargic.

Early in the afternoon, we noticed that Stav (Barbary Macaque) had a gash in his leg. It was obvious that it would need to be stitched up so we called the vet. While we were waiting, Zettie fell from her bed box area onto the floor, so we put her in a small cage with a blanket and left her in her enclosure so that she could be close to her family. It was a warm day, so she was comfortable. Her breathing was very shallow and we prepared ourselves for the worst.

The vet arrived and examined her. He thought that she had kidney failure, and no chance of recovery. Everyone said goodbye to her and she was euthanised. It was really sad, but the right decision for her. She was died very peacefully. She is survived by mate, Vosi and sons Howard and Vince.

Then it was time to deal with Stav. The vet darted him and stiched him up. Sarah and Jackie sat with him in his enclosure until he came round. He was falling all over the place and we feared that he would hurt himself. It was getting late, so we placed him in his sleeping box to recover. We checked on him later that night and he was sitting up and looking altert.

After a tough day, we noticed that he monkeys heating system was not working. The days are warm, but Honey (Squirrel monkey) still likes her heating on at night. We tried hard to find the problem but with our limited knowledge of electrics, did not suceed. Bobby (Squirrel monkey) was throwing a tamtrum while we were trying to adjust his heating (those of you who know him, will know what l mean). He was not amused, but fortunately it was not a cold night and we will fix up the heating as soon as possible.

Where was Nigel hiding

2010-12-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

This morning, at supplements, Nigel (Common Marmoset) was nowhere to be found. We were all very worried and just about to go in and check the sleeping box when he suddenly appeared.

Volunteers spent all morning making enrichment (strings of yummy food) for our bored Macaques, which kept them busy this afternoon. The outdoor area of their enclosure is not complete yet and the bored boys have found ways to get out into the security area twice. Mike and Sarah have actually been in with them to coax them back to their enclosure. Fortunately, the are all gentle giants, but a little stubbon sometimes. We are trying to find new ways to keep them all occupied until their enclosure is complete (in about three weeks).

We were hoping that single Maverick (common marmoset) would get on with the other new comers from Israel, Shacked and Pecan (common marmosets) but no luck. They are in adjoining enclosures and were not impressed with each others company today. We will be building Pecan and Shacked a new enclosure and moving them out. We are hoping that Maverick will get on with Abbu.

Belba (common marmoset) will be going to the vet on Thursday, probably to have a tooth pulled. She has absess on her face which pops up from time and time.

A happy day at the sanctuary

2010-12-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

It was a wonderful, relaxing day at the sanctuary - except for one minor incident. Solomon (Barbary Macaque) got out, just into the security area. We grabbed some bannanas and brave Sarah went in with him - Solomon calmly followed her back into his enclosure. The Macaques are very placid and gentle. This afternoon, we opened the trap door between their enclosures so that they could all have direct contact with each other again. They were all very friendly towards each other. We put a large tub of water in for them and they all had fun splashing around - it was lovely to see. We were feeding them a lot of treats and everyone was enjoying them - except for Shapken (Mona monkey) who had a hissy fit when he saw us feeding them treats.

This afternoon, volunteers went in with their favourite monkeys - so we all had a relaxed and happy monkey day.

We bring our boys home

2010-12-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

We were at the quarantine station as soon as it opened at 7:30am, to meet the vet who would help us bring our boys home. After a long month in quarantine, Barbary Macaques, Jonathan, Solomon, David and Stav and Marmosets Pecan and Shacked were ready for release. The Macaques were lightly sedated by the vet, Dr David Pretorius who checked them all before transporting them to the sanctuary. He stayed with all the primates for an hour after their arrival at the sanctuary to make sure they were all well before leaving.

First, we released the Marmosets, Pecan and Shacked into their new enclosure. A volunteer sat outside to encourage them as they investigated their new home. We thought that they may be afraid, but they enjoyed the freedom of more space and were soon playing with each other.

The Macaques were released in pairs into adjoining enclosures. They were housed in pairs in quarantine and we wanted to be sure that they were still friends before putting them all back together. We are keeping them separate to monitor their behaviour towards one another until Sunday, and if all goes well we can open the trap door between their enclosures and hopefully they can all be together again. They were all a little afraid at first, but soon made friends with the volunteers when they were handed some treats. This afternoon, they enjoyed watching the labourers working on the very large outdoor area of their enclosure. We are going to build platforms in the large trees in their enclosure – so that they can climb up and sit in them. By this evening, all our newcomers looked very relaxed.

