Humans invented the diaper.

When Imanol arrived, he was wearing diapers. I was shocked and then I couldn’t stop laughing This is the first time that I had seen diapers on a Howler. I didn’t know that it was possible to buy them that small. Even if I did, it would not have occurred to me to use them. Howlers are natural over water poohers. The seat in the John is a perfect substitute for a leafy bough leaning over a gently flowing stream or river. Now there is a nice image for you as you sit and contemplate. I only demonstrated to Imanol twice before he got the idea and now he takes himself there when he gets the call. It is true that he does not always sit the right way around but he gets it right about half the time. Rosita although small is just about able to cling onto the seat and is already a confirmed loo user. She still needs a little aid in getting up there but she has the idea. Totto does not have a natural running stream in his enclosure but there is a leak in a water pipe, which causes a flow of fresh water in one corner of his garden. A bamboo walkway is conveniently sited just above and this is his loo. I didn’t tell him so. MonaLisa has used the loo for years. Sophie, when she was free to roam the house also used the John. I understand that Mañiña is also potty aware. He has only been allowed into the house during the evening so far, so we have not seen him perform, but all in good time. The fact is that Howlers are naturally clean people. Even when very young. Humans had to invent the diaper.
I have been saving this special photograph of Imanol arriving in his diapers until I had the time to write up this piece.

Paper hats and wooden swords

Here is a minor write up of the weekend news so far. The experiment, getting Sophie and Totto together has worked out well. In spite of his initial antagonism, he has accepted her and they are together in the garden during the day and in the house at night. This morning they were in full throat for the morning chorus and together. If you have never seen Howlers making their call you won’t really understand. The head is shaken and the sound literally thrown out. I have not yet determined what the sleeping arrangements are but more on that as the news come in. This is a great relief to me because of my concern about Totto’s loneliness. Clearly, I was more worried about it than he was.

This evening was another first. We gave Mañiña freedom to wander over the whole house. Now there is no denying that this has been chaotic. He raced around exploring everything, whilst we are in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal. Nothing has been sacred. Pots have been flying and David threw up his hands in horror as one of his cloisonné vases hit the floor. Fortunately no real damage was done.
This was the first time; MonaLisa, Mañiña, Imanol and Rosita have been together. They played hard; in particular, Imanol puffed himself up to nearly twice his normal size and pretended that he was a big monkey. Paper hats and wooden swords Mañiña showed he was a gentleman and excused the bad manners of the younger ones. And did I notice some deference that he paid to MonaLisa?
Rosita really came alive today. She made it almost impossible for me to type this post. Jumping on the keyboard and eating my files. She is going to be a real handful.

As dinner was served, Mañiña joined the others in the meal. It’s a competition. Who can snatch the most off my plate before I yell. Then afterwards, they lounge comfortably on the sofa as bedtime approaches.
Our Photograph shows Sophie and Totto in their garden

After the horse has bolted

I am sad tonight as I report a burglary here at Canaote. On Thursday night 27th of July during the early hours, thieves entered our home whilst we were sleeping and stealthily carried out the robbery. I was surprised at the items that they stole. Usually theft in rural areas center on items that have an immediate cash/sale value like cash, video players and televisions. This robbery was very different because the items are sophisticated electronic or computer related. What has caused me the greatest grief is the loss of my beautiful HP 817 camera with which I take the pictures for Forget-me-not.
The old Compaq laptop, that looked quite new because of it’s good condition will be a disappointment to the thieves, it doesn’t work. It died peacefully several weeks ago. The array of small items like SSB Bluetooth and a 1-gig USB memory stick will be missed as I used them to move pictures around the place. Various other small electronic items are an irritating but replaceable within my budget, for example the USB memory plug-in module of my MP3 player. We have increased the security naturally and we are actively looking for a reliable Vigilante service. The problem with that is in South America the Vigilante is often also the thief. Oh woe, it’s is all about shutting the door after the horse has bolted. I really will miss that camera.
An update on Sophie and Totto shortly.

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Not for hen pecking.

