Monito gets a family visit

On Sunday Monito's human family paid a visit to Monito and got involved with Monito's monkey family. Our pictures show Raul giving a lift to Lucio. To the right Schatov and Monito relax on Patricia's lap and Monito and Patricia spend time together bottom right. Just for once the weather stayed fine and the family were able to spend more time than usual with the children. Getting here early needs a dawn start from Caracas. I know they feel the effort is worth it. The children love visitors and immediately recognised them.

The following day we began preparation for the cementing of the floor of their enclosure. This meant moving Schatov,Lucio and Monito to another enclosure for the day. All went well with the transfer although after their curiosity had been satisfied, they soon realized that this new enclosure was quite a bit smaller than their own home and did not contain the same wealth of toys. When evening came we decided to move them back to their own enclosure for the night. As soon as the door was opened Lucio and Monito shot out and were high up in the canopy before we were able to catch them. many hours later we were able to encourage them to return to their home. I think the prospect of missing dinner combined with the possibility of having to sleep in the trees convinced them to return. It also began to look like rain and Howlers do not like getting wet.

Orchids at Canaote

Cynoches chlorochilion

 

 

Lets not forget that Canaote is also a Botanic Garden. We have many hundred of Palms and tropical fruit trees. Venezuela is internationally famous for orchids. So when we first came here we were surprised to find that there were not many orchids in the forest hereabouts. The reason for this alluded us for a long time but at last we realised that the problem was the grass fires that this area is subject to every dry season. The low level grass fires would burn off the young orchids before maturity without actually destroying the tree. Thus it appeared that there were few orchids in this area. Now from time to time we collect the orchids that we find and resite them to safe locations where they will not be destroyed. This Cynoches chlorochilionhis  was originally found by us among the lime trees on the property some four years ago. We moved it to its present location, near our compound, where it will be safe from fires. It measures four inches tip to tip.

One of the pleasures of the orchid interest is to see their perfection. They have amazing symmetry, they have extraordinary wealth of color. These are the things that come to mind when you attend orchid shows or visit collectors. I live close to the forest in North Western Venezuela, famous of course for its orchids. But I see a different aspect of the orchid world. I see the wild ones in the forest. Not so perfect with their blemishes from insect attack and the ravages of the climate. They have a special charm bread of their independence from man and their power of survival. 

To cement or not to cement, that is the question.

The remarkable thing about our shelter is that many of the families of the monkeys, not only keep in touch but are still actively concerned with the children's welfare.  With our blog, forget me not, we set out to keep everyone informed about the well being of the children here but more than that, to relate some of the events and changes that take place.

Very typically, we received some correspondence from a family about the cement program. As well as giving us some excellent technical advice regarding the use of cement, the family also expressed some concern. I would like to share that with you.

 

The family wrote: (my translation, any errors are mine).

 

I think that the children should have contact with the earth floor for diverse reasons that I enumerate next:

1) The earth is softer should they fall,

2) This is what is in their inhabit natural,

3) The concrete is very rough for their paws or slippery if it has the finish of refined cement and

4) I think they should have a small area of the cage with concrete floor to avoid the mud in times of rain.

 

This was my reply:

Thank you for your helpful expert advice. My calculations on cement were very rough. I simply observed the amount used on an experimental cementing of the area around a feeding area, and then extrapolated for the whole area. I have included the old big enclosure which is no longer used. We intend to repair and maintain it.

I understand your concern about cementing the ground. I also agree with what you say. But there are other considerations to take into account and it is necessary to make a decision based on the best health consideration for the monkeys.

Here is my reasoning. This is wild country. The soil of the forest is old and contaminated with nematodes, parasites. We keep our children in large enclosures in order to separate them from the forest. The wild monkeys frequently carry parasitic diseases some of which are indigenous to the forests. We frequently monitor the faeces of the monkeys to determine if they are infected. Occasionally this test is positive and we take veterinary medical action. This is also true of the mountain water, we prepare the children’s drinks with only filtered water.