Volunteers were on a rota to sit with all the newcomers all day and feed them treats as a way of bonding with them.

We are all delighted with the new additions to our family and look forward to caring for them.

A sad day

2010-12-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we went to collect this beautiful little boy. We left in a hurry, very concerned about his health. His mom had been shot and we knew that he had a shoulder wound. We took him directly to the vet and arrived home with an antiboitic and pain killer which we gave him right away. The poor little boy was very weak, dehydrated and in pain, so we were anxious to get him to Bambelela as soon as possible. We managed to pursuade him to drink a little before meeting a volunteer from Bambelela half way to hand him over.

This morning, we were all very saddened to hear that he had died during the night, from his wounds. Later Bambelela informed us that he still had a bullet in his shoulder, no wonder he was in so much pain. At least he is with his mommy now and no longer in pain.

The Lemurs, Ginger and Lilly

2010-11-29T20:38:00.000-08:00

The volunteers put up brand new enrichment for Lilly (Common Marmoset) today, which she really enjoyed. I bought more shade netting today, which will go up tomorrow so that Dude and Suki will not be able to see the neighbours any more.

Nina (Ruffed Lemur) refused to take her medication this afternoon even though we tried it in a marshmellow and several other combinations of yummy stuff - she was just not going to have it.

Noah (Ruffed Lemur) has been under observation today as he has now finished his course of antiboitics and we need to know how he is doing - all seems well with him.

Ginger is still looking down - we dont know why. He is still eating, but is not his usual cheeky self.

We have a new local volunteer starting tomorrow. She will be a great help during December when we have very few international volunteers.

Today, l organised for the vet to meet us at the quarantine station to sedate the four Barbary Macaques - they are coming home on Friday. We are all very excited about their arrival and plan to spend the day giving them lots of yummy treats.

A few glum monkeys

2010-11-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Shapken (Mona monkey - above) has been under observation all day after it was noticed that he had diahhorea this morning (he spilt his watery content in the water bowl and on Sarah's arm !!). Emma, who was doing the observations did not notice any more diahhorea, but said that Ginger (his cage mate) also looked a little down today. I went to visit them, and Ginger did look very glum, but they were both eating, so we will keep an eye on them.

It was reported that Lilly (Common Marmoset) is also down. Her foster parents, Dudi and Suki are too distracted with the neighbours and not taking very much notice of her. Tomorrow, we will put shade netting up to block their view.

Flea and Sonko - determined to be the most mentioned primates on our blog, are also being watched closely. Sonko has become and little nervous of his foster dad (Flea) and it may be the beginning of a rejection, esspecially now that Abbette has joined them.

An unusual day

2010-11-27T09:18:00.000-08:00

Today was unusual – because it was quiet. This morning two perspective local volunteers came to have a look around and find out more.

The Ruffed Lemurs were wonderfully playful this morning – and very noisy. They started shouting at about 5:30am – great alarm clock.

This afternoon we received a call from a Marmoset owner who wants to come and visit the sanctuary. We believe that she wants to bring her three Marmosets here, but time will tell. They asked for directions but did not set a date for the visit.

Later l went to get some more medication for Noah (Ruffed Lemur)

Jackie said that Lilly (Common Marmoset) was a little quiet today

Puma was still under observation today, but was feeling better – so we will not have to take him to the vet.

Next week will be busy – the Macaques (and two more Marmosets) are due to come out of quarantine on Thursday or Friday

Other than that nothing interesting to report.

A baby vervet monkey arrives at the sanctuary

2010-11-26T12:28:00.001-08:00

Sarah and l did the morning feed together this morning, which included giving Papi his insulin injection (he was such a good boy), then Nina explained the Lemur medication to us.