It began when David, said, ‘there are two monkeys in the kitchen’. There should only have been one. MonaLisa is the only adult monkey to have the run of the house in the evening. For a fraction of a second I hesitated, I thought that Mañiña had left his quarters and was wandering around. I realized almost too late that this was Sophie, she had broken out of her enclosure. Imanol was sitting on my foot when she attacked. She grabbed him with both hands. Fortunately, I was able to lift him clear moments before her teeth closed. This was just the beginning. David grabbed her and got a bite on his arm. By this time, I had put Rosita and Imanol in another room, and I was now free to contain Sophie. I lifted her away from David. I am skilled at holding monkeys without getting bitten. What I didn’t count on was MonaLisa joining the fray. You may remember that MonaLisa was Sophie’s surrogate mother. MonaLisa advanced on me and repeatedly bit me in the ankle, coming to the rescue of her daughter. I closed the kitchen door with MonaLisa securely inside. Sophie was struggling powerfully in my hands and I had to find a place for her to spend the night. Her own enclosure, the one she shares with Marco and Sussy, was out of the question. Clearly, it was insecure. All the other houses were in use. The only option was that she should go in with Totto. I opened his door and with her cries of protest pushed her into Toto’s garden. I was not sure what kind of reception she would receive. I half expected that it would be unfriendly. Indeed it was. Totto launched himself at her grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her up onto the bamboo walkway, she screamed and wriggled free. Then suddenly there was peace. Nothing I could do now except leave them to make peace. I had been considering putting them together for a while now but hesitated to face the scene that I had just witnessed. I have written about Sophie’s anti social attitude to young monkeys. She has a history of violent assault on them. Emma for example had only been here a few days before Sophie bit her hand so viciously that she lost the top of a finger For whatever reason, Sophie has to be kept away from young monkeys. Jealously, or some innate instinct that we do not understand? I tend to reject the jealously idea, I think that is too anthropomorphic a concept. Much more likely is the establishment of her position in the hierarchy.
We will mend the enclosure today. We must then consider whether to return Sophie or to keep her where she is.
I have been concerned for a while that Totto was lonely, although he shows no outward sign of it. The hostile greeting he gave MonaLisa recently and the same to Sophie last night, needs thinking about. He is a proud person and very macho. Maybe he just wants to set the position straight from the beginning. “I am not for hen pecking’. I visited Totto and Sophie this morning. Whilst they were not together, they did not seem wary of each other. I'll watch the situation for a couple of days before deciding on Sophie. If they accept each other this could be good news for Totto.
The picture shows MonaLisa embracing Sophie.

The Marco, Sussy. Sophie large enclosure is now five years old and needs constant attention. We constructed it from stout pieces of wood. Over the years the constant weathering from the hot dry summers and wet winters not to mention the action of insects, has eroded it. It needs reconstructing with metal poles. We must act soon if events like last night are not to be repeated. Unfortunately, we do not have the funds available for the work. This underlines the appeals that I have made for contributions. We really do need some help, and soon. You can make a difference. Ask me for details of account numbers and we have Paypal.

Was it the cat that stole the cream?

Rosita with the telltale cream around her face, with accomplice Imanol in the background.

Come dance with me.

I have said it so often. You never cease learning about Howler Monkeys. There have been many studies of the Howler in the wild. Although I suspect that some of them have been written by workers who have never actually seen or heard one. But little or nothing has appeared concerning Howlers in captivity or semi captivity. Mañiña is a highly domesticated male, neutered Howler. We have provided him with a high-level domestic environment. By that, I mean that he sleeps in a bed, has his own blanket and pillow. He also has a hammock. He has access to parts of the house that are used by humans and his contact with us is lengthy during the day. He can choose whether he sleeps in the trees, in a washing machine, or on blankets in the house. He has unsuspected talents. I have heard of Capuchin Monkeys dancing to an organ grinders music but I have never before seen a Howler dance. This evening whilst I was playing with him, someone switched on the television. It so happened that it was tuned to a music station and modern dance music was being played at a high volume. Suddenly Mañiña began jumping up and down in time with the music. He had one hand on my shoulder for support during the dance. In common with most Howlers I have met, he destroys books and eats paper. I now have a very sad copy of Erasmus “Praise of Folly’. Mañiña has read and inwardly digested the front cover. Fortunately, the body of this paperback remains intact. The picture shows Mañiña in his hammock with various expressions. Name the expressions?