There is no possibility of eradicating the nematodes they are very resistant to sprays and disinfectants. Even the best of these sprays are toxic to the monkeys. The nematodes can live in the soil dormant for many years. To reinforce my knowledge of these parasites I recently took a couple of university refresher courses on this subject.

My opinion is that suppressing the parasite activity by using cement is the only means we have of protecting the children against them.

I realise that this has drawbacks but I believe the advantage outweighs the disadvantage. The children are very athletic and never fall to the ground in spite of their great gymnastic ability.

I hope this explanation clarifies the problem and explains my actions.

 

We are delighted with this interaction which is totally in the spirit of Forget me not. Please write to us if you have ideas or concerns. We love to hear from you.

Today we have photographs of Manina and Tutti. Tutti of course is the little one on the right.

Local Supplier 'Cosan', makes magnificent gift

On Friday evening a large lorry arrived at Canaote carrying one hundred sacks of cement. The co operative farm workers assisted in moving the sacks to a safe dry location along the corridor of the main house. The cement was a magnificent gift to us from the major supplier 'Çosan'. The owner of Cosan, Felice Costamagna, had visited Canaote earlier in the day. He took a keen interest in the children and stayed with them several hours. Clearly he could see how important our work here is and wanted to do something to help. We were able to explain to him why we were appealing for help with the cost of cementing the ground in all our enclosures. Having listened to our explanation he responded at once with this wonderful gift and true to his promise the lorry arrived later the same day with the cement load.

We want this cementing to be done well and professionally. We have reached an agreement with a local group to do the work. This is cement and cannot be allowed to stand around. The work has to be done now.

 

We are thrilled with this response to our appeal. Many people have sent donations, which will be used to obtain more sacks of cement needed to complete the work. You may remember that we need a total of two hundred sacks to cover all the ground beneath the enclosures. If you have a donation just waiting to be sent, now is the time.

Sweet talkin', wet kissin', Maniña.

 

 

Sunday morning early, the family of Lucio arrived from Caracas. They had started out very early driving though the pouring rain to spend time with their monkey son Lucio. Hey! wait a minute, that's not Lucio in the picture. Right, its that sweet talkin' ,wet kissin' Maniña

The family always make a tour around the other enclosures, not spending time with Lucio alone. Our camera caught a special moment whilst Gilda was handing out compote and biscuits to Maniña, Miss Billy and Tutti. Unfortunately it rained hard for the whole visit. But undaunted they spent many hours with all the children.

InParque visit Canaote

 

On Friday morning a large bus arrived here at Canaote with fifty or so young people from the Inparque Foundation. They were led by two professors from La Salle University in San Carlos. We were able to give them a good rounded environmental experience. Firstly I introduced them to our howler monkeys and then David took them on a tour of the Botanic garden. We were pleased and surprised by the enthusiasm which young people showed. Many of them had phone cameras and of course our monkey  children obliged with some good poses The monkeys really do love visitors. Clearly the trip around the Botanic garden was popular as most of the children returned still munching fruit from the garden.

My name is Paulo and now I have a family and a home.

It seems that hardly a week goes by now without a request for a place for a monkey at Canaote. This week has been no exception. We accepted a capuchin monkey from Asoguau in Valencia We refused a further capuchin from Valencia because we just did not have the facility available to care for him. Our facility is tuned to the care of Howler Monkeys in the main but we do have a unit capable of supporting up to five capuchins. The child we accepted is a real waif. He arrived more or less penniless with nothing except the cage he stood up in. He didn’t even have a name. He was found wandering the streets in Valencia and apprehended by the police. We have no history, he is fully grown, appears to be in good health but like so many pets at this time he has been abandoned. We have been working furiously to make a residence for him. He cannot join the existing troop of capuchins because we have already two boys and boys always fight. We are lucky that they have learned to tolerate each other. We have him in temporary accommodation overnight and we expect to have a more suitable enclosure, ready for him tomorrow.
This of course is underlining a growing problem. Many people are on the move for one reason or another. Many are moving abroad permanently. This is a bad situation particularly for cats and dogs; so many are being abandoned into the street.
Our shelter is a privately funded one, and we have the resources to help only a few. Too often these days with an aching heart we refuse shelter. I have the love and the will but unfortunately that does not buy a lot of chicken.

