Scoop on Primates

My husband and I just returned from Mexico where we spent a week in the Yucatan jungle playing with orphan spider monkeys at a sanctuary in Riviera Maya called " The Jungle Place ". The sanctuary is home to seventeen spider monkeys, all rescued and raised with love by founders Heidi and Joel.  This couple's enthusiasm and passion for spider monkeys is contagious and one cannot spend time with them without soon becoming their friends. Spider monkeys are slender with long limbs, small faces, beautiful brown or grey/blue eyes and a long and strong prehensile tail that helps them keep their balance as they move from branch to branch in the canopy of the rain forest where they live.  Their coarse fur varies in color from gold brown to red to dark brown or black.  Some have a white patch on their belly.  They have four fingers on their hands (the thumb is just a tiny stump) but they do have a thumb on their feet.  Males and females do not differ much in size (a...

School teachers!  Help us raise awareness on the plight of the great apes & monkey species endangered due to poaching, deforestation & illegal pet trade. Contest open to: children 5 to 10 years of age Dates: September 1 through September 30 1 st Prize: Framed Bee picture 2 nd Prize: Plush monkey 3 rd Prize: Book Rules :  Drawings must be 8.5 x 11 in size and r epresent a monkey or great ape . Indicate child’s first name, age at bottom of drawing. Indicate name and address of school also at bottom of drawing. The best 10 submitted drawings will be featured on the SCOOPONPRIMATES blog. Prizes will be awarded on October 15 and sent to the school teacher. Email your drawing to: sylnande@ymail.com

As I did last year, I want to celebrate International Primate Day, this September 1 and invite you to do the same. Primates come in a lot of shapes and forms.  They live in many diverse countries and form societies with very specific rules. When I mention to people that I spend my weekends caring for primates, I usually get two reactions: a smile or a grimace; yet everyone does ask questions and seems genuinely intrigued.   I find it fascinating that most humans seem to be divided into those who respect primates and those who dislike them.  Seeing ourselves in primates can be a source of awe and wonder or a nasty reminder that we may not be as special as we would like to be. International Primate Day is about awareness on the sad plight of a lot of primates in the world. According to the IUCN report (2008-2010), there are 25 primate species currently on the brink of extinction - these include lemurs, gibbons, gorillas, bonobos, guenons and of course orangutans. ...