Girls are silly and boys are smelly

All young children go through this phase. Young boys like the company of other boys and girls prefer their own as well. Howler Monkeys are no different. We are at that stage with Imanol and Rosita. Imanol thinks that Rosita is silly. What Imanol had not counted on is that Rosita is able to give as good as she gets. This morning at breakfast Imanol stole some of her fruit, he actually took it out of her hand. He was not prepared for the avalanche of blows that this would provoke. Today the little girl came alive. Instead of clinging to the back of my head all day, she got down and had a walk around. She had a great game prancing around the house. She is going to be quite a personality. Young monkeys reach the point where they are not content just to sit on mummies back and want to explore the world. Imanol reached this point some weeks ago and it is very interesting to see Baby Rosita joining him. She has abandoned the baby bottle and now eats from plates on the table. Imanol on the left and Rosita on the right.

Vengeance is mine said the Lord

This posting has nothing to do with Howler Monkeys but gives you a bit of background. You may be interested in the outcome. The picture is a newspaper cutting from a few days ago.

I wrote the following in October last year.
On the 12th of October 2005 at three in the afternoon I arrived back at my farm, having been on a trip to Valencia. I was at once faced with a gunman holding my housekeeper as hostage. He threw her to the ground and advanced on me. I was still sitting in the passenger seat of my car. My driver ran off leaving the engine still running and in reverse. I jumped clear of the car and it continued to reverse into a tree, where it stopped. The gunman without any provocation then shot me in the leg. Even though I was bleeding profusely, he frog marched me back to the house, demanding money and guns. David Clulow and some of the staff escaped with a cell phone into the forest. The bandits were aware of the cell phone and knew that their attempt was limited by the time it would take for the police to arrive. This of course added to their viciousness. Well I don’t have a gun and I had very little cash, having spent most of my money in Valencia. The bandits finally ran of with my bag containing my most important documents like passport, identification, driving license and well as my small camera and PDA. My neighbor retrieved all my documents from the river. Unfortunately, I have lost my brilliant little HP 607 digital camera and I don’t know what life will be like without my HP PDA, I have become so dependent on it.
Okay so bloody but unbowed I was speedily taken to hospital, where I received excellent attention and I am now back at home. I am recovering fast. The leg hurts but I have my life and I am not much the worst. The bandits got very little for their trouble.

The picture is a newspaper cutting from a few days ago. I recognised the two men in the grisly photograph which shows my two assailants, killed by no one knows who, but since they were very active thieves it is thought that they were killed out of vengeance.

The editor's note

I have been able to improve my skills with the HTML language. Additionally Picasa has some added features, which we have been able to use. The result is that several photographs have been replaced with improved versions. Look at some of the older postings, for example Totto and Schatov Rollover.
Today we had a wonderful visit from the family of Totto. They traveled all the way from Caracas to see him. The children love visitors and so do we. Clearly they love him very much.

On another matter. I know that many of you have read the piece I did on ‘You can make a difference’. Unfortunately, no one has decided to make that difference. We are disappointed. We badly need to upgrade some of the houses. Two of them are now in a dangerous state. Additionally the price of food escalates and we are finding it increasingly difficult to manage. If you have been thinking about a contribution, please do it . It would be tragic to turn a child away.

Just watch them grow.

