Introducing Imanol. He is a young male howler monkey He came to us on the 12^th of May 2006. He was born on the 1^st of November 2005. He is typical of the young howlers that we care for in that he is highly domesticated and has been treated in every way like a young human child. On arrival he gave us a shock because he was wearing a nappy, and this is the first time I have ever seen a Howler wearing a nappy. Normally, howlers are easy to house train because in nature they position themselves on trees that overlook streams for their toilet needs. Therefore it is not difficult for them to make the mental leap from tree above water to lavatory seat.(Photo in the gallery). He has a blanket which he loves and runs to at any sign of danger He demands, and gets 24 hour attention. At first he took all his meals from a scaled down version of a baby bottle. Now he is eating fruit and vegetables normally in addition to the bottle. He is very inquisitive and loves to explore his surroundings. Just recently we began taking him into our Botanic Garden everyday. There is a special tree that he likes because of its helta skelta appearance. That is the Meringa tree or Horse radish tree to give it its common name. Imanol plays in this tree for literally hours at a time. He is fascinated by it. As for me I take my tablet computer with me and write notes like this one for ‘Spaces’. I am loading a photo of Imanol in the Meringa tree to the gallery.

. I don’t know why they do it and I know there is no parallel in the wild for this behavior but all my monkeys cover themselves when there is a heavy rain storm or thunder. MonaLisa makes a dive for the nearest blanket or sheet and covers herself. Imanol does exactly the same. Sussy and Sophie have a pillow and blanket in their house and they also cover. Schatov and Emma are a little different; they go into the lower dark part of their house, which normally they do not use. It is extraordinary to see two animated blankets moving across the bed as I observed in a storm last night. I should explain that both Imanol and MonaLisa are now sharing my bed. He is still absolutely terrified of her but now tolerates her presence. She on the other hand is being incredibly patient and understanding with him and he is slowly responding to this approach. I am not sure I want this as a permanent arrangement. It remains to be seen this weekend when Toto, a 6 years old male joins us from Caracas. On past performance, MonaLisa may not be impressed, she has directed her attention to young human males, but I live in hope. (This is another crime her original kidnappers have committed against her) .Ultimately I would like to see Imanol with a female about his own age. Changes in social behavior are quite rapidly accepted. For example Schatov no longer misses his former very loving human family. He is too busy looking after Emma. In the same way Imanol has accepted he new life here.

Imanol’s garden activity has been slightly curtailed. I was hoping to be able to leave him there for short periods whilst I am working for example. But no, he is still small enough to wriggle through the wire. It takes him exactly 30 seconds to escape and follow me into my office. So basically, at the moment he is only using the garden when I am sitting with him or when Luis Angel has free time for him. We had exactly this same situation when Schatov came to us. We had to obtain very small aperture wire for the enclosure because he could easily wriggle through the larger gauge wire.  This of course will not be a permanent situation, as he is putting on weight quite rapidly. We are continuing with our visits to the Meringa tree daily and I know he loves that.

If you scan the web, you will find that many churches now are holding blessing services for pets. The usual date for this is the Sunday nearest the fourth of October, which is St. Francis of Assisi’s day.  Some sites on the web give a complete liturgy and order of service for the blessing. One site describes the progress to the altar, of horses and dogs, parrots and pigs and well why not, monkeys. This is of course controversial. Are we just blessing as we would bless the corn, or the harvest? Or are we going much further than that and saying that we recognize that animals have an immortal soul and that one day we will be together again in another place? I have read the work of some very learned theologians that define what is meant by a soul. They argue that the bible makes it clear that God created man in his own image and therefore he has an immortal soul. I am of course making the point very briefly. They argue from this that animals cannot have a soul because they were not created in the likeness of God. I consider this to be a very spacious argument.  Well of course a couple of points arise. One is that I don’t find anywhere in the scriptures where it tells us that you must be created in the likeness of God to have a soul. The argument becomes even more tenuous when you realize that we, the human race are descended from Monkeys. Now there is no doubt about that one. If we have an immortal soul we inherited from our beloved friend the Ape. I say go with confidence to a service of blessing for our pets, monkeys in particular. In the sure knowledge that we will meet again in the kingdom of the hereafter.

