Introducing Eslabon

Eslabon came to Cañaote last Thursday the 2nd of August and we understand that he is one year old. He is physically fit and his coat is in good condition. He is taking his separation from his human family badly. He cried frequently on the first day. Now he is establishing a new bond to me and he is very demanding. He wishes to be with me all the time. This is frequently the case with children who have had strong relationship with humans before coming here. Of course I like to think that this is our specialty, caring for highly domesticated Howlers.

I see our task as twofold. Firstly the most painless transition to a new home that is possible. This, we try to achieve by keeping the monkey in close proximity to us. When a new monkey arrives they always have a home adjoining our house and where frequent contact with them is possible. If they are unhappy, we can hear them crying and go to them with love and support just as you would a human child. Usually on the first and subsequent nights we take them into our own rooms. This is necessary because as yet they will not have a companion. Howlers depend for warmth in the night by close proximity to another monkey. Sleeping alone is open to the danger of hypothermia.

Second part of our task is to settle the child with a suitable companion in a location designed for long term living.

Often our monkeys have never lived as monkeys. Rather they have been treated as small human children. We attempt to teach them the monkey life by giving them natural surroundings and suitable companions. All our enclosures are large and have real trees. Their food is as natural as we can possibly make it with fresh fruit and leaves brought in from the forest everyday in addition to a specially prepared balanced diet. At the same time these children have become accustomed to some human comforts and it would be mean to deprive them of these things on a matter of principal. For example, Howlers love hammocks and the more the better. They love boxes of all kinds and old top loading washing machines. In preparing a suitable home for Eslabon we had a special task of converting an old washing machine for him. This particular machine had been of high quality and the central spindle appeared at first impossible to remove. At first we thought we it too difficult but fortunately an engineer, who lives near us, saw our problem and came with suitable equipment and succeeded in removing the spindle. It now resides in Eslabon’s enclosure.
His enclosure is really quite crowded with furniture.
He has a large house with pillows and blankets. This has been specially constructed for him in Saman wood. It is a tall house with two soft doors so that he has easy access but at the same time stays warm. The walls are plastic coated to give him added comfort. Yesterday the farm was filled with the sound of the wood cutting machine and drills applying screws to his new house. He has a human size hammock as well as a small one. Numerous ropes and of course his washing machine.
His enclosure has been built in the corridor of our house in a location adjoining my bedroom. It also has a gated window to his outside garden, which has live trees as well as many bamboo walkways.
In the coming days we will be introducing him to a number of other monkeys. We will be looking for a suitable companion for him.

He is a charming and gentle monkey and I am certain he will be happy here.
Our top picture shows Eslabon testing out the bed in his house and the second picture shows him getting comfortable on my lap.

Schatov and Maniña tonight at late night supper

Top Maniña with Schatov center.
Who ever said that howlers are expressionless? Just look at that expression on Schatov's face. If that isn't a smile then I don't know what is. They have reason to be happy. A plate of fresh salad and a bowl of orange juice makes a light supper and not too heavy a meal before retiring for the night. Schatov as usual will sleep with Tutti in David's room. Tutti waits for him to arrive and makes happy noises when Schatov jumps on the bed. Schatov has become his big brother and he really does stand up for Tutti. Maniña always shares with me.
Talking about big brother, have you noticed how big these two boys are getting?
Lots happening here this week. We are completing a new enclosure and building a house for it. We have renovated an old washing machine for afternoon naps. Howlers love to sleep in old washing machines. Pictures of course when we have finished.
We received a call from a family in Maracuy, wishing to bring a young male howler to us but more about that if it happens.

Time flies when you are having fun.

We went to Manrique this week to visit Marco, Sussy and Vicky. This was a much overdue visit. I managed a few good pictures of Sussy and spent some quality time with her.
I had to admire Marco, who has become very adult and handsome. He was pleased to see me but I think more by reason of the gifts that I brought him than recognition. Unfortunately, time ran out and I was unable to get any good photographs of him and Vicky.

Tutti Italiano

Yes I know you saw the last posting and you know that Tutti and Rosita had an Italian meal but I thought you would like to see the elegance with which Tutti handles his spaghetti.

