Toula is a lady Capuchin monkey now aged about 7 years. As you see she is pretty and very intelligent. She uses her tail like another hand. Many people are surprised when standing close to her, to find that she is emptying their pockets with her tail.
Her human family were naturally very upset to leave her with us. She had lived with them for all of her years. Like many monkeys who come to us, she was the subject of a family conflict. They had to find a new home for her. At first she went to a Caracas zoo but they told the family that they could not accept her for more than a few days. Toula was very unhappy in the zoo and began to scratch her arms, legs and tail. This caused a considerable loss of fur in all those areas. This is an anxiety reaction and a warning sign of depression. Yes monkeys suffer mental problems just like humans. Lucio’s mum is a friend of Toula’s family. When she heard of Toula’s problem, she telephoned me to see if we have a vacancy for a young lady capuchin. The answer was yes we have a place, possibly with our lonely Capuchin male, Oliver. To begin with she shared with Chiquatin and Zeus. Introduction to Oliver just didn't work out. She was not interested and he made no effort at a relationship. However she settled down very quickly and got over the grieving for the loss of her human family. Oliver is an older monkey and set in his ways. Accepting Toula was too much of a challenge for him. We tried inviting her to share with Jane and Sofia. This worked out very well. She was soon accepted as one of the family.
The only remaining problem was the addition financial burden. It is another mouth to feed and tend. The cost of care of a monkey in Canaote is no less than that in their original human homes. Food, Veterinary charges and staff like everything else, are growing expenses. But there can be no compromise when it comes to a baby’s health and well-being.
We solve a critical problem for many people. ‘Where can I take my monkey, now that I can no longer maintain him?’ We have twenty monkeys in our care. That is twenty problems solved for human families. Some owners visit often and are generous with gifts of food and money. But they are a small group who continue to care. Others could do more.
Our photograph is Toula soon after joining Sofia and Jane in their enclosure. More about their relationships in a later post.
Toula's human mother is at present taking a course in Indonesia and in spite of the great distance she enquires about Toula often and makes a generous and regular donation every month.
Her human family were naturally very upset to leave her with us. She had lived with them for all of her years. Like many monkeys who come to us, she was the subject of a family conflict. They had to find a new home for her. At first she went to a Caracas zoo but they told the family that they could not accept her for more than a few days. Toula was very unhappy in the zoo and began to scratch her arms, legs and tail. This caused a considerable loss of fur in all those areas. This is an anxiety reaction and a warning sign of depression. Yes monkeys suffer mental problems just like humans. Lucio’s mum is a friend of Toula’s family. When she heard of Toula’s problem, she telephoned me to see if we have a vacancy for a young lady capuchin. The answer was yes we have a place, possibly with our lonely Capuchin male, Oliver. To begin with she shared with Chiquatin and Zeus. Introduction to Oliver just didn't work out. She was not interested and he made no effort at a relationship. However she settled down very quickly and got over the grieving for the loss of her human family. Oliver is an older monkey and set in his ways. Accepting Toula was too much of a challenge for him. We tried inviting her to share with Jane and Sofia. This worked out very well. She was soon accepted as one of the family.
The only remaining problem was the addition financial burden. It is another mouth to feed and tend. The cost of care of a monkey in Canaote is no less than that in their original human homes. Food, Veterinary charges and staff like everything else, are growing expenses. But there can be no compromise when it comes to a baby’s health and well-being.
We solve a critical problem for many people. ‘Where can I take my monkey, now that I can no longer maintain him?’ We have twenty monkeys in our care. That is twenty problems solved for human families. Some owners visit often and are generous with gifts of food and money. But they are a small group who continue to care. Others could do more.
Our photograph is Toula soon after joining Sofia and Jane in their enclosure. More about their relationships in a later post.
Toula's human mother is at present taking a course in Indonesia and in spite of the great distance she enquires about Toula often and makes a generous and regular donation every month.
Toula se une a Sofia y a Jane.
Toula es una señora Capuchino de aproximadamente 7 años de edad. Como usted ve ella es bonita y muy inteligente. Ella usa su cola como otra mano. Muchas personas se sorprenden al estar de pie cerca de ella, porque ella es especialista en vaciar sus bolsillos con la cola.
Su familia humana estuvo naturalmente muy triste al dejarla con nosotros. Ella había vivido con ellos durante todos esos años. Como muchos monos que vienen a nosotros, ella era un conflicto familiar. Ellos tenían que encontrar una nueva casa para ella. Al principio ella fue a un parque zoológico de Caracas pero ellos le dijeron a la familia que podrían aceptarla solo por unos días. Toula era muy infeliz en el parque zoológico y empezó a rascar sus brazos, piernas y cola. Esto causó una pérdida considerable de pelo en todas esas áreas. Ésta es una reacción de ansiedad y una señal de advertencia de depresión. Los monos sufren problemas mentales como los humanos. La mamá de Lucio es amiga de la familia de Toula. Cuando ella oyó hablar del problema de Toula, ella me telefoneó para ver si nosotros teníamos una vacante para una mona capuchino. La respuesta fue sí nosotros tenemos un lugar, posiblemente con nuestro único macho Capuchino, Oliver. Inicialmente ella compartió jaula con Chiquitin y Zeus. La introducción con Oliver apenas funcionó. Ella no estaba interesada y él no hizo ningún esfuerzo a una relación. Sin embargo ella se estableció muy rápidamente y superó la tristeza por la pérdida de su familia humana. Oliver es un mono más viejo y con sus mañas. Aceptar a Toula era un desafío para él. Nosotros probamos invitándola a compartir con Jane y Sofia. Esto funcionó muy bien. Ella fue aceptada pronto como una más de la familia.
El único problema era la carga financiera. Es otra boca más que alimentar y atender. El costo de cuidado de un mono en Cañaote no es menos que el de cuidar a un niño en una casa humana. La comida, los cargos veterinarios, las medicinas y el personal de cuidado y limpieza que cada día es más costoso, pero hay que hacer todo lo necesario para que estos niños tengan una buena vida.
Nosotros resolvemos un problema crítico para muchas personas. ‘Dónde yo puedo dejar a mi mono, ahora que yo ya no puedo tenerlo? ‘Nosotros tenemos veinte monos a nuestro cuidado, son veinte problemas resueltos para las familias humanas. Algunos dueños visitan a menudo y son generosos con los regalos de comida y dinero. Pero ellos son un grupo pequeño que continúan estando pendientes de sus monos. Otros familiares podrían hacer más.
En nuestra fotografía: Toula. Más sobre sus relaciones en un próximo poster.
La madre humana de Toula está tomando un curso en la actualidad en Indonesia y a pesar de la gran distancia ella está pendiente de Toula a menudo y hace una donación generosa y regular todos los meses.
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