I love the reasoning in the Fitzgerald translation of the Omar Khayyam Paragraphs 61 and 62. Where it says and I quote:

There said another, surely not in vain

My substance from the common earth was ta’en

That he who subtly wrought me into shape

Should stamp me back to common earth again.

Another said, why ne’er a peevish boy

Would break the bowl from which he’d drank in joy

Shall he that made the vessel in pure love

And fansy, in an after rage destroy?

Wonderful and profound those lines.

This huge snake around eight feet long was discovered in our 'green house' among the Adeniums yesterday.  It is known locally as a 'Tigre'  or Tiger Snake.  It is supposedly highly dangerous. Gardening in the tropics is rarely without incident! But hardly ever with a bad outcome. I would be interested in identifying the scientific name of this snake if anyone can tell us.

Yesterday just after 7 am I was photographing some Adeniums when I
spotted this butterfly on 'Purple Moon'  (not 'Super Purple Moon') and
I was lucky enough to get a few shots of it before it flew off.  You
can clearly see its proboscis down the throat of the flower and
possibly pollinating it.

Can anybody identify this butterfly (or is it a moth)?  I have checked
in T. Ramond's Venezuelan Butterflies and Smart's Illustrated
Encyclopedia of the Butterfly World but cannot find it.

David Joint curator 

Ten years ago I founded the Canaote Rescue and Shelter Facility for monkeys. You know there is a shocking trade in endangered monkeys. Here the police are very vigorous in confiscating the animals but they need professional veterinary care and reeducating before they can be released again into the wild. Some of them are too badly damaged mentally or physically to be released and have to be kept in shelter perhaps permanently. The facility has become well known and every week we are asked to take more animals. The work here has got beyond my ability to either finance or manage it alone. I have had to employ staff to assist in the cleaning and feeding. Fortunately we are nearly self-supporting for their food. The Botanic Garden has many fruit trees that supply an abundance of good food. We have some five hundred hectares of land here so we are not short of space to expand the facility. We are also on the very edge of deep forest, very suitable for the release of primates. All we are really missing is the cash to do the work. New cages need metal polls and wire that is expensive. This is a very worthwhile work. With the damage that we as a human race are doing to the environment and the habitat of these little people, we owe it to them to make some effort at repair.

I am probably one of the worlds most incompetent fund raisers. I know that you on the other hand are good at it.  If you have time, would you ask around amongst old friends maybe there are people who care enough to make a donation to our Facility?

These are the major points:-

Minimum we need funds for immediate construction of more animal locations, Work costing approximately US$20 000.

But this site has the potential for much larger development. Now we are talking about big money.

It could be developed into a profitable business.

(!). The combined interest of the Botanic Garden and the Animal rescue center as well as the proximity to fairly deep forest is all that is needed for a larger tourist attraction. 

(2). The construction of says ten small but good quality cottages, with a restaurant facility nearby.

(3). The layout of a safe but interesting nature walk suitable for the both the athletic and the elderly.

(4). The provision of a small bus to transfer people to and from Valencia Airport.

Mail me for details of how to donate

canaote@yahoo.co.uk

This is a brief posting is to explain a new photograph of Sussy that I have added this morning. Sussy you will remember is a sixteen year old Howler female.  She co habits with Marco who is a  two year old male. The young Marco is very boisterous and can be a nuisance to Sussy. For example he often spills the milk at meal times before Sussy has been able to drink her share. To deal with this situation, I have developed a routine. At feeding times we initially exclude Marco from the feeding area.  We have installed a small gate between the table and the main location. So each morning  I am able to hand feed her. She loves this and responds by sitting on my lap and licking my hands. This in itself is unusual. Howlers are not well known for showing gratitude. I have discovered that this routine is not only beneficial to Sussy but also an incredibly relaxing way of starting my day. I now look forward to my early morning conversations with this gracious lady. Please don’t phone or visit me between seven and eight , because I am otherwise engaged.