Tutti and Rosita are great pals

Last night Tutti (right) and Rosita shared an Italian meal. You see them busy eating cheese and spaghetti. Not a diet that I would recommend for a healthy Howler but as you can see they love the Italian flavor.
When Tutti arrived with us he was suffering from a vicious mite attack. This photograph is interesting because it shows the extent of the damage that the mite infection did to the hair on Tutti's head. This has been completely cured and there is now vigorous new hair growth.

Our Birthday honours list

It is difficult to give an exact date of birth for most of our children. They come from diverse locations. Some come from confiscation at the roadside and others come from good homes. But universally we cannot pinpoint the exact birthday or even year in some cases. It has been our policy at Cañaote to give everyone a birthday related to when they arrived here. Their arrival date is their birthday.

Emma 24/06/05
Eslabon 02/08/07 1 year old when arrived
Maniña 11/04/06 2 years old when arrived
MonaLisa 29/10/03 1 year and 9 months when arrived
Marco 17/12/03
Nancy 28/10/06
Rosita 14/07/06
Schatov 21/01/06
Sophie 12/02/04
Sussy 31/08/03 13 years old when arrived
Totto 17/06/06 ? when arrived
Tutti 09/06/07

If any one has more information about age or original date of birth, please mail me.

Totto and Sophie at home.

We don't often show pictures of Totto and Sophie together and perhaps it is not realized how Sophie has grown. From being a small monkey alongside Totto, she is now quite a large person. Truthfully we expected her to show signs of pregnancy by now but that hasn't happened yet. She is of course still very young. She has a complex mentality which we have found difficult to analyze at times. We will write more about her in another posting soon.
Our pictures tonight, show them both having just returned from Rosita's party.

Rosita's birthday party.

Well it all began quietly enough. Rosita stood at the door early looking at birthday cards. There was one from Sussy and another from Marco and Vicky. She was thrilled when William the delivery boy, brought in the birthday cake. She resisted the temptation to steal a bit from the side where the cream had overflowed slightly. She set the cake down on the big table next to the cucumber and salmon sandwiches. Taking their cue from her, all the guests started to arrive early. Totto was first in with Sophie on his arm. His coat was gleaming with good grooming. Obviously Sophie had helped him dress for the evening.
Schatov and Maniña were the next to arrive. Schatov was carrying a mysterious black bag. Whilst Maniña pressed a piece of half chewed biscuit into Rosita’s hand and said, ‘Happy birthday dear Rosita’.
MonaLisa arrived with Emma and Nancy; they were already wearing their party hats maybe the ones left over from Christmas.
Last of all came Tutti, he rushed up to Schatov because being very new he did not know any of the other guests. Since his arrival at Cañaote, Schatov has taken the little fellow under his wing.
Someone switched the player on and there was a gentle background of music against the chatter of conversation.
There were the usual assortment of party games and everyone was having a good time. After a time, Maniña stood up and announced that a famous magician called Shattering Schatov was here at the party and would do some tricks. At this point Schatov got up on the little stage and began to do some conjuring. His card prestidigitation has become quite famous. This all went fine until he said, ’for my next trick’, and proceeded to open the mysterious black bag he had been carrying all evening. Suddenly there was the incredible flapping of wings and Tweety Pie the Laurel bird emerged from the bag. Obviously confused and frightened, she began flying erratically around the room. First landing on the partly eaten cake, where she got a wingful of cream. As she continued her journey around the room she daubed this wing like a paintbrush on everything she touched. In an attempt to control the situation, Nancy threw a large piece of green jelly at the bird but missed. Unfortunately it hit Totto on the side of his face and he let out a roar. As he swiped the jelly of his face his hand hit the plate of jelly and it catapulted across the room, covering everybody in its path with jelly.
MonaLisa, with characteristic good sense said ‘calm down everyone, it was just an accident, Tissues and towels are available in the bathroom.’
Well everyone did calm down, which just goes to show what sensible folk howler monkeys are.
With lots of enthusiasm they all sang ‘Happy birthday dear Rosita’, and the assembled party began to drift towards the door.
‘It been a great party and thanks for having us’, said Sophie and the whole party echoed her sentiments.

