Tutti gets tucked up

Tutti was suffering from an insect infestation when he came to us. This is now under control and he is out of quarantine. He lost a considerable amount of hair on his crown and tail but this is now slowly growing back. He spends his day in a small enclosure in which he has sight of Schatov and Maniña and of course the outside world. He gets his fair share of sunlight, essential for a growing child. He is very young, probably about 5 months old. He seeks company. The highlight of his day is bedtime. He is allowed to share the bed with Schatov, who behaves like big brother. As soon as Schatov appears, Tutti makes happy noises and runs towards him. Not long afterwards they settle down for the night. Our new green parrot, ‘Tweetie Pie’ doesn’t want to be left out.
In our picture you can see the three of them together, Tutti tucked up with Schatov and Tweetie Pie settling down as well, and this is the line up for most of the night.

This week we received a call from and lady in Caracas about her monkey ‘Hugo’ could we take him? It was so urgent that she was going to motor down the next day. We heard no more. Hugo joins Willi in the Ghosts of Cañaote.

We are looking forward to Sunday. Our friends at Asoguau foundation in Valencia have organized an ambulance to visit us with no less than three Veterinary Doctors and support team.. They are going to carry out spaying and neutering of dogs in the area completely without charge. This is great work and I will report more on this event after the visit on Sunday.
I understand that Asogau have rescued a waif, a baby Howler of only 3 months. They have asked us to care for him and we believe he will arrive with them on Sunday. When will this terrible trade end?

Rosita Houdina gives us cause for concern.

Rosita has given us some cause for concern. I have reported that she can easily pass through the wire of enclosure. She does this frequently during the day. Rosita goes on extended visits to Sussy and Schatov and Maniña. Recently she has added Tutti to her itinerary. What is more worrying is that yesterday she was seen walking along the high voltage security fence. At first I thought this was a visiting wild monkey. Her coat was puffed up and I did not immediately recognize her. This is the first time we have seen her at any distance from her enclosure. Fortunately, I have been cautious about using the high voltage equipment since discovering her wandering habits, and it was not switched on. We have been praying that she would put on a little more weight to prevent her escaping. Whilst it is true that she has put on a little girth she can still slip through. We have an alternative plan to construct a new home for this group with finer gauge wire. (MonaLisa, Rosita, Emma and Nancy). Having seen her on the fence yesterday has added some urgency to this project. We started the new construction in earnest this morning. My photograph shows her just exiting the enclosure; it is slightly out of focus. I will replace it with another when I have the opportunity.

A little of what you fancy does you good?

I have included this item as I know that some of my readers keep small animals as pets. This obviously includes dogs, monkeys and parrots of various kinds.

Unfortunately this old adage about a little of what you fancy is NOT true of your pets. A small piece of chocolate can be seriously toxic to a small animal.

Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic.

When affected by an overdose of chocolate, a small animal can become excited and hyperactive. Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhoea are also common. The effect of theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theobromine will either increase the animal’s heart rate or may cause the heart to beat irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise.

After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume the pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.

Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. A 10-kilogram dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of a 250gm packet of cocoa powder or half of a 250gm block of cooking chocolate. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. A chocolate mud cake could be a real health risk for a small dog. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make an animal unwell.

Semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate are the next most dangerous forms, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the smaller the animal, the less it needs to eat.

Onion and garlic poisoning

Onions and garlic are other dangerous food ingredients that cause sickness in dogs, cats and also livestock. Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.

Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.

At first, pets affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.

The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. A single meal of 600 to 800 grams of raw onion can be dangerous whereas a ten-kilogram dog, fed 150 grams of onion for several days, is also likely to develop anaemia. The condition improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion

While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.

The danger of macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts are another concern. A recent paper written by Dr. Ross McKenzie, a Veterinary Pathologist with the Department of Primary Industries, points to the danger of raw and roasted macadamia nuts for pets.

The toxic compound is unknown but the affect of macadamia nuts is to cause locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated.

Dogs have been affected by eating as few as six macadamia kernels (nuts without the shell) while others had eaten approximately forty kernels. Some dogs had also been given macadamia butter.

Luckily, the muscle weakness, while painful, seems to be of short duration and all dogs recovered from the toxicity.

Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic and macadamia nuts, such foods should be given in only small quantities, or not at all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates, that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and garlic toxicity and that your pet is prevented from picking up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden. In doubt? Get the child to a veterinary at the double

Other potential dangers

• Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips (contain cyanogenic glycosides resulting in cyanide posioning)
• Potato peelings and green looking potatoes
• Rhubarb leaves
• Mouldy/spoiled foods
• Alcohol
• Yeast dough
• Coffee grounds, beans & tea (caffeine)
• Hops (used in home brewing)
• Tomato leaves & stems (green parts)
• Broccoli (in large amounts)
• Raisins and grapes. Grapes ok without the seeds.
• Cigarettes, tobacco, cigars

There is NO substitute for their natural foods.