Schatov and Emma are weathering the rainy season well. They use both of the houses in their enclosure. The one closest to Sussy's house is quieter when there is a heavy rainfall so they use this mainly in stormy weather. The outside house at the end of their garden is much better on warm evenings and during the afternoon because a cool, gentle breeze flows down the valley. Today we carried out repairs on the inside house because Schatov loves to know what is going on in the Sussy household. He has been progressively removing the wallpaper to get a better look. Emma and Schatov had Quaker oats for breakfast this morning and Newton Biscuits flavored strawberry for mid morning snack. I took the photograph right above during a very short lull in the action this morning. I have mentioned before that photography is difficult because they are constantly on the move. I never cease to wonder at their inventiveness and vigor when it comes to games.

When I mentioned in a previous posting that we had to change our plans about where Rosita would live, I received a surprising comment, ‘Surely she can’t be that small’? Rosita is very young and small. She is eating well and I am sure she will soon put on some weight. In the meantime, I post this photograph of her taken this morning. In subsequent weeks we will make a comparison.

Man proposes, monkey disposes

The longer I work with Howler monkeys the more I learn about them and the more I respect their adaptability and intelligence. I have changed the accommodation of some of our monkeys. My first plan was to house Imanol in an enclosure, which adjoins and has access to my quarters. This is the highest level of domestic accommodation we have and is reserved for monkeys that have a very demanding need for human company. This plan had to be put on hold, since he is small enough to wriggle through the wire. It was also my plan that Rosita should join him. This is not an immediate possibility because she is just too small and too young. She cannot be more than 400 grams and 4 months old. Instead, Mañiña sharing with MonaLisa now occupies that enclosure and Imanol is more or less free to roam around the house and it's immediate area, although he spends most of his time attached to my right foot, and Rosita spends her days and nights on my shoulder. Now this restricts my movements considerably. I cannot for example visit Totto with the two children; he would almost certainly attack Imanol and probably Rosita as well. The same is true about visiting Sussy, Sophie and Marco. Sophie is a well-known antagonist of younger monkeys. Again, I would not be able to leave the farm but for the fact that, Imanol and Rosita are social animals and both are comfortable with David, Josephine the housekeeper and Luis Angel. When I want to be with the other children, I have plenty of deputies to help.

Mañiña has settled down well and now plays on ropes ladders and uses the bamboo walkways. He also has a football and after making sure that it would not bite, he has been playing with it. He is not showing much sign of the grief at parting from his former owner that he showed on his first few days here. I am sure he will never forget his human mother but he is practical and has decided to get on with his life. He is sharing with MonaLisa . He doesn’t yet show much interest in her and she is not part of his games. She on the other hand is still obsessive about mothering Rosita. I would rather that she had a baby of her own, so I keep them apart.
Finally, I reported the other day that Rosita had an infestation of stomach worms. This has completely cleared up. She is sleeping and eating well.
The photograph is of Mañiña taken a few days ago.
I suspect that his beard has been trimmed, it will not happen again. Like Samson, the beard is his manhood and he will be very proud of it.

Mañiña and Rosita arrive

Rosita arrived on Friday evening. She is very small and younger than I expected. My guess is four months. She bottle feeds but will eat fruit from my hand. The family was a delight. They stayed over night and we had a wonderful Bar-b-q. The mother and father and the three young sons came. It made an unforgettable evening.. This family bought Rosita on the roadside on impulse. Soon afterwards, they realized that it was a bad thing to do and moved as best and as quickly as they could to rectify the situation by bringing her here. They were very generous to Canaote. I know that they truly regret what they did and will now work to stop this dreadful trade.

Just before Mañiña arrived on Saturday, we had a visit from Gabriela, the human mother of Sussy. She brought Chippy and her human family with her. Chippy is so beautiful. She has gorgeous long legs and sucks her finger in a very human way. We were so delighted to see her again.. We think of Chippy as being part of our outreach program. She is well cared for by her owners and obviously much loved. I will post more about Chippy on another occasion

Gabriela brought a big lunch for all the children as well as milk and Merengada for our supplies. When Gabriela is here, Sussy is so animated, she really loves her human mother and the feeling is obviously mutual.