Dishevelled and hatless

Somehow, whenever I take pictures of Monito, he always looks the same but this morning I got lucky and I have a truly new picture of this young man. Even for me, visiting Lucio, Schatov and Monito is an experience. They come at me from every direction. Monito’s favourite approach is on the swing. Having got it up to speed, he launches himself at me at high velocity flinging his arms high to catch my hair. Schatov jumps down on me from the bamboo walkway whilst Lucio comes in with stealth from the ground. I always exit somewhat dishevelled and hatless.

The continuing heavy rain reminds me that we still have work to do on the cement program; seriously we have only covered a small area of what is needed. A number of readers have been most generous but we are still far short of the funds needed to complete this work. In particular, Schatov, Lucio and Monito’s enclosure needs a lot of preparation. This time of year is particularly sensitive because of the rotting mangoes and the heavy rain. This condition is very favourable to the emergence of nematodes in the soil. So far we have been lucky with no infections but we will be much more secure against parasites when the enclosures are cemented over.

The single picture is Monito today and the other is Lucio and Monito preparing a double whammie.

Gis a kiss!

Maniña is a four year old male red Howler. The name Maniña, in Spanish is a female one. He was first thought to be a girl but the human family never got around to changing his name. Getting the sex wrong with Howlers is a common mistake. The female gentilia are external and give the appearance of the male organ.
Maniña came to us from a family in Aruagua, Venezuela. He is highly domesticated. Quite used to dining out in restaurants, is house trained, you might sometimes pass him on his way out of the loo. Confidentially he wouldn't be seen dead in diapers. He loves cleaning his teeth and he really does clean them, not just bite the brush. Altogether an exceptional Howler monkey. To top it all, he is crazy about kisses. You see him in this picturs delivering a smacker to our friend Gabriela.

Well love is in the air because not to be outdone, Lucio demonstrates that he is also a good kisser. Again he is a very sophisticated person. He loves human company as well as his monkey friends. Don't wear your 'kiss me quick' hat when your in his company because just before you get the wet smaker, you will loose your hat.

From our garden.

I have never made much mention of the produce of our botanic garden. The garden is actually a major contributor to the variety of food we are able to give our monkeys. Our pictures show white egg plant or aubergine, a large pumpkin, these are among the vegetables and there is a wide variety of fruit. Our picture shows Palm nuts (being held by the helper in the blue shirt)and Santol (on the scales), these are real favorites with the children, and Cherry tomatoes (although we also grow normal size ones) but these are only a few of the many hundreds of fruit we have in the botanic garden. Just to name a few. Mango, Gallup nut, Coco nut, Surinam cherry, Star fruit, Governors plum, Nispero , Banana, Mandarin, Oranges. One of my favorites and certainly theirs is the cactus fruit Pitahya this is the red fruit shown parted centrally. All of these and many more find a way to the feeding trays of our monkeys.

The little boy that Santa Claus forgot.

Marco came to us when he was only 500 grams in weight. He was dropped off by a local farmer who told us that he found him alone on his land, in an area that had been attacked by forest fires. Since that time he has had a varied history. At first, whilst he was very small he lived with me. We had an idea that Sussy might be a suitable surrogate mother and we decided to give it a try. Sussy was a very experience mother, having brought many very fine and powerful monkeys into the world. As it happened she took him as one of her own and we breathed a sigh of relief. He traveled everywhere on her back and shared her house during his adolescence. Everyday they were together, and every day Sussy taught him how to choose his food and how to negotiate the ropes and complex walkways in their enclosure.