We try to give our children the most natural environment possible and this includes the diet. This is where many institutional facilities fail to give monkeys the best conditions. There is NO substitute for their natural foods. Bags of ‘Monkey Chow’, will certainly keep them healthy but leaves, berries and flowers fresh from the forest will keep them healthy and happy.
In our picture you can see Maniña doing justice to a fresh delivery of leaves. Rosita Houdina has just popped through the wall to check out the quality

Tutti Arrives

Yesterday afternoon we received a call from our friends at Asoguau Fondacion. Robert and Nathalie are well known to us for the excellent work they do with animals. They had received a very young Howler male and asked if we could find a place for him. We agreed to accept him here and in spite of the lateness of the hour, they traveled many miles to bring him to us. We were pleased to welcome Nathalie, Roberto as well as Maria and Gabriela.
He is of course very young to be away from his mother. Yet another example of the cruel trade in Monkeys that still persists here in Venezuela. His chance of survival without very special care is remote. He also has a severe skin complaint. I am showing pictures of Tutti and also of the infection affecting his tail. This is caused by tiny mites that actually consume his fur. He also has a patch of this on the forehead and the feet. The progress of the infection can be very fast with large areas of fur lost in only one night.

Maniña

Maniña is a very happy monkey but very sensitive. He likes to be with other monkeys but he has become very accustomed to human company. Both Maniña and Schatov are allowed into our house at night and they look forward to this because there is a late night supper to be had. One night last week their routine was broken. We had received a young Laurel parrot and we wanted to give her special care on her first night with us. The consequence was that Maniña and Schatov were not invited in on that occasion. The following day was a difficult one. Maniña was clearly upset. He did not respond when I offered him a monkey biscuit and turned his back on me. It took two hours of coaxing before he finally relented and jumped in my arms. I was forgiven but only after I promised not to do it again.

Marco enjoying Hicaco

Marco is really happy in his new home in Manrique with his wife Vicky. They are very much in love and she is pregnant. Our picture shows Marco eating Hicaco. This is a very seasonal fruit so there is not much time to enjoy it. The picture is a recent one and I am amazed how big he has grown in such a short time. He is a very handsom fellow.

Emma and Nancy

Emma came to us from ARFA, although we were well acquainted before that. When she was quite tiny, we paid her frequent visits at the Hidra facility that ARFA operated at that time. In those days, ARFA released Howlers into the wild and all the preparation and quarantine of the monkey was aimed at that release. She was called Moneta by the staff, who had fallen in love with her. She is a very aggressive female. She defends her surrogate baby Nancy, furiously. This has made pairing her very difficult. Her natural partner would be Schatov but since she adopted Nancy she has lost all interest in him and is actually aggressive towards him. I am hoping that as Nancy grow that her attitude will change.
Many years ago we hosted a female called Emma. She had a child here at Canaote. Finally she released herself into the wild. She had an outstanding characteristic. She loved to walk and run on two legs and could often be seen standing on two feet. Well this is unusual for a Howler. Moneta, as she was then known, exhibited the same stance. We decided to rename her Emma. We hope that in other ways that Emma will one day emulate the earlier Emma and have a child.
Our picture shows Emma and Nancy alongside her.

Madam Houndina

Rosita came to us from a family in Caracas on the 14th July 2006. She was very young and small and is still very small. This belies the fact that she is a big eater. Rosita is so slim that she can exit the family enclosure at will. Consequently she spends a large part of her day either in the trees above her house or she goes on visits to Sussy, whose garden is nearby. You can always find Rosita wherever food is being served. She also frequently pays social calls to Maniña and Schatov. I have not yet worked out how she gets into their enclosure because the adjoining wire is a small gauge. We are thinking of calling her Madam Houdina.

I will be happier when these forays into the surrounding area cease because she could be a security risk. In addition she could be in contact with areas where wild monkeys have marked out, with the consequent danger of cross infection. That will only happen when she puts on a little more weight and can not longer get through the wire.

Who love monkey biscuits?

Well monkeys do of course. They are delicious and I often nibble one myself. We have been trying to obtain a product called 'Monkey Chow', as a supplement to the diet here but we have been unsuccessful. The product is simply not available in Venezuela. We have researched the constituents and have broadly replicated it in our ‘Monkey Biscuit’. Basically it is a biscuit formed from oats, bran, whole milk powder, and a little brewers yeast. Since the biscuits are lightly baked daily, we are able to add fresh fruit such as mangoes and papaya and cocconut. The children love them. You might think that the biscuits are a little large for howler monkeys and you would be right. Before serving we chop them up into mouth size cubes so they are easy for the children to hold in their hands.