Happy birthday Rosita

Rosita is one year old today. In spite of all our efforts she is still a small person. I have previously mentioned that she is a great eater. Because she is so slim, she is able to leave her enclosure at will. During mealtimes she visits all the other enclosures, (except Totto and Sophie) and joins in the meals. At first we suspected worms, but our tests show negative. Next we considered her diet, but this is a well balanced meal and she has a great appetite. Finally we have decided to stop worrying about it and accept that she is just a small person. Recently we noticed some hair loss on Emma, who lives in the same enclosure. After taking a careful look we discovered that she has fleas and her scratching has caused the loss of hair. We were able to shampoo MonaLisa and Rosita but Emma is aggressive and resistant to being washed and Nancy is very protective of her foster mother. With them we resorted to flea powder and we are waiting to see the result. In the meantime it made sense to separate MonaLisa and Rosita to another enclosure. Without any difficulty, Rosita changed her own abode to be with her foster mother, MonaLisa. They are inseparable, Rosita really loves MonaLisa.
Later today we think a party has been arranged for Rosita’s birthday but it is all being kept hush hush. More about that later. Our picture shows Rosita enjoying her birthday breakfast this morning.

Sussy on Vacatiion

Sussy is on vacation in Manrique, to see her foster son Marco and his wife Vicky. By the sound of things she is having a great time. You will remember that Manrique was Sussy's first home, before she came to live at Cañaote. Vicky by all accounts is pregnant, so I imagine that Sussy, having been a mother many times has good advice to give her.
Naturally we are receiving many post cards from Sussy saying 'wish you were here, the water is fine'.

Maniña has good table manners.

Howler monkeys are not known for their dexterity. Usually if a monkey interacts with human articles it is disastrous. Cups plates and pots go flying and usually end up broken on the floor. Monkeys live in trees and are not accustomed to handling human things. And that is the way it should be. However, from time to time one meets a Howler with exceptional skills. Maniña is one of those. Before he came to Cañaote, his owners allowed him the run of the house and took him out to restaurants. He is very sophisticated in human ways. He is emotional and has been known to sulk if he does not get his own way. He likes to embrace and to kiss if you will let him. He loves music and will encourage you to dance with him if he gets the rhythm. His idea of siesta is to curl up in a ball on your lap. He definitely has the human touch. He is skilled in table etiquette as you can see from our photograph. He is able to raise a cup or pot and lift it so he is able to drink out of it without spilling. He then places the cup back on the table without breaking it. Now that is clever.

Five thousand six hundred and thirty two dogs.

Last Sunday at about ten A.M. a procession of vehicles arrived at Cañaote and after a short period of organizing the car parking, the Asoguau Foundation ambulance arrived.
(A voice was heard from inside one of the enclosures, we think it might have been Maniña, ‘Oh no! Not again’).

Three Veterinary doctors and assistants as well as a support party came to carry out the neutering and spaying of dogs from the area. The ambulance has an electrical port on the rear for 220 volts, this we were able to provide.
Gabriela, our friend from Manrique also arrived and gave us great help on the organising side.
An invitation had been sent to all the local villages and farms, to bring their dogs for treatment. Eleven dogs were treated. In all cases the work went smoothly with no cause for concern. Looking back today in retrospect, we can say that all the dogs have been examined whilst giving them the follow up medication and all the patients were successful with no complications.

This is wonderful work that the Asoguau Foundation carry out and completely free of charge to the dog owners. A moment’s reflection shows that eleven dogs having eight puppies is eighty eight. Eighty eight having eight puppies is seven hundred and four and seven hundred and four having eight puppies is Five thousand six hundred and thirty two. And ………
We saved the world from being completely inundated with dogs.

At the end of the day the party relaxed for a while over a meal and then after our grateful thanks the party left for home near Valencia.

We are impressed with the professionalism and care and the shear hard work that the team showed. We made some new friends and are certain of future co operation with Asoguau Foundation. In particular we thank Nathalie, Roberto as well as Maria and Gabriela for making this visit possible.

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.