Christmas at the sanctuary begins like any other day: we prep medications, load up the food for our sections, and then head out to take care of the over 400 monkeys who depend on us no matter what day it is. Of course, after we are done dispensing medication, feeding the monkeys, cleaning enclosures, and prepping for the next day, we have to do something to mark the holiday! This year, one of our caregivers, Alison, wrapped presents for the monkeys. She made a variety of gifts; some were nuts in a small box, packed into a bigger box filled with newspaper, all wrapped up. When she ran out of boxes, the wrapping paper rolls themselves were filled with cranberry and used as-is.
Not every monkey will appreciate every gift. Just like prepping presents for human recipients, each monkeys’ personality and tastes must be considered. And, with monkeys, we have to also consider group dynamics and hierarchy. For one group of ten stump-tailed macaques, Alison scattered a mix of nuts, seeds, and cereal for the majority to forage for, while others gravitated towards the novel Christmas gifts she had prepared. The youngest stump-tail, Dewey, snatched a roll of wrapping paper away from the alpha male and ran off with it trailing behind him. He didn’t realize that the cardboard tube would fall out once it all unraveled, so he was left with an armful of paper while someone else got the tube containing the cranberry treats. Dewey wasn’t disappointed – he played with the paper as if it were the most fun he’d ever had!
Choosing a gift for Gilbert, one of the sanctuary’s long-tailed macaques, was easy. He unwrapped his gift to find a very fluffy blanket – one of his favorite things! He was so excited he hugged the blanket and lip-smacked (a happy, friendly gesture for macaques). Later, he could be found wrapped up in his beloved new blanket like a moth in a cocoon.
Baboons Elvis and Buddy had fun unwrapping their gifts! Photo: Born Free USA.[/caption]Baboons Elvis and Buddy had fun unwrapping their gifts! Photo: Born Free USA.[/caption]Buddy and Elvis, adolescent male baboons, certainly appreciated their gifts. That is, they appreciated being given things to rip and tear. The treats inside were a bonus, but the real present, as far as they were concerned, was the joy of destruction! The boys were given a giant box, which Buddy immediately opened and climbed into, then rolled around in until it was just flattened cardboard. They happily busied themselves with ripping up all of the paper and running around, spreading it everywhere. We will be cleaning up brightly colored confetti for the next week or more, but it will be worth it for the fun they had.
Another resident, 27-year-old Mrs. Wilkin, had no interest in the gift presentation. She looked inside her box and, when she only saw newspaper, gave us a look of disgust. Eventually, she figured out that there were also tasty treats in there and her mood improved considerably.
Of course, Christmas isn’t the only time that we give the monkeys fun things. Our enrichment team has a daily schedule detailing which monkey groups or individuals will get something fun or novel to enrich their lives. We rely on generous donors to provide us with the treats, blankets, mirrors, toys, and many other types of things to stimulate the monkeys’ minds and encourage natural foraging or investigatory behaviors. It is one of the best parts of day when we can see monkeys enjoying (or destroying) something that we made for them!
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Katie