Young monkeys are just like human children, they grow up fast, too fast. Young Schatov started his journey to monkey hood this week by trying to join in the morning chorus. Okay it was a little squeak and it came out all wrong but it was a beginning. The howler monkey is the second loudest animal on earth and it makes this incredible noise through a special hollow bone in its throat, the hyoid bone.

The following is a study published on the net by Animal Planet, Corwin's Carnival of Creatures.

In the main this is a valuable round up of information but I do differ in some matters of fact and some differences between animals in the wild and those in semi domestic situations. My comments are shown in red in the text. My comments are based on eleven years constant contact with both wild and domesticated Howler monkeys.

Red Howler Monkey

(Alouatta seniculus)

Order: Primates
Family: Cebidae

I. DESCRIPTION:

·         Red howler monkeys are sexually dimorphic in size; males average between 50 and 67 pounds, and females weigh about 33 to 50 pounds.

·         The howler monkey has a large neck and tremendous lower jaw; its tail measures between 2 and 3 feet long.

·         The howler's coat is a deep reddish-brown, although the shade varies slightly with age.

 Depending on location, the colour can be light brown over the back and this is not dependant on age.

II. GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE AND HABITAT:

·         The red howler monkey's range encompasses much of South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

·         It lives in tropical rain forest and tropical deciduous forest.

III. DIET:

·         Primarily folivorous, the howler monkey eats new leaves and fruit, and sometimes feeds on flowers and insects.

In domestic environment, the howler will eat fish and meat in preference to other foods.

IV. LIFE CYCLE/SOCIAL STRUCTURE:

·         Diurnal, the red howler monkey spends almost its entire life near the top of the forest canopy, where specific leaves are abundant.

·         It sleeps more than 15 hours per day.

Sleep in the middle of the day as a siester. Then all the hours of darkness, say from six to six

·         Howlers live in groups of three to 16 individuals, consisting of one to two males, a few females, and offspring. Bachelor males also live together in groups, and both males and females disperse from their natal groups.

·         Fierce sexual competition often exists between male howler monkeys; members of a bachelor troop will fight with a male in charge of a female troop in an attempt to take over. Males are expelled from their natal groups upon reaching sexual maturity, and must invade an outside troop to gain admittance. Once a male successfully enters a new group, he kills all infants present, thus insuring all offspring belong to him.

·         Red howler monkeys move slowly on all four legs, and use their tails to suspend from branches while feeding.

We have both Capuchin and Howlers here in domestic environment. There is no difference in their speed of reaction or movement.

·         Females become sexually mature at 5 years of age, and males at 7 years.

No Jose, Emma gave birth to Tess here at Canaote when she was aged three years and six months.

MonaLisa is now 4 years old and has been coming on heat twice a month for more than a year.

Marco a male is two years and six months and he is sexually active.

·         Red howler monkeys appear to breed year-round. The female is usually the sexual aggressor, approaching the male and moving her tongue rhythmically; if the male does not respond in the same manner, she may move on to another.

·         Females give birth to a single young. The mother carries the helpless infant on her belly, and older offspring care for young. The newborn often becomes the focus of other females, especially those without infants of their own. Females may gently touch infant with their muzzle and hands, and encourage it to climb on them. Additionally, the male may also allow infant to climb on him.

·         Red howler monkeys rarely groom socially.

Funny thing, ours do groom regularly.

V. SPECIAL NOTES/ADAPTATIONS:

·         Red howler monkeys have upper molars with sharp crests, which they use to grind leaves; large salivary glands help the howler's digestive system break down tannins in the leaves before they reach the gut.

This digestive saliva also contains an enzyme which is transfered to the chin and then used to mark out territory by marking trees by rubbing with the chin.

·         Males in a group perform long calls (amplified by a hyoid bone that acts as a resonator), which are answered by all other howler troops in area. Calls can travel up to eight miles and are used to communicate group location, distance and composition; they can be directed at solitary individuals or other group members. These howls are most often heard at sunrise and are referred to as the "dawn chorus."

The calling takes place at dawn and at dusk and is a group effort which includes the females and the young males. The Paderoti is of course the loudest. Woe betide any male who is louder than him.