Sarah and Jackie went up to do the monkey supplements, while l settled into some admin work. I was just planning my day when Sarah came running down from the Marmoset enclosures with the sanctuary phone and handed it to me saying “there is a lady on the phone who wants to us to collect a baby vervet monkey”. The whole days plans were about to change. I quickly jotted down the address of where the baby monkey was, we prepared some milk in a hurry, grabbed a blanket and Sarah and l jumped in the car and raced off to collect the baby monkey. Jackie continued with the sanctuary supplements and medications.

In about an hour, we had arrived at our destination and a lady came out holding a tiny baby in her arms. We quickly fed her some milk and set off to take the baby back to the sanctuary. The baby had not been fed all night so she was very hungry and stressed, calling for her mom (who died when she was hit by a car) until she fell asleep in Sarah’s arms. Then she woke and decided that it was play time, so she bit Sarah’s nose and deposited a smelly pooop on Sarah clean T Shirt.

Once home, the volunteers enjoyed the company of this delightfully cute little creature while l phoned Bambelela (vervet monkey sanctuary) to collect the baby. For those of you who don’t know – its our policy to send indigenous animals on to sanctuaries who will release them back into the wild. We only keep exotic primates at our sanctuary, but will get involved in the rescue of just about any animal who needs us.

This afternoon, l took Kate and Nina (volunteers) to the airport, leaving the baby monkey in the very capable hands of the volunteers. On the way back, l stopped to do some shopping and Bambelela phoned to say that they would collect the baby vervet monkey this evening. I was anxious to get back to the sanctuary to prepare Sarah for the collection of the baby.

When l arrived back at the sanctuary the little baby girl was sleeping comfortably in Sarah’s arms and l was told that she had been drinking well all afternoon. Bambelela arrived around 7:30pm to collect her.

Although it was difficult to part with this beautiful little creature, she now has the chance to go back to the wild one day, instead of being captive so we all knew that it was the right decision for her.

Fortunately, our own monkeys behaved well today. Puma took his supplement and his monkey pellets, so he is feeling better.

Sarah's drug abuse problem

2010-11-25T07:39:00.000-08:00

I was up at 4am to start the morning feed with Mike. When l returned, l found this note from Sarah on my computer “Done Papi’s insulin and then stabbed myself in the finger with the needle afterwards. If l am not awake by 9am, you know why”. I was a little concerned that Sarah had accidentally given herself a dose of insulin and that her blood sugar may have fallen to a dangerous level. I considered how l could ensure the good health of my valuable volunteer. I thought that if she was sleeping with her mouth open l could drop a few sweets down her throat to bring her blood sugar up, but decided against it in case she bit me !!. Fortunately Sarah survived her little incident and was ready for the days duties on time.

Flea and Sonko’s testicles have returned to their normal size – hope they are not too disappointed that they don’t look as well endowed any more.

Puma is a little better, but still not right. We have had him under observation all day. He still seems too lethargic.

Today, Sarah went in with Totsy and Mr Black and hand fed them nuts, which they enjoyed.

Carte Blanche was filming for a few hours. They interviewed Nina (who bought the Lemurs to us), and filmed Noah and Nina (Ruffed Lemurs), Mr Black and Totsy (Black and Brown Lemur) and some of the Marmosets. They said that it would be screened some time in December. Will let you all know.

Lady (Black eared Marmoset) vomited after pellets. I went up to see her, she was gobbling down some food when l arrived, but the moment she saw me, she flew like a little furry missile against the wire, shouting at me. She did not look sick to me, she probably vomited because she ate too much.

The Ruffed Lemurs were very playful (and noisy) this afternoon. They both look very happy.

Puma was not feel well today

2010-11-24T07:32:00.000-08:00

Flea and Sonko (Common Marmosets) have been taking their medication and the good news is that the swelling is coming down.

Puma (Common Marmoset), did not take his protein supplement this morning and looked a bit down, so he was put under observation. Later in the day, he vomited – could be that he ate something that did not agree with him. He drank some glucose water from the teaspoon and by this evening he looked a little better. He will be under observation again and if he is no better, he will visit the vet.

Carte Blanche arrived and spent about an hour at the sanctuary. The will be back tomorrow.

Today, we offered Mr Black (Black Lemur) and Totsy (Brown Lemur) a millipede to eat, which is part of their natural diet. According to our research, they salivate on millipedes, then roll them between the hands for 5 – 6 minutes before eating. It was fascinating to watch their natural behaviours come out. They got it right – except the eating part. Totsy eventually took a bite and then dropped it a ran off. We are trying to find ways to keep Mr Black busy as he runs in little circles and still appears quite stressed.