Totto gets a visit

Totto got a family visit last Saturday and he was overjoyed to see his family. Many of the people, who are donors of the monkeys we have in residence, continue year after year to visit their children. We think this is a very responsible attitude. These families are wise enough to know that a house or apartment is not the place for a monkey but have a love for the child that brings them back time and again to help in their care. Monkeys love Monkeys
Our pictures show family visiting Totto and Totto just finishing off one of his favourite monkey biscuits.

The Ghosts of Cañaote

Some time ago I wrote to you about the 'Ghosts of Cañaote'. These were monkeys that should have arrived but never did. For example, I had many calls from a family who had a female monkey with only one leg. They had allowed the family dog to savage her and she lost a leg. Finally the family went silent and we have heard no more. There was a male adult in Valencia, who had been seized by the military. We had correspondence from a rescue group that was concerned about him but eventually we heard no more. He has become one of the ‘Ghosts of Cañaote’. Now we have had correspondence from a team of rescuers who saved Willi from poor conditions. We have heard no more. He too has become a Ghost.
At Cañaote we do not release Howler monkeys into the wild but we do give them large secure, clean homes and good appropriate food. Above all we give them respect and love and the company of other monkeys. We try to pair them so that where possible they can procreate. Monkeys need the company of other monkeys. Imprisoned in relatively small cages, they will pace up and down or swing backwards and forwards interminably. Their mental health will be impaired. We have seen it so often.
Our picture was sent to us by Willi's rescuers

Marco in Manrique

Marco was only 500 grams when he came to us. He spent his early times here as a surrogate son to Sussy. She cared for him until early adulthood. Gabriela, our friend in Manrique, told us that there was an opportunity for Marco to live free in the trees with a lovely lady Howler, Vicky. We decided on the experiment. We transferred Marco to Gabriela and Vicky. This has been a great success. Vicky and Marco fell in love on day one. They are now inseparable. He is putting on a lot of weight, I scarcely recognized him, he is now so big. I hear that Vicky is also putting on weight but for a different reason. We are looking forwards to being grandparents. This photograph of Marco came to me from Gabriela yesterday and I knew that you would want to see it.

Ramona, where is she?

We have an outreach program. We visit Howler monkeys in captivity in our immediate area. In the past I have often mentioned Ramona, the street monkey in Tinaco, Cojedes. Yesterday we went to see her. I love to drive up slowly so that I can catch a first glimpse of her before she sees me. It really warms my heart when she recognises my car and begins to strain on her chain. As we got closer I started to worry. There was no sign of her in her tree. I searched behind the shop facing the tree. Sometimes she gets moved there, especially if she has been aggressive to a passerby. But no, there was no sign of her. I questioned the owner and she told me that Ramona had bitten a woman very severely on the hand and that Ramona had been moved to a location in a nearby town. We are attempting to locate her and I will report our progress here. Needless to say, we are very worried about her and her conditions. When will people learn that all monkeys bite. Howlers are not good pets however domesticated you suppose they are.

He sits facing the window.

A poem about a captive howler suffering life in a city apartment

He sits facing the window.
He looks out on a sky that is very small.
He sees trees that he cannot climb.
And things he does not understand.
He sees a foreign land.
Filled with people not like him.

He sits facing the window.
He sees rain but does not comprehend.
He sees it but does not feel it wet against his face..
The wind blows but only scatters paper in the street.
Not a refreshing gust against which to brace.
He sees a foreign land.
Filled with people not like him

He sits facing the window.
He looks out on a sky that is very small.
He sees trees that he cannot climb
He sees rain but does not comprehend.
He sees it but does not feel it wet against his face.
He sees a foreign land.
Filled with people not like him

Once he had a family.
People just like him.
He remembers red tails in the sunshine.
His mothers loving face,
He remembers her falling.
And the white hand tearing him away.
Now there is nothing.
Only people not like him.

