Scoop on Primates

Yesterday was a great day for my husband and I.  We met with Cheeta.  As a child I was fascinated by Cheeta, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I could meet him. Dan Westfall, Cheeta's care taker and founder of the C.H.E.E.T.A Primate Sanctuary , met us at the door, a big smile on his face.  He is gifted for putting people at ease and the passion he shows for the retired entertainment animals in his care is contagious. After a quick tour of the many Tarzan memorabilia and Cheeta's awards, we were introduced to Jeeter (Cheeta's grandson) and Squeakers.   Jeeters immediately filled up his mouth with water and showed immense pride when the almost got us wet.  He also ran back and forth making as much noise as he could, having serious fun. Squeakers displayed his strength by throwing a couple of barrels around his enclosure.  Then he quietly sat in the front as Dan stroke his fingers.  Both primates are incredibly beautiful, well cared for and impressive in size a...

Today in 1961, a chimpanzee named Enos was launched from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft.  See the video by clicking on the link below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwTiRu7T9es

BUAV (The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) released a report on November 24 in which it says Cambodia has been breaching International rules by allowing the capture and sale of macaques for the research industry. The report reveals that captured monkeys are kept in cruel conditions until being exported.   The BUAV has asked the Cambodian government to regulate the capture of wild animals and is urging the US and European Union to ban their import. Below is a link to the video and article. http://www.buav.org/e_projecty.php

Pygmy tarsiers found in Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The pygmy tarsier was thought to have been extinct since 1921, but it suddenly reappeared in 2000 when two Indonesian scientists trapping rats in Sulawesi accidentally captured and killed one of them. Since then, Sharon Gursky-Doyen, an anthropologist leading a research expedition for Texas A&M University, and her team have captured several.  They trapped the gremlin-looking creatures using nets and attached radio collars to their necks in order to track their whereabouts.  These tiny primates belong to the order primates, they weigh about 2 ounces, are able to turn their heads 180 degrees and have claws instead of nails.  Gursky-Doyen said the tarsiers were found on mountainsides above 6,000 feet, in damp, dangerous terrain.  The anthropologist is working on a paper that will shed light on the behavior of pygmy tarsiers and provide much needed data on their population. Gursky-Doyen also hopes that the I...

Read in the National Geographic News - On November 14, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) in Goma successfully rescued Mapita, a baby chimpanzee, from Congolese army soldiers who were mistreating her. For more information on the story, go the Virunga National Park blog at: http://gorilla.cd/category/chimpanzees/ ----------- Most touching - Chimpanzee Takes Care of White Tiger Cubs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuzUigpHjMU http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/bizarre&id=6501487 http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=123437&catid=82 ----------- Read in Wired Science - How Biology and Technology Shape Sex and War - see link below.  http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/11/qa-how-biology.html ----------- Jane Goodall's visit to Taiwan on November 24.  This article found in Taiwan News.   http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=796235&lang=eng_news

The goal of this blog is to share news about primates as they happen and as I find out about them. I have always been fascinated by primates and started volunteering at an exotic animal sanctuary about 2 years ago.  I have been working with primates for one and a half year now and the more I get to know personally some of these wonderful creatures, the more I learn about them, the more I want to share my fascination for them with others. I hope you will get interested and follow these primate stories as they unfold.