On Saturday afternoon, Mañiña arrived with his family. In spite of his name, he is a very fine male except for the neutering. The family, have been very caring and there were many tears before they left. He is using the enclosure next to my bedroom for the time being. I will need more funds to build something especially for him. He has been crying today so I have had to spend time with him. He already comes to me a sits on my shoulder, but he is missing his owner. I am just so glad that he was brought to me. His family has promised a contribution, this is so important now. He is the last that I can afford to take with my own money.
A word of explanation. Normally in Spanish you would expect the 'a' ending on a name to indictate that the subject is female. When the owners first aquired Mañiña, they suposed that he was a girl. Subsequently his true sex was discovered but the name remained.

I now have
Sussy, Sophie, Marco, Schatov, Emma, Totto, MonaLisa, Imanol, Rosita, Mañiña

It would break my heart to turn a child away.

Over the Friday and Saturday, the children had many visitors. The Rosita family, The Mañiña family and the Chippy family with Gabriela as well.. This was a big photo call for the children and I saw some very fine pictures.

Sunday night caused me concern because in spite of heavy rain, Mañiña refused to come into the house. He sheltered in the fork of a tree in his garden, covered by a branch with very thick leaves. At first light, I went to find him and could see that he was no worse for wear. I need not have worried, he is a monkey, and monkeys live in trees. He used his basic instincts, possibly for the first time. He started playing on his rope ladder and ropes. Later in the morning, he discovered that MonaLisa had joined him and we are watching to see if a relationship is going to develop. They both ate a large breakfast, and warily shared a large bunch of fresh leaves from the forest. Previously I have found that leaves make friends with monkeys. I worry too much. Just before this posting I saw MonaLisa and Mañiña taking turns to dive at the hammock, a great game.

We routinely look at the general health of all the monkeys and in particular, when they first come here. This morning we found that Rosita has a vigourous infestation of stomach worms. We treated this with Eprofil and will be watching her carefully over the next few days. It usually clears up within a few days.
Pictures. Rosita is on the left and Mañiña on the right.

All things bright and beautiful

Some of you have asked me about the daily routine here at Canaote. Our day begins at 5.30 when we start preparing the milkshake add for the monkeys breakfast. This is a mix, which could easily sustain a monkey throughout the day. It contains scoops of good quality baby milk, Marengada, Ne-Nerina, Vitamin ‘C’ and Vitamin ‘B’. We blend this with either fresh banana or mango. Occasionally this will be another fruit depending on availability in the arboretum. But each day the fruit is varied.
The Howling starts at five minutes to dawn and it is loud. Especially now that Totto has joined us with his rich baritone voice. The answering chorus comes back from twenty or so different sites in the forest. Don’t reckon on sleeping through it, no chance.
Breakfast is ready by seven A.M. and Louis Angel has by this time already washed down the tables in the enclosures and sprayed them with an insecticide. We vary breakfast everyday, again dependent of what we have in abundance in the garden. One day, for example it will be banana and another it will be papaya. We also use oranges and santols. The method of preparation is also varied, sometimes the banana will be straight from the tree and another we will cook it with a tiny drop of vanilla added. This daily variation is very important to the Howler and represents something inherent in the foraging techniques that the Howler follows in the wild. They do not eat at the same tree or type of tree two days running.
Shortly after breakfast is my special time when I visit all the enclosures. I enjoy this contact and I am sure they do as well. Often we play together, I get my hat stolen or I get jumped on from a great height. Sometimes I just sit and enjoy their company. I have found that they like to hear me sing and I often use the ‘all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small’, hymn which they particularly enjoy. Sussy really likes to hear this hymn and it has become one of my favorites because it speaks about how God made the little people, all creatures, and tells how much he loves them. There is a link below so that you can join us in song if you wish. It plays the music and gives the words (in English). I would love to think that you do this and that we are singing together. I am sure that when our Lord said ‘allow the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.’ He was not only talking of human children but all his creation.
By ten o’clock we have started a serious clean up of the enclosures, removing waste and examining the structure of the houses, repairing and cleaning where needed.
By eleven, Louis Angel will return from the forest with a large supply of wild leaves. Howlers love this and eat every leaf. Again, the type of leaf is varied every day.
Around midday, a great silence falls over the forest. This is Siesta. Howlers love to sleep through the midday sun. They retire to their houses or locate their favorite branches and sleep.
At three thirty in the afternoon, we serve their tea. This nearly always comprises of different mixtures of vegetables, pumpkin, root vegetable, carrots, with a protein often this will be chicken or chicken heart and liver, tuna or something that has been specially put aside for them in the kitchen. This is their last meal of the day.