·         The red howler improves its digestive efficiency by eating unusually nutritious, tender leaves. It can live for weeks at a time on these leaves.

VI. EFFECT ON ENVIRONMENT:

·         Red howler monkeys are hunted for food.

VII. POPULATION STATUS:

·         Infanticide is the major cause of infant mortality in red howler monkeys. Mothers try to protect their infants from invading males, but with only a 25 percent success rate.

·         The red howler monkey is not considered endangered or threatened. However, the species is becoming rarer in some areas, probably because of habitat destruction.

VIII. MORE RED HOWLER MONKEY FACTS:

·         The red howler monkey has the widest geographical distribution of all New World primates.

·         Female howler monkeys pay little attention and provide little assistance to the babies dangling from their stomachs. Luckily, baby howlers figure out early on how to use their tails to hang on.

·         Howler calls responded to by other howler troops in an area serve to warn one group of the other's location, and thus prevent the two sides from squabbling over resources.

·         Red howler monkeys howl at the onset or sound of approaching rain and sit hunched over until the rain ends.

·         The red howler monkey has developed the loudest call of any New World animal, a characteristic that has allowed the species to survive.

Sophie and her surrogate mother, MonaLisa are highly human domesticated howler monkeys. Under normal circumstances MonaLisa and Sophie would be allowed to run free over our house and the immediate area including the greenhouses. They presented us with a particular problem when they had to be restrained during periods of the day. Unfortunately MonaLisa playfully bit our housekeeper in the ankle though formally she got on well with this lady. The housekeeper developed a phobia against the monkey and it was then a question of restraint for MonaLisa or lose a good housekeeper. At the same time, we received a new baby girl howler, she had her own enclosure. Sophie possibly anxious over her status in the group began to attack the newcomer through the wire of the enclosure. She was successful in damaging the newcomer, Emma’s hand quite severely. Because they had developed human related habits, we had to consider trying to incorporate some of these events in their enclosure. Elsewhere in these notes I have written about a new approach to containing monkeys that have known human comfort but briefly, we have constructed a location that includes a house and garden. In the house the monkeys have every comfort that they are used to, for example a bed with pillow, a hammock, a marble table for their food. A human would not feel ill at ease living there. Through the window there is access to an extensive but enclosed garden, fitted with ropes and bamboo walk ways, endless games for a monkey to play. We had to think about providing for some of their domesticated habits. For example, they would demand a toothbrush to clean their teeth at ablution time, steal coffee from the early morning brew. Later raid the breakfast table of cereals and toast. And so it goes on through the day. All these items have now been attended to. Toothbrushes complete with a small smear of Colgate are provided early morning and coffee a small quantity is given with their breakfast which usually comprises of fresh fruit. Cereals and toast come later in the morning. MonaLisa has not adapted to this new environment easily. She wants to wander free and make her own way to the human breakfast table. But as we have increasingly emulated her habits she has become more agreeable to being contained. Sophie has no problem with the new house. I should mention that they are released each evening after the housekeeper has left and they quickly make their way over to our house for their evening meal and later to sleep in a human bed. The title of this piece? Well, one of the tests of the health and happiness of a howler monkey is whether they join the morning chorus. We have six howlers here at this time and they join the many groups of wild howlers in this area and call at particular times of the day. In the early morning starting at just before six and again in the afternoon about five they call. After the addition of coffee to the howler breakfast table, MonaLisa and Sophie started howling.

The seasons move on and the frequent crashes through the night coming from our metal roof clearly indicate that we are now into the mango season. Over the past few weeks the mango trees have been covered with the pretty flowers of the mango. The air has been filled with the heady intoxicating perfume of this fruit tree and the buzz of millions of bees doing their annual duty. Now some of the more advanced trees are producing fruit. How I love a plate of mixed mango and papaya for breakfast. Of course all this is for free. The 500 mixed type mango trees were here when we arrived here 11 years ago and are very mature, hence heavy bearing with fruit and the papaya trees we planted in vast numbers as a commercial venture. Incidentally the papaya planting is now really bringing to pay off as we now produce commercial quantities each week.