Happy birthday Schatov

There is an air of repressed excitement over Cañaote today. Lorries have been arriving with stacks of rented chairs and tables. Flutes of disposable glasses and paper plate are on every available place. Boxes of crisps and paper napkins block the house corridor. The fridges are full of pink jelly. This can only mean one thing. Someone is going to have a party. Our picture shows Schatov having a quick snack before the party beginsSchatov is two years old today.
Well what a party it was. Totto and Sophie were the first to arrive. Schatov greeted them at the door, Then Sussy, our grand lady walked gracefully in. She pressed something into Schatov's hand; I guess it was a present. Rosita and Nancy came next with a lot of chatter as you would expect and they were followed by the two lovely ladies, MonaLisa and Emma. Maniña helped serve the jelly and custard whilst Schatov handed around the cucumber sandwiches. Somehow the sandwiches and the jelly got a bit mixed up but no one seemed to mind. Sophie not being too proud handed out the balloons and the crackers and soon the whole place was popping. Totto raised his glass and shouted 'toast', Schatov said 'sorry I forgot the toast', everyone laughed and joined in a chorus of 'for he's a jolly good fellow'. Followed at once by 'Happy birthday dear Schatov'. Schatov is clearly a well loved personality in this community. Everyone enjoyed the party and by the time that the last balloon was popped and the last rousing song was sung, we had some very happy and tired monkeys. Totto said,’ well off to bed'. Then everyone shook Schatov's hand, wished him, 'happy birthday', and left for home.

I am nuts over you.

Our first picture shows Totto and Sophie with some peanuts. They do not have to be taught how to separate the shell from the nut. They know this instinctively. The text books tell us that although howlers have five digits in their hands, none of them are opposite so cannot act as a thumb. I beg to differ. Totto is holding a nut in his left hand, firmly between his THUMB and his forefingers. He occasionally uses his right hand to manipulate the nut. I would class him as left handed. It would be interesting to do a study here at Cañaote of ‘handedness’ and separately ‘play’ among children in semi captivity.

Dietary differences between howlers in the wild and those in captivity can predicate differences in behavior. If some of you scientists want to take on the study, tell me.

In the second photograph he uses his right hand to rotate the nut. Note the position of the thumb.

Sophie looks on with an expression of admiration on her face that says ‘I am nuts over you

All that can be seen is the outline of their bottoms

I wrote to you about the Wonderful Delonix and mentioned that it heralds the start of the rainy season. I mentioned that this also marks the appearance of many fruits in our Botanic Garden. We jokingly call this a ‘Hard Hat' time, because of the mangoes dropping from a great height. There is a thick canopy of various types of mango around the house. During the night the fall of these fruits onto our metal roof is quite startling. Even though this is a yearly event that we have experienced now for twelve years, we are still alarmed when the wind starts another round of crashing on the roof. The miracle is that in all this time we have never known anyone to be hit by these missiles.

With the advent of the rainy season, we begin a serious look at the enclosures. The houses must be kept dry and rain proof. All the doorways are changed for new material. All our enclosures have hammocks for the children to play. Now it is important to be sure that these are in good condition. With rain there is some restriction on the time they can spend in the open. Boredom is a great enemy of monkeys; particularly the young ones so we try to make it quality time for them by adding ropes, walkways and swings.
Some of the older enclosures were constructed of wood, in particular the big house. All these high beams have to be inspected and where necessary, replaced. Not an easy task especially when you have monkey assistance.
The reward is great. Recently Schatov and Maniña received a second large hammock. Now we were introduced to a new game of repeatedly jumping from one hammock to the other and back again until they finally the drop off to sleep. All that can be seen of them is the outline of their bottoms through the hammocks, not many inches from the floor.

The wonderful Delonix at Cañaote

The wonderful Delonix regia hearalds the begining of the rainy season. This is a favourite time for our children because it also tells us that many of the trees in our Botanic Garden will be loaded with fruit. The Delonix in our photograph, stands as a guardian at the enterace to Cañaote. Mango is now the principal fruit at breakfast and the children love them.

Life is such a precious and delicate thing.

Life is such a precious and delicate thing.
In one breath you have it and in another it is lost.
I have to tell you about a tragedy.
Negro, our brave little rickets patient passed quietly into the other world.
He died this morning at 7.30 A.M.
The day before yesterday he was in high spirits and we all wondered at his great progress.
He had responded so well to the special diet.
Yesterday, he was very quiet and slept for most of the day. I suspected that he was unwell.
During the night I visited him and found that he was not in his hammock.
He was sleeping on the floor of his enclosure. I covered him with his blanket.
Early this morning I went to him again and found him dazed and cold.
I rapidly moved him inside the house and held him close to give him warmth.
He died in my arms.
We do not know why. He had no sign of infection. He had no fever and the illness was very short. Was it something that had been lurking in him for some time? Was it a virus that appeared from nowhere? He did not suffer. He went quietly in his sleep.
Our sadness is very great. He was a wonderful little boy so appreciative of everything that was done for him. We had such high hopes for him. We had planned his future. But instead we now mourn him.