Finally he grew too active and boisterous to continue living with her and it was necessary to think of another arrangement.
At that time we discovered that Gabriela's young lady 'Vicky' was looking for a partner and we decided to give this idea a try. It was an immediate success. Now Marco and Vicky is an inseparable and happy pair, living free in the trees. We are sure that sometime there will be a baby Marco or Marca. This is a wonderful transition of which we are all very proud. To move from waif and who I once described as 'the little boy that Santa Claus forgot' to his successful relationship and life with Vicky at the home of Gabriela, is a miracle.
Our pictures show him as a young man in the fields here at Canaote to a photograph taken during the last few days. Look at the difference in size. When you see that cute little ball of red fur at the roadside, remember how they look when they are a few years older. Average life span of Howlers in captivity is 25 years.
I am grateful to Gabriela for this remarkable new picture of Marco which I received today and which I now treasure.

An evening at home with Lucio, Moñito and Schatov.

Top left is of course Schatov and this is now my favorite picture of him. Top left is Lucio, hansom as ever and always embarrassingly full of kisses. Then bottom is Moñito, a very sweet and loving person.
Yes there have been some trist this week. Schatov was very much in love with Chippy, he really did care for her. But time heals everything, both for them and for us. He has now reconciled himself to the fact that she will not return and is now his old playfully self.

Our appeal for help with construction of the concrete floor has yielded some help and we are very grateful for that. Keep thinking about how you can assist the children of Canaote. Someone suggested that we should allow adoption and support that way. What do you think? Tell me.

Cement 2.

I have carefully measured the area of land that we need to cover and included a factor for the sensible depth of cement. I have miscalculated. This is going to be a big job. We will need 180 sacks of cement to complete the task. At the official rate for the dollar and at todays price per sack, this amounts to US$ 1500. I have not included any factor for the labor needed to do this job.If we call it US$2000 for the complete task.
That is more than I can contribute. If you can help, you will be doing something significant for the comfort and health of our children.

Cement.

This year the rains have been exceptionally heavy. All our enclosures have earth floors. When the rains are heavy, these floors become very muddy. This has become unpleasant both for the monkeys and the staff serving them, although of course the monkeys can use the bamboo walkways. Plastic sheeting has been erected at strategic areas, for example over feeding, and sleeping areas. But this is only a temporary solution. The real answer is to cement over these floors. From the photograph you can see that we have applied cement under 'Casa Lucio'. This has been experimental. First a bed of tar and then the cement on top. This has other benefits. Nematodes, parasites that live in the soil, are repressed. The possibility of the monkeys becoming infected with these natural forest parasite is considerably reduced if not eliminated. There remains only one obstacle, we will need 100 sacks of cement. You are all aware that our enclosures are large. If we are to carry out this task we will need some help. If you are able to make a contribution to the cementing either use the PayPal 'Donate' button, or tell me and I will give you a bank account for deposit,or just bring the cement. We don't often ask you for help but this one is beyond my meager pension from Her Majesty's Government.

What was to be…isn’t

At the middle of the week, the human family of Chippy came for a first visit after her arrival here. In the intervening month, she had settled down to the routine of life with other monkeys and she had gained weight. In fact she had gone a stage further and had formed a special relationship with Schatov. He was her constant and solicitous companion. On several occasions we saw them making love. Our photograph was taken at that time and was to represent the success of her integration with people of her own kind. (The photograph has been deliberately clipped).
Early in the morning of Friday July 25th, 2008 and without any warning her human family arrived and collected her. Taking her back to the human home in San Carlos, Cojedes. The reason given, among the tears was that her absence was causing the ill health of members of her human family. I am not going to dwell on the cruelty this represents. For the first time this adult female monkey had friends and a relationship with people of her own kind. She was able to feel the wind and rain on her face and breathe the forest air. We have known Chippy for many years because she has been brought here for visits on a couple of occasions. We regard it as a tragedy that she has now been denied her life with her own kind, for the worst of all selfish reasons. Schatov has spent two days searching for her.

Who is this?