Our photograph is Luis Angel serving the evening meal

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/l/allthing.htm

You can make a difference

This week we have had three applications for places at Canaote. The little girl I mentioned in a recent post has a name, Rosita. She should be joining us on Friday or Saturday of this week. We received another call last night about a young male, aged one and a half, who is living with a family in Caracas. He has been neutered. After his enslavement, his only remaining dignity has been taken from him. Another application concerns a little girl who has only one leg, she has been savaged by the owners dog. It seems that the fame of Canaote is spreading and that we are rapidly reaching the point where we will no longer be able to accept new children. Believe me it would break my heart to turn a monkey away. Staffing is not a problem. Space is not a problem. Love and the will are not a problem. Money for constructing the very large enclosures is a big problem. The price of metal, wire and cement is now prohibitive. Food is becoming a problem with the high cost of milk and vegetables in the country as a whole. We have a large program of planting vegetables this season and this should help. But at the end of the day, it is not going to be enough to make it possible to continue to accept more monkeys. We are not too proud to accept help. If you can make any kind of contribution, please e-mail me and we can work on the details. Cash, milk, metal and prayers you can make a difference.

The horn of plenty

It seems only a short while ago that I was looking at mangoes lying like a giant yellow carpet on the ground here at Canaote. But the mango season has come and gone and all that is left are a few trees with a late fruiting. Monkeys love mangoes. The forest has reduced that yellow carpet to mud. Although the mangoes are nearly exhausted, other fruits are now in abundance. Pitahya the cactus fruit, pineapple, limes(seedless), bananas, oranges, passion fruit, santols (similar to Li chi), papaya, tamarind, star fruit, nispero, water melon, melon, noni and a heap of vegetables. We have plenty of fresh fruit for the monkeys food, and our own of course. I am posting a picture of a plate of fruits including the red pitahya that grows so successfuly here. There is also mango and Le Chosa (papaya) on the plate.

Face at the window

My last posting of a photograph of Totto, was not as good as I had wished. Truthfully I have not yet found out how to either delete a picture or substitute another. So here is a better photograph taken this morning.

You probably know by now that we like to pair our Howlers, male with female. This gives them the opportunity of parenthood when they are adult. Little Imanol has been a problem only because he is very young and we have until now, not had a female of similar age for him. Yesterday we received a phone call from a family in Caracas who ‘rescued’ a young female Howler from poachers at the roadside. We are hoping that she will come to Canaote this week and maybe make a companion for Imanol.

Double click

Don't forget that if you double click on an image you can see it screen size.

Can you Rollover?

Schatov and Emma are an unending source of joy to me. They live life with enthusiasm. They play hard and eat well. They are a delightful couple always full of tricks and ideas. Today I noticed that Schatov has a new gymnastic game. He runs forward, rolls over on his shoulder and comes up again still running. It looks like a classic head over heels. When he does this, Emma sits and looks on, clearly impressed. It is all too fast to photograph but perhaps I will catch it one day. In the meantime, here are a couple of shots I took this morning. Schatov is resting after his rollovers and Emma just looking pretty.

Totto is giving friendly signals. New photograph

Totto has made great strides over the last seven days. I mentioned in an earlier post that he now joins in the chorus. He is now approachable and gives signals that he wants to be friendly. For example, he walks towards me slowly and then rolls over on his back. This is a friendly overture. I am not sure I like it when shakes his head and sticks his tongue out. MonaLisa is visiting him in his garden most mornings. His reaction to her is difficult to interpret because he roars at her and tries to grab her through the wires. Not what I would call a good mating gesture but time will tell. I took this picture today whilst MonaLisa was above his garden and in his view but not in our picture.