Since we were appointed officially a rescue center for primates, our family of monkeys has grown. We expected two male Capuchin monkeys to arrive yesterday. They did and caused quite a flurry. I mentioned to you last month that Abu, a female capuchin monkey, had come to stay with us and that she was lonely. Well she certainly isn’t lonely now, with two very active male friends to play with. She also shares her enclosure with two multi coloured macaws and two green parrots. I mentioned David’s unfounded misgiving to you last month. But this does have its problems, which are now exacerbated by the arrival of the new Capuchins. Monkeys like toys. Swings, ropes, dolls etc but unfortunately all these things are made of easily destructible material.  There is nothing our birds like better than to chew down a swing or bite the head off a doll. We have found a novel answer to this problem. The previous owner of the farm installed several sets of playground type swings with metal seats and chains. These were in an area somewhat remote from the main house and thus very rarely used. We transferred them to Abu’s enclosure and were rewarded with whoops of delight from Abu. Now she and her two male cohorts happily play on them all day.

Last month I wrote,

‘In particular our baby howler monkey girl Emma is always very playful and pleased to see me. She is a little lonely in her very large enclosure even though she has many toys and really loves the attention I give her. Maybe now we are an official branch of ARFA, the association of animal rescue, she will ultimately find a companion’. Well I am glad to tell you that it happened. A very small howler male named Schatov after the character in Russian literature (a small prize for the first person to name the author and the book), arrived having been handed in to us in Caracas. He is a delightful little fellow and it was a marriage made in heaven. Emma took an instant liking for him. She is no longer lonely and he quickly adapted to life here in Canaote.

For those who do not know, ‘children’, in the following notes, refer to monkeys in our care.

Sussy is a Howler female, a grand old lady of 16 years. She took in a waif, Marco, two years ago. At that time he was only 500 grams and rode around on her back. Today he weighs 8 kilo’s and is fully developed. He is mature sexually.

Schatov is a male howler, probably 10 months old but very small for his age. He has been with us only a few weeks. He shares with Emma, a young female howler of approximately the same age but much bigger. Emma came from ARFA in Vagas in June 2005.

MonaLisa is about 4 years old and came to us from an apartment in Valencia, having never seen another animal or felt rain upon her face or even seen the sky. She made a perfect mother for Sophie, a waif who arrived exactly two years ago. She rode on MonaLisa’s back for many months. MonaLisa is very domesticated. She loves living in houses and sleeping on beds but not too keen on climbing trees. This is why we created Casa MonaLisa, so that she can be comfortable in the daytime when she is excluded from our house.

Abu is a female Capuchin monkey. She is about 4 years old and fully mature and she shares her enclosure with two green parrots and two macaws. She is a little lonely but we are shortly expecting male company for her.

Notes for February 8, 2006

We are at the end of a really lovely day here at Canaote. The mango season has begun seriously. Most of the trees are heavy with very young fruit. It’s going to be a big fruiting year. The perfume from the mango flowers is intoxicating and the air rich with oxygen. It’s one of those days when it feels good to be alive. I have been with the children most of the day. I like to spend an hour at least in each enclosure. Marco was very cheeky this morning and ran off with my hat. He teased Sussy to the point where she came to me for protection. He is a naughty boy but he is very young (and big), he doesn’t really know his strength. He NEVER really hurts Sussy but he pushes her and she cries out for me when this happens. We have a small door separating the front of the enclosure from the back. Sussy likes to sit in front most of the day, enjoying the sun, so I close the door and this leaves Marco plenty of room to play on the ropes and leaves Sussy in peace. In spite of this, they sleep close together and would not be separated for all the tea in China. Sussy’s location is of course getting old and is in constant need of repair. This is a very big encloure about half the size of a football pitch and very high. We have carried out some major repairs this week. New wood etc. We hope one day to replace all the wood with metal. Dare I say it? It will cost a bomb. Cheques and silver in the hat by the door.