The Ruffed Lemurs have settled very well. Noah is on an antibiotic and took all of his medication in peach purity. Both of them love the large trees in their enclosure and were playful this afternoon.

Flea and Sonko's embarrassing problem

2010-11-23T23:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, poor old Flea and Sonko (Common Marmosets) went off to the vet with a rather embarrassing problem. They both had swollen testicles. Flea and Sonko both had vasectomies 3 weeks ago and suddenly there testicles have swollen up again. The vet is not sure why this has happened, but they are both being treated with antibiotics and, of course, pain killers for a week. Hopefully this will bring their condition under control, but it will be reviewed again in a week.

In the meantime, Flea and Sonko are acting normally and eating well (could be that they don’t want anyone to know about this embarrassing problem)

Flea arrived at the sanctuary in 2003 after a concerned member of public saw him being sold at a market place. Sonko is his foster son. They both currently live with Abbette, who arrived at the sanctuary last month.

The Lemurs first day at the sanctuary

2010-11-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an exciting day for the sanctuary. I left for the airport at 10am to collect four rescued Lemurs and one Marmoset. We checked all the traveling boxes at the airport before transporting the five primates, Brown Lemur (Totsy), Black Lemur (Mr Black), Ruffed Lemurs (Noah and Nina) and Common Marmoset (Fossy) to the sanctuary.

We were anxious to settle the two blind Lemurs into their new enclosure. First out of the traveling box to investigate was the brown lemur, Totsy. She is elderly, in very poor condition and blind in the one eye. The black lemur, Mr Black was still to afraid to come out of his traveling box when we left to settle Fossy into an indoor enclosure. He came out of the traveling box and started complaining right away.

The Ruffed Lemurs, Noah and Nina were soon investigating their new accommodation and seemed relaxed as they enjoyed a meal after their long flight.

Today, we took the Lemurs off to the vet. Noah was put on an antibiotic, Mr Black and Totsy have to go back for a full day for testing. Hopefully something can be done to restore some vision for Mr Black, who is blind. We decided to wait until they are a little more settled before taking them back as they are finding all the changes very stressful. In the meantime, we a giving them plenty of good quality food so that they will start putting on weight. By this evening Mr Black and Totsy were responding to our voices and looked relaxed.

While we were at the vet, one of the carers send a text message that Flea (Common Marmoset) has a swollen testicle. He is booked in to see the vet tomorrow at 11:30am

The labourers started planting the poles for the outdoor area of the Macaque enclosure today. We are looking very forward to collecting them from quarantine early in December.

We heard today that Carte Blanche will be here to film on Wednesday

Volunteers prepare to receive rescued Lemurs at the sanctuary

2010-11-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

This morning volunteers continued to work on enrichment f or the Lemurs who will be flying in from Cape Town tomorrow. Elliot did the trap door and feeding hatch, while Kate and George put up some heavy logs for the Lemurs to run along.

Jackie went up to give the monkeys their supplements and medications. She finally managed to get a blood test reading for Papi, our diabetic Mona monkey. Just as she was about to draw blood earlier this morning, a light air-craft flew over, which frightened poor old Papi and he ran away from her.

The rest of the volunteers prepared the monkey food.

Just after lunch, we received notification that two more Lemurs had been rescued and are due to fly to the sanctuary with the planned Ruffed Lemurs tomorrow. The two additional Lemurs are one brown and one black, both are blind and will need special care. So, now due to arrive at the sanctuary tomorrow are Nina (female Ruffed Lemur), Noah (male Ruffed Lemur), Mr Black (Black Lemur) and Totsy (Brown Lemur) and one very special little Marmoset, Fossy, who up until now has been too unwell to travel to the sanctuary.

Additional transport has to be hired to carry all the boxes of new arrivals

This afternoon, work continued on the Lemur enclosure, with Elliot and George making a little pond for them to enjoy. We still have to clean out an enclosure for the suprize additions to our intake tomorrow.

To volunteer at our sanctuary, contact Sue s.a@iprescue.org