We are deeply into our mango season and that means visitors from the forest. There are some 600 mature mango trees on this property. The wild monkeys come to our compound seeking mature mango fruit. But also get involved with our residents. Early in the season we had unwelcome Capuchin visitors that attacked and injured Pancho. I reported that in an earlier post.
Yesterday was a different story. We had a visit from a young adult Howler. He has been good mannered, centering his interest above the enclosure of MonaLisa, Emma and Nancy. He obviously has an eye for the girls. He is young and very hansom. Unfortunately our photograph does not really do him justice. The telephoto ability of small digital cameras is not good. He remained in a tree above their enclosure overnight, joining in the evening and early morning chorus. This is a recurring phenomenon. Often we get a male and alongside him a small female visitor. I have the impression that it has been the same monkey for a few years now although I do not recognize our recent visitor. He is a new comer.
I would like to welcome him but my fears about transmitted disease from the forest prevent me from feeding him or encouraging him.

Now the meal is finished lets get the washing up out of the way.

Yes it is Chilin and Eric. You saw pictures of them just after they had arrived, a few months ago. In this time they have both grown considerably. Both have great appetites and both of them play vigorously all day. They have their own enclosure adjoining the girls, MonaLisa, Emma and Nancy. There is a lot of interaction. That is Chilin on the left and Erik in the solo picture.

.......and then the rains came down.

During the last 24 hours we have had exceptionally high rainfall. This has caused minor flooding in various areas occupied by our monkeys. Our pictures tell the story. Capuchin monkeys love water and the whole situation, for them has been great fun. Our pictures show in the foreground, Chicatin with a lot of water behind him. Our second picture shows Pancho in the background, having a great time playing with the water.


D

Surprised by Joy.

This blog is about monkeys, not about me. Nevertheless, it is relevant to describe the effect that caring for the children has on me. On the downside the work severely limits my movements. I cannot travel more than a day away from Canaote. It demands a disciplined organization of my day. This discipline is shaped by the timetable of the monkey's day.
At 7.30. Clean and disinfect the eating areas and collect the dishes of yesterday's food, milk and water. Scrub the plates, Prepare breakfast and milk and distribute it. Then provide fresh water. Examine each of the sleeping areas to ensure that the bedding is clean and also insect free. Setup each of the enclosures so that all toys are available. (At the moment that means replace all the small colored balls in the hammocks). Walk around all the bamboo walkways with a disinfectant spray and cloth. Clean up and disinfect the ground areas where the monkeys have defecated. Prepare the evening meal. At 3.30PM distribute the meal.

After the morning chores, we spend quality time with all the monkeys. We play with them but at the same time we watch them closely, never forgetting that we are on the edge of deep forest and are possibly subject to all the dangers of the forest. We look for any change in behavior, for instance if a monkey is usually boisterous and playful but today is quiet. We look at their gums for any sign of anaemia. We take note of the quality of their coats, and whether it has its normal health sheen. Monkeys are subject to parasitic infections. We routinely examine the faeces with our own microscope as a preliminary safeguard against the infections of the forest. This awareness and the incumbent care are the price we pay for providing the children with as near natural environment as we possibly can.

At the time of writing we have fourteen monkeys in our care. I would love to invite qualified helpers to aid our work, but at the moment we do not have the funds for building two appropriate dwellings for them. Even so, in time the Lord will provide.

This is my day, every day. I willingly accept the burden and the challenge that this gives me. This is my mission and my joy, to care for these wonderful creatures created by our Maker.

An evening with Maniña.

Photographic opportunities in the wet season are difficult to find. But this evening we had a dry spell just before the heavy rain started. I particularly liked these pictures of Maniña because they show his beautiful coat and his typical expression. By the way he is eating dog biscuits, he loves the crunchy ones. I have no need to tell you how much we love him. He is a great character, a little bit mischievous but all in fun. He returns all the love that is given to him with loads of kisses. The other person you can see in the background is Maniña's little friend Tutti. We also have a solo picture of Tutti. Maniña and Tutti are rarely apart.

