Happy New Year! It’s that time of year again: those first invigorating days of January, when we take stock of where we’ve come and where we’re going—and make the plans to get us there. At the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary, we’ve avowed some goals of our own and we look forward to accomplishing them all in 2014! [teaserbreak]
One of our major goals for this year is to build a brand new clinic on our property. We are a humble operation with a small office and treatment room on site—but with the addition of more than 120 new primates in the last year and a half, we’ve outgrown our existing space. The addition of a new clinic will help us better treat the primates on a day to day basis, and monitor those who suffer from serious health conditions over a longer period of time. We never know when the monkeys will need our medical help, but we’ll be ready when they do.
A new year also means it’s ‘out with the old, in with the new!’ We have great enclosures for the primates around the Sanctuary, but a few of them could use some updating. This year, we will replace many aging shelters and climbing structures in a number of our enclosures with updated designs of sturdier material. These structures undergo a lot of wear and tear from the monkeys, which is certainly to be expected; they’re not only used as shelter, but as a source of entertainment. Despite being well-built, after a few years of intense monkey play, they do need to be replaced. New structures mean safer, more comfortable homes for the primates.
Road repairs will also be crucial for us at the Sanctuary this year. Since we live in a rather rugged terrain, our roads take quite a beating. Often, after a heavy rain, it’s difficult for us to travel the property to feed the primates—but with new road base and proper drainage, those problems will be a thing of the past.
We have high expectations for what the Sanctuary can achieve in 2014. With the help of our friends in Texas and our supporters from around the country, we’re confident that we’ll make this the best year yet for the primates in our care!
For the primates,
Tim