A place in the Sun

Pictures to follow

We have eleven monkeys in our care. All of them from human homes, in various places in Venezuela. Most are from the jungles of Caracas although many come from Valencia and one from Aragua. All of them appear to be semi domesticated. MonaLisa likes to clean her teeth with cream and a toothbrush; yes she really does clean her teeth not just bite the brush. .Maniña likes to lay full length on the bed and be tickled. Eslabon adores a cuddle and sitting close. Lucio likes to shower, which is most unusual for a howler monkey. Howlers in general hate water on their coats. He also likes to hold hands. Sophie likes to cover herself with colorful materials and so on. Lala taught us that she likes to be brushed and now they all demand it. They have all adopted some facet of human behavior. It is easy to forget that they are wild animals. Fortunately there are some reminders. Early morning all of our children engage in the mighty roar. The whole house reverberates with their call. This is their statement that this is their territory, and it belongs to them. It also reminds us that they are still wild animals and are asserting their right to a place in the sun.