MonaLisa Moves in.

Since Schatov, Lucio and Moñito have moved house, they are now permanently resident with Chippy in Garden Lucio, Schatov's former night dwelling has become free. You may know that this enclosure directly abuts the enclosure of MonaLisa. There is a small doorway that connects the two. The original idea was that this whole area would be a contiguous house and garden. Now we are able to go back to that scheme and MonaLisa, Emma and Nancy have moved into this space. You can see in our photograph, MonaLisa (left)and Nancy sitting in front of their small house. In this rainy weather it is more comfortable to be inside. The three girls love this change of venue and are using all the play things, ropes, hammock etc that are available.

Chippy settles in.

Just as a human child, starting a new school, a monkey must learn to accept and be accepted by new friends. Chippy has spent all her life among humans so it is not surprising that she experiences a little difficulty in adapting. She is used to sleeping in a bed with humans, now she sleeps in a warm monkey house with three other monkeys. She is used to being hand fed, now we want her to share the communal table of food with the others. These are seemingly trivial things but to a little lady they are big. Naturally we give her special support during this time. We continue to hand feed her and we spend a lot of quality time with her. She is intelligent and adaptable. She has already made a special monkey friend. Schatov, makes no secret of his admiration for her. Whilst Lucio and Moñito were at first anti, now they just keep out out of her way. She is winning them over.

All three of our pictures are of Chippy this morning. They are expressive and we were undecided which was best so we show all three.

No room at the Inn.

I feel sad today because I have refused a monkey for the first time. I simply do not have the facility to accept him. He is a capuchin monkey and our facility for the capuchins is very limited. Unfortunately, love alone is not enough. It takes time and money to care for a monkey.

I have from the beginning funded the whole burden of care on my British pension. I am not a rich man. Occasionally grateful owners have made donations but in comparison with the actual cost of ongoing feeding and care, it is not enough.

Some time ago, we came to an arrangement with a local co operative. Which has been very beneficial to the security and safety of our work here. We sold the farm to them this deal allowed us to retain the botanic garden and the area occupied by our monkey enclosures. Originally they paid only half the value. The balance was to be ascribed to a number of buildings and equipment. This was to be paid for and transferred at a later date (August was agreed). Our friends in the Co op have exceeded their objective (I like to think with our help) and will be ready to complete full payment next week.

Yes wonderful BUT. I now need to replace the large area occupied by Sophie (the old cheese room and the attached garden. The co op will soon need to take over this area.

We have been considering the possibility of reliable ongoing funding and how it can best be effected.

If you have ideas about this please write to me.

Somehow we have to construct a new area for Sophie but more importantly make financial provision ongoing for the care of the children, both for food and staff.

It is no secret that the food for the children, like everything else has been subject to massive inflation. What was a minor expense has become a large number in our budget. The same applies to the cost of materials for constructing and maintenance of enclosures.
Wages for staff have also escalated.

If you know of anyone who would like to donate funds to us, please tell them about our work. A regular donation would be very acceptable.

We can provide a PayPal account or bank account details if anyone asks.

Truly I never thought I would write this letter. But never a week goes by now when we do not receive requests for a place here. I am broken hearted when I say ‘There is no room at the Inn’

We have plenty of room for constructing new facility; all it needs is the funds.

Our Photograph is Chiquitin taken this morning.

Lucio, Moñito and Schatov make the move and Chippy moves in.

Here at Canaote we are in the midst of our rainy season. The rains are very heavy and have reduced opportunities for photography. Nevertheless we are planning a shoot tomorrow so we should have some pictures to show you.
Chippy is settling down surprisingly well. I was predicting at least a week when she would be tearful and maybe off her food. Well it hasn’t happened. She is used to being hand fed and we have continued that. Another surprise was that she prefers to drink directly from a cup rather than a bowl. I have seen this before with Howler monkeys. MonaLisa is another monkey who likes a cup.