Schatov and Emma are a marriage made in heaven. They complement each other so perfectly. Although he is quite small Schatov doesn’t lack in boldness. He is also a brilliant thief. I have never understood why howlers think the food in another monkey’s mouth is better than they have. He repeatedly takes the food that Emma has and runs off with it. Both of them use the hammocks and ropes until they are tired. In the midday they find a shady spot to settle down for a few hours and then wait to see what the afternoon brings.

MonaLisa and Sophie have not yet completely adapted to life in Casa MonaLisa. They sleep in our house at night and I carry MonaLisa over to her house in the morning after the helper has scrubbed the floors and table. Sophie just follows. They have ropes and walkways, hammock and a bed as well as a marble table full of the best food. They eat well but still there are tears when I pass by. They want the freedom to wander the finca that they formally had. It can’t be helped and it has to be this way. MonaLisa bites our housekeeper and Sophie would like to menace Emma and Schatov. They could not have a better environment than they have at any price and I am sure that in time they will settle down.

Abu is such a delightful young lady. She is always very alert and has an interest in everything around her. Today she has been teaching the Macaws that it is not a good idea to steal her food. She really is the boss in the enclosure. We are expecting a boy to join her at the weekend and we are working on a feeder large enough for two. The present one is only sufficient for one. We have had a problem with monkeys and macaws stealing food from her, so we are designing a new feeder. We should start constructing that tomorrow. (Photo when it is ready) She has completely recovered from her sadness and is obviously very happy.

Why do you want a monkey as a pet?

The traditional human pets are dogs cats and horses. When you collect a monkey maybe you don’t realize all the ramifications. Howlers in particular are unsuitable as pets because of their variable behavior They can bite very severly even in play. Very unsuitable as a pet for children. You want to love the monkey and he/she will want to learn from you. If you obtain the little person young enough, they may abandon their innate racial knowledge. For example we have here in the center a howler monkey that is not very keen on climbing trees. She is fully mature but ignores the advances of a wild howler that visits the center, high in the canopy above her of course. She prefers to cling to the legs of any young male human, making sexual responses including smelling bedding and underwear. She cleans her teeth daily with a brush and loves shaving cream.  Given the chance she will select meat and human food rather than fruit and leaves. This young monkey is now a human in all but appearance, except she is not able to obtain the status of mother, which she desperately wants.

The plight of this monkey is not uncommon among the waifs that finally make their way to our facility. A typical story would be that the young monkey has been purchased from children by the roadside in a rural area. This fact is rarely admitted. Usually the story is that it has been an unwanted gift from an unspecified source. The story continues happily for perhaps two years, at which time the monkey is of mature size. The monkey becomes occasionally aggressive and bites a housekeeper or a female visitor or child. The owner suddenly realizes that the monkey can no longer be kept in the apartment or city house..

By this time the monkey has become part human and domesticated and demands to sleep in a bed with pillow and sheets.

The problem of how to rehabilitate this domesticated wild animal has been very much in our minds for a considerable time. How can we give the monkey back his/her dignity without also breaking her heart? Release into the wild is totally out of the question for health reasons. Her own heath, in as much as she lacks the skills of survival and the health of the surrounding wildlife who may not be resistant to infections that she may relay from her human friends. And as important, the health of humans who may subsequently be infected by retrovirus that come back to us from the wild kingdom, as instance HIV aids, Chicken flu, and many other zoofitic diseases.

We have begun a bold experiment by constructing an actual house with an open window, leading out to a large but enclosed area containing mature trees. Here the monkey at once has all the human comforts including a bed with sheets and pillow and a roof in a spacious dwelling and the trees and view of the wild in a very large contained area. This is not a cage as such but rather a house and garden.. The staff visits the location daily for considerable periods. At first human contact is very high, but gradually the monkey is left more and more to make their own fun. Food of course is supplied in abundance with the emphasis on natural food, leaves and nuts, collected daily from the forest. The foraging instinct of the howler monkey is taken into consideration, since the daily meals and the selection of leaves is varied day by day. This is an experiment designed to help restore the dignity and happiness of animals that have known great human contact but now for one reason or another have been abandoned. It leaves many questions unanswered, for example, how to deal with the females strong sexual needs. Answers may suggest themselves from this first experiment.