At "Dolphin Corners" we have an animal orphanage
to assist animals that have been confiscated from the black market, abused,
abandoned, and their parents killed for food. A number of different species
of monkeys have fallen into our caring hands over the years. The rarest
and most bizarre monkey as of yet is the "Red Bald-Faced Uakaris" (C.
Calvus Rubicundus). These
monkeys are extremely rare and endangered,
so any help we get will do volumes towards protecting them. There are only
two Uakari monkeys that we know of in the world that are in captivity,
and they reside in the Los Angeles Zoo.
Amadeus Mozart |
"Amadeus Mozart"
A very loving one-and-a-half old female. Mistakenly,
we sexed Amadeus as a boy when she was a baby. It is very hard to sex these
monkeys at such an early age. She is the dominant one of the group.
Click here to download a 1/2 minute video that represents
a plea for support from the Pink Dolphins and other animals of the Rainforest.
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| "Ludwig V.B."
Ludwig is more of a thinker, preferring to
keep to his thoughts until his monkey nature gets the best of him. Only
then will he play on his swing or on his striped hammock. Or if he likes
you, he may even steal your glasses. He is also one-and-a-half years old. |
Ludwig V.B |
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WITH YOUR DONATIONS YOU WILL BE "GIVING US THE PRECIOUS BREATH OF LIFE." THE INHABITANTS
OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST THANK YOU!
Here is Amadeus at two weeks old and Ludwig
at only one week old in their plastic box, that can be cleaned easily (see
photograph to the right). Roxanne had to feed them every two hours to ensure
that they would live. She also put the plastic box in her bed at night
to listen for any complications that could have arisen. When she took them
out of the box to feed them milk from a bottle, just as a human would feed
their baby with a bottle, they were comforted by the nourishment and Roxanne's
heartbeat. As they got older and didn't need to be fed every 2 hours, we
put a ticking wind-up clock in their sleeping quarters to simulate the
beating of a heart as a comforting device. As you see above, the monkeys
are doing just fine. |
Amadeus and Ludwig |
Because this shy and sensitive species of monkey is extremely difficult
to raise, Roxanne thought it necessary to sleep with them for two weeks
so they could hear her heart beating, as they would with their mothers.
Roxanne learned this technique years ago while working at the Lincoln
Park Zoo Nursery in Chicago, Illinois. Roxanne also had to feed the monkeys
every hour on the hour. The reason they came to "Dolphin Corners" Animal
Orphanageis because our neighbors, the Jivaro Indians, ate the mother and
fathers because the uakari is a traditional food item they have eaten for
generations. ISPTR doesn't want to interfere with their traditions, but
we also don't want species such as the uakari to go extinct. The uakari
is on the "extinction" list by C.I.T.I.E.S. There is a delicate balance
we are trying to achieve that will sustain all life for generations to
come. |
Tinker Bell D. |
"Tinker Bell D."
Tinker is a rollicking, little one year old
female who prefers her milk in a bowl as opposed to a baby bottle. This
mode of drinking gives her a nice sized "milk-beard." She loves to be brushed
until her coat is smooth and silky. We think she's a little vain, and we
love her very much. |
| "Sebastian Shatzy"
This little guy is only four months old. He
is so full of energy and life that we nicknamed him "Duracell" because
he can't sit still for even a moment. Shatzy came to us in January 1998
when he was dropped by his mother, who was being hunted at the time for
food. How sad the mother must be to lose her baby this way, if she is still
alive. |
Sebastian Shatzy |
| What makes the "Red Bald-Faced Uakaris" different from
other monkeys?
"Let's just say they are very different from
other monkeys," remarks David Olive, the 24-hour medical clinic doctor
and official uakari caretaker. He is their surrogate father, having raised
them from a young age. They are more human-like than most monkeys in that
they are not as destructive. In addition, they have only a stump where
their prehensile tail should be as they are a New World monkey. This means
that they climb exclusively with their hands and feet, which can often
be difficult to tell apart. |
A female wooley monkey
licking the salt off
of Al Hodgson's neck
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| Just imagine a monkey about two-and-a-half pounds,
covered with long red hair except the face, with a short stumpy tail that
wags like a dog when excited, and is full of energy producing all kinds
of interesting chirps, clucks, and whistles to demonstrate itself. They
may even rear up on their feet and walk up to thirty paces. "Not your average
monkey," observes David.
What do these Uakaris eat?
Unfortunately, these monkeys never had the
chance to be raised by their mothers in their natural environment. In human
hands, they choose to eat what we eat and refuse traditional monkey goodies
such as caterpillars, insects, etc. Some of what they eat includes, celery,
fresh greens, green string beans, corn on the cob, raw sweet potatoes,
apples, oranges, bananas, hard bread, some seeds, and some near-ripe fruit.
They love milk and baby powder formula as a wake-up and bed-time treat.
Water is always in demand in the hot, humid jungle. We still experiment
with foods they might eat out of our supplies. We're trying to raise them
the best we can with the little knowledge and financial resources we have.
Each monkey costs about $35 a week to properly feed and care for them.
We now have a fifth male monkey named Franz Litz that was brought to us
at one-month-old, during our children's annual "Dolphin Olympics" held
July 1, 1998. It costs us $175 a week to feed these five monkeys. Our success
has been very good as we have not lost a uakari for almost two years.
Click here for information about adopting
an animal.
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