They could easily be twins

Yesterday, I said that Howlers have distinct physical features and can easily be distinguished. But in an earlier posting I mentioned that Ronny, who lives with Gabriela, has a face similar to MonaLisa and that they could easily be twins. I am going to show you pictures of both of these pretty ladies. See if you agree with me. Ronny on the left, MonaLisa on the right with baby Sophie.

Monkeys are people

Just like the Chinese, many people think that all Howler monkeys look-alike and therefore are just analogs of each other. Nothing can be further from the truth in either case.
Each Howler that I have met has very distinct physical features and wide range of personality characteristics. I will give you a few examples.

Sussy, our sixteen year old, has been a mother many times and has a philosophical view of life. Sussy is always calm. She does not make friends easily but when she does, it is with trust and affection.

Totto is a newcomer and we have not yet explored his character completely but we do know that he is proud and macho. He can be aggressive. He is about six years old and is large. He likes women and has a deep suspicion of other males including human ones. So far, we have found that the way to his heart is through his stomach. He likes company and is now giving me a grudging welcome when I visit.

MonaLisa is unlike any Howler that I have met. She is patient, loving and fair; she will share her food with others without complaint. MonaLisa is domesticated and prefers living in the house to climbing the trees. Her favorite drink is coffee. Her best friend is Sophie whom she adores. Her favorite place is on the settee in front of the television. She has a blanket just like a child and covers herself with it whenever there is a storm.

Sophie is a neurotic. She is two years old. She hates young monkeys and will attack them if given a chance. She is always on guard. We have tried to understand this behavior but so far failed. She will not allow anyone to handle her although she will come and sit on your shoulder providing you do not touch her. Sophie is living with Marco and Sussy. She is greedy and will steal food from the others. She plays rough games with Marco. She adores MonaLisa. However, she does not like anyone else. Sophie has a distant respect for Sussy.

Marco is two and a half years old but looks older because of his size. He is very muscular and a great gymnast. He is a clown and will steal your hat or other item in your possession. Advice, do not take your eyes off him when you visit his house. He may come swinging towards you on one of his many ropes and give you a sound bang on the head. He is friendly but unpredictable.

Emma is young and pretty. She loves to show off her long legs by walking upright. She has a range of grimaces and expressions, which are unusual in Howlers. She is friendly and loves visitors. She shares with Schatov and adores him.

Schatov is young and hansom. He is small for his age but makes up for it with his athleticism. Schatov is difficult to photograph because he is always on the move. He has a habit of jumping on your head from a great distance and this can be painful. Schatov is another hat stealer so beware. He is delightful and friendly and loves visitors, especially female humans. He adores Emma and they play unceasing all day. (Except for midday when they sleep). They sleep together at night, snuggled up very close in one of their two houses.

Imanol is very young and domesticated He demands total twenty-four hour attention. This is not unusual in Howlers that have been taken from their natural mothers when they are very young. He is deeply suspicious of all other Howlers. MonaLisa would like to mother him but his suspicion will just not allow him to go to her. However, he has started to play chase with her and this is a very good sign. He is small but he has begun to work on the ropes and bamboo walkways in his garden and is putting on weight. He has a delightfully friendly manner. He likes to snuggle up close to humans and he gets on well with all the staff.

All these monkeys have one thing in common. They have spent a considerable amount of time with humans and their behavior has been modified by that contact. I would not expect a Howler in the wild to have many of these characteristics. Nevertheless, they are all different from each other. They have all developed differently in answer to their association with the human race.

My all time favourite

This is a short post because the picture says it all. Just look at the expression on the face of the old lady on the left. I did not take this photograph although I wish I had. It is typical of the scenes here in the forest at Canaote. This is definately my favourite and I wanted to share it with you.