Schatov has given Chippy a warm welcome but Lucio and Moñito have been unhelpful. Moñito in particular has been very jealous. As the week has gone by they have clearly got used to her being with them. She has taken a liking to Rafael the helper. Whilst I had difficulty in getting her to take food in the first few days, she took from him eagerly. Towards the end of the week I found that she was less nervous and was willing to sit on my shoulder. She is on heat.

Lucio Schatov and Moñito are now living full time in the ‘Garden Lucio’. Up to this time they would spend the day in the garden and then I would transfer them to our house at night. This was becoming impracticable because of the double feeding arrangements that this incurred. It seemed an appropriate time, with Chippy joining them, to occupy the Casa Lucio full time. I was a little concerned at first because of the heavy rain but I need not have worried. The house is in full use. Immediately the rain starts they make a dash for the house. The four of them sleep together there. All tucked up and nice and warm.
Our picture shows Schatov on the left in full voice and Chippy on the right.

Chippy looks for new friends.

It wasn't really a secret but people do change their minds sometimes between asking for a place here and actually arriving. This young lady (she won't mind if I tell you that she is four years old) arrived here today but not for the first time. Over the last few years 'Chippy' has visited us with her owners, several times.
This is how it came about. At the beginning of the week we received a call from Gabriela, asking if we had a place for Chippy. We replied that we had. We have come to love this little lady on her visits here so there was no hesitation when we were asked to take her. We arranged to meet yesterday in the shop of a friend in San Carlos. We cause a scene in the shop as Chippy, somewhat unwillingly was transferred into a carrying box.
Quite a problem faces us, in as much as, Chippy is used to 24 hour a day contact with her human family. Frankly she is going to miss them. Typically she will only eat a little and will be very sad.

We counter this by giving her compatible friends to play with. Our options were (1) She might like to become mother to our two babies, Chilin and Eric. (2) She might enjoy the company of the 'boys' in Lucio's garden, Schatov, Lucio and Moñito. Option one was quickly disposed of when the children became frightened of this large lady. An embarrassing scene brought an end to this experiment. Chippy was on my left shoulder and a very nervous Eric on the other. Simultaneously they defecated. Many species of monkey do this when they are angry or scared. I stood still for a moment, completely shocked by what had happened but I stoically carried on. My pants and shirt were covered and the smell was rather unpleasant. Clearly they were telling us something. They did not want to be together, at least for now.

We picked up Chippy and moved her over to the enclosure 'Lucio's Garden'. Schatov immediately showed and interest as well as little Moñito. Lucio on the other hand did not want to know her.
Our pictures show 'Chippy' within minutes of arrival in the new location and a shot of Schatov sitting alongside her. They sat closely together, Chippy's back was often towards him but she leaned gently on him to indicate that his interest was not being rejected. He was aroused and paid her close attention. We will watch this relationship over the next few days. It may be that they will bond and become a couple.

Just like human people, howler relationships are complicated. You cannot predict their interaction, literally you have to wait and see. We did not expect Lucio to be anti. He may feel threatened in some way. She is a big monkey and he is quite young. I will bring you reports and pictures over the next days, so that you will be able to follow her progress. First we have to deal with the grief of loss of human family.

One reader guessed that our new monkey was Ramona, the street monkey we often visited in Tinaco. Sadly we have lost track of her in spite of some serious efforts to find her. She bit a passing child and was sent to a new address in Topo but we have been unable to find her.

Back to school

My apologies for the light posting over this last week. I have been busy taking a continuation education course CE including three quite tough exams. It has been a fascinating learning experience which will certainly aid in the care of our children. Last Sunday, of course was fathers day. My friends have been ribbing me about whether I got fourteen presents, one from each of the children. Well I got fifteen, so work that one out! It is strange but I had the distinct feeling that the monkeys knew it was a special day. Without exception they are all looking well. We have finished installing their new swings and they love them. It puzzles me, when I see their amazing gymnastic abilities, on ropes swings and walkways, compared with their much more lethargic brothers and sisters in the forest around us.
There may be a new sister later in the week. A fully grown young lady who has been an occasional visitor to Canaote over the years and perhaps now has decided to live with us permanently. She will have to find her place. Will she live with Lucio, Schatov and Moñito, or will she become a mum to Chilin and Erik. They will decide as ever.

