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New Primate Discovers the Great Outdoors
 New
Primate Discovers the Great Outdoors
by Lynn Cuny, Founder & Executive Director
A few months ago Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
(WRR) was contacted by a woman in Arizona whose neighbor had
a Monkey in his backyard. As the story unfolded, we learned
that this was a 27-year-old female Pig-tailed Macaque. This
poor, elderly girl had nothing more than a small cage to call
home. She had no room to roam about or climb, no friends of
her own kind, and no hope for either. We told the caller that
we would be happy to accept the Monkey if she could persuade
the neighbor to give her up. Weeks passed and finally she
was successful in her efforts and she and the old female were
on their way to WRR.
They arrived one sunny afternoon, the elder
Primate riding quietly in a cage in the back of a van. When
I opened the door and saw her sitting there I knew that this
girl would be happy here at WRR. In only two days we began
the introduction process for the new arrival. We had recently
rescued two equally old female Macaques from Primarily Primates
and we all agreed that these girls would enjoy each other's
company. Animal Care Manager Noelle Adams and I opened the
door to the new girl's cage and in only moments she was out
plodding through the fresh hay and carefully picking up grapes
and slices of melon with her once-nimble fingers. The moment
she stepped outside she turned over rock after rock, sampling
several to see if they had either a pleasant taste or some
nutritional minerals that she could enjoy. The two resident
girls were not thrilled with their new roommate; she was larger
than either of them, but after awhile they realized that she
may be big, but she was friendly. Once out in the enclosure
the new girl discovered the jungle gym and decided to climb
the ladder and take a seat on a high platform that gave her
a Bird's eye view of her new surroundings. She even took a
surprise ride down the dark green slide. For the next several
hours she roamed every inch of her new home, it was a home
without the close confines of bars and wood. She often looked
up to see the Birds fly by and marvel at that vast blue sky
that hovered overhead but had always been out of view until
now.
 There
is no way we can know what her sharp, quick mind must have
been thinking or how it had to be racing with questions and
curiosity about each new and interesting sight. But one thing
is certain: though this aging female Monkey had been forced
to spend most of her life alone in the close confines of a
small prison, from this day forward she would be free to climb
and explore, to sit with her friends, and to experience a
world made complete with Nature that is now hers to enjoy.
Click
here to sponsor a Macaque in sanctuary at WRR!
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