Ramona the street monkey

As well as looking after the monkeys we have in house, we also operate an outreach program. We visit monkeys we consider to be at risk in various areas of our locality. Ramona is a street Howler; she spends her day chained to a leafy street tree on the pavement. When we first called on her, the owners were adamant that she was a boy and called her Ramon. ‘You can see, it’s quite obvious that Ramon is a boy’, the owners said. . They were pointing at the Ramona's external genitilia. Even though we showed the owner photographs of Howler male and female organs, they still refused to accept that their very beautiful young lady was a girl. Time passed and we continued to pay regular visits with bunches of leaves collected freshly from the forest. One day a year ago, she was not in her tree. We asked about her whereabouts and we were told that she was sick and in the house. The owner took us to see her asking if we could recommend a Vet to examine her. We were then told the whole story. She had freed herself from the chain and climbed up onto the electric cables that ran across the top of the house. She received a shock and fell to the ground. She was in severe pain when we examined her. We called the ARFA to see if their Vet could come and treat Ramona. Fortunately, the Vet was available. So a large party came to visit Ramona. The president of ARFA Lucy Alio, Gabriela, and Gomikko the ARFA Vet and myself. The Vets opinion was that she had no lasting damage from the shock but had a hairline fracture from the fall. A course of treatment and medicine was prescribed and we left leaving a now visibly relieved owner.
She responded well to the treatment and within a month, she was back in her tree.
On another visit, we again found that she was not in her tree and I was alarmed, thinking that she had climbed onto the wire again. However, that was not the case. She had been moved to another tree behind an adjacent shop. She had become aggressive and had started biting people as they passed in the street. You can see from our photograph that she is a large monkey and capable of giving a severe bite. Howlers do bite and often without provocation and are unsuitable as pets. On our later visits, she had returned to her tree in the street but there can be no garantee that she will not bite again.
A strange reason finally convinced the owners that Ramona was a girl. We were taking Imanol for a check up to the Vet in San Carlos, he has been plagued with mites in his coat, and we planned a short visit with leaves to Ramona on the way. Ramona gave us her usual friendly greeting and accepted our gift. The owners noticed Imanol in the car and wanted to play with him. ‘Oh that is a boy’, the owner could see the difference and now at last recognizes Ramona as a girl.
Ramona is a heathy Howler monkey and is loved and cared for by her owner. We wish that one day they care enough to give Ramona the opportunity of motherhood

A round up of weekend news

Here is just a brief round up of the weekend news from Canaote.

The photograph shows MonaLisa and Imanol together at last

Totto is feeling more at home as he now joins in the morning and evening choruses. I watched the reaction of Sussy, Sophie and Marco to this added voice and they were clearly excited and pleased with the addition of this loud baritone to their daily call. They threw themselves into the song with even greater gusto. This gusto has to be seen, it involves shaking the head and throwing out the sound. I am planning on making a recording.
Today, Sunday was another reminder that the big enclosure used by Sussy, Sophie and Marco, is in need of extensive rebuilding. Marco freed himself this morning through some old wire. Then, he climbed the mango tree above his home and swung over to a point where he could see Totto. He took a surreptitiously look at him, and thought better of a visit. He spent a while talking to Schatov and Emma. Afterwards he succumbed to my invitation to a banana in Sussy’s domain. Schatov and Emma were pleased to have a visitor and did all kinds of gymnastics to impress Marco. The great escape was over in a matter of an hour and Marco returned to his house for a large breakfast. Marco’s enclosure is long and high. It contains three fully-grown mango trees and is about the size of half a football pitch. The cost of rebuilding will be painful. However, the work must be done for their safety.
In house the relationship between MonaLisa and Imanol has been improving. It started earlier in the week with chasing and teasing games and finally this morning they sat together quietly enjoying each other’s company. MonaLisa has shown great patience with little Imanol. He does not give his trust readily but MonaLisa got her reward this morning.
The Marco episode reminded me of an escape that thankfully never happend. On Wednesday last I found a large hole in the wire around Totto's garden. Possibly he had a rage, tore at the fence and then left it. He could easily have walked through. Either he didn't realise what he had done or he is just too happy where he is.