A new resident and a RED FACE

On Saturday morning a family arrived at Cañaote with a young Capuchin monkey. The family had rescued this little monkey from a fruit shop in Caracas. After several attempts the fruit shop owners agreed to give up the monkey and allow him to be brought here. Now this is where I have to admit that I have an extremely RED FACE. This monkey is a BOY not a GIRL as I first supposed. In all fairness, when I first examined him, he was inside a carrying case and of course frightened. I used a torch to get a better look but obviously not well enough. On this erroneous basis I released Chicatin (we formerly called her Chicateena), into the enclosure with Pancho. There is a lot of excitement of course. There is a great deal of establishing rights. Whose food, whose toys, whose house etc. But generally this just amounts to chasing and tail pulling. There is no overt aggression being shown. I will keep you posted but I think they will settle down and realize the benefit of having a pal.
The Capuchin photograph top right is of course Pancho. The one alongside shows Chicatin in the front and Pancho behind him. Bottom left is the very hansom young Chicatin.

The family who rescued him wrote to me

About the monkey
He was found in a fruit shop in Caracas. How did he get there? A family had her since he was little but, once he grew up, and it stopped being their perfect pet , they decided to get rid off him, so then it was given away to the fruit shop owner. Once at the fruit shop, he spent about a month inside a small cage, which I had already noticed just few days after they brought her in. I asked them several times to find a better place for the monkey but I did a research by my own over the internet and it's when I got to ARFA's website. I contacted Mrs. Lucy asking for help and guidance about what to do. Her brother-in-law put me in touch with you, Mr. Philip. I got the approval and permission from the fruit shop owners to take the monkey to Cañaote. The trip I made to the shelter let me see with my own eyes the beautiful work you guys are doing and I'm sure the monkey will be loved, happier, and in good health from now on.

An exciting Sunday .

We had an exciting Sunday in more ways than one. We expected Moñito’s family to arrive because they called the night before. Carlos and Patricia have just returned from their honeymoon and their first duty was to inform Moñeto that they had a great time. But a few moments after they had settled down in the enclosure with Moñito, Schatov and Lucio, Lucio’s family arrived. The enclosure was very busy with both monkeys and humans. Lucio’s family brought swings sufficient for all the enclosures, but being Sunday we only managed to put up a couple of them. I can tell you that they were a resounding success with the children. They always like new toys and this was no exception. All three of them demonstrated their innate gymnastic skill. All of them kept good balance whilst jumping from swing to swing. Soon after the families arrived, the rain started in earnest. This didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits. They just carried on playing. The roof area above the Casa Lucio is covered with a sheet of clear plastic. This made it possible to stay with the monkeys even though the rain was very heavy. Lucio has been watching Maniña. Maniña is a Casanova he loves to kiss the ladies. Today was Lucio’s turn to woo the ladies. He repeatedly put a big wet smacker on his human mother’s lips and anyone else he could grab hold of. It is difficult to avoid his lips, whilst he is pulling your hair tightly, me Tarzan you Jane fashion. The highlight of the morning was undoubtedly the action with the little white poodle. He is now a regular visitor with Lucio’s family. He provides a lot of entertainment by allowing the monkeys to ride on his back. We have some video footage of this rodeo, and I hope one day I can put this material up on the blog. At times this is rodeo style with him trying to dislodge his rider and the monkeys trying to hang on. The visit lasted for about 4 hours and finally everyone was exhausted with the games and the rain. The humans got ready to leave for home and the monkeys played on.
Top and middle photographs show Schatov on the two new swings. Bottom picture shows Moñito and Lucio resting between games.