Stan Lee, Primate Fan

Photo from Wired

I don't know how I missed this news back in June, but apparently Stan "The Man" Lee is a fan of primate conservation. He, together with Dean Haspiel, contributed a strip to the online anthology Panels for Primates which benefits the  Primate Rescue Center in Kentucky.

The Primate Rescue Center states that its mission is "to alleviate the suffering of primates where ever it occurs". It provides sanctuary for 11 rescued chimps and 40 monkeys but its work doesn't end there. It also educates the public about the plight of apes and monkeys, encourages compliance with laws and welfare statutes, and works to end the trade of primates both in the United States and world wide.

Rhesus macaque at the Primate Rescue Center

Stan Lee at 88 seems to have more energy than a young macaque. He the guest of honor at every comic book convention I even think about attending, which I believe must put him on the road more days out of the year than even Bob Dylan. How did he come up with the time to team up with Mr. Haspiel for this strip? I can only guess that Mr. Lee must truly care about primates. Which is terrific, because now I'll have something to talk to him about if I ever end up in a convention center elevator with him.

Wordless Wednesday featuring a New Born Squirrel Monkey

Monkey Trouble Update

A while back I posted news about an infant squirrel monkey that was being hand-raised where I work. Holiday was incredibly tiny and needy, not to mention cute and very fragile! Well, I am happy to report that she is now four months old, still tiny and needy and cute, but decidedly less fragile! In fact, she is a ball of fire, jumping around so fast that I took about 30 photos before I got one where she didn't look blurry.

Unfortunately, she is also extremely habituated to humans and so can't go back to her troop. She will become an outreach monkey, kind of an ambassador for her kind. And for anyone who thinks that her cuteness translates into her becoming a pet, all I can say is: Don't try this at home! Just imagine having an infant so tiny that she could be eaten by a passing cat, get her hand inside an electrical outlet, or literally climb the walls. Oh, and did I mention the tiny razor-sharp teeth? Or the fact that, smart as she is, she is incapable of ever being potty trained? Thank goodness that one of our co-workers was able to put most of her life on hold for the last 4 months to raise her properly!

In the mean time we have had another baby squirrel monkey born. And

this one is getting even better care... from her monkey mom.

Monkey Trouble!

Usually my job as a zoo keeper is pretty mundane: scrubbing food dishes, chopping vegetables and fruit, raking up hay, getting pooped on, etc. Of course, there is always the chance that something might bite me, but in fact I get along with my animal charges pretty well so that seldom happens. Once in a while though, we have a real challenge. 

Now is one of those times. One of 

our squirrel monkeys gave birth unexpectedly to a tiny female. Unfortunately, she rejected the baby. We tried to foster the infant with another female, but she wasn't able to produce any milk. So now it's our turn to play mom! 

It isn't easy. She needs to eat every couple of hours, day and night. She needs a specialized formula, and must have a stuffed animal to cling to at all times because in the wild, squirrel monkeys carry their infants at all times. The babies continue to nurse for 6 months and stay with their mothers for a year. So raising a baby monkeys is no easy task!