Matilda Makes A Tentative Approach For Friendship To Sweety
Sweety, a bonnet macaque about 15 years old, has been kept as a captive pet since a baby, when she lost her arm in an accident. Although she has always been well looked after, first by her original rescuer, and then by kind animal people, she has never had the opportunity to meet and associate with any other monkeys , or even have a monkey friend, such interaction being so important in a monkeys life. Coming to the primate trust, we hoped we could encourage her to lead a fuller life, with her own species. Matilda, who lost her companion this year, and has resisted all attempts to find her a new friend from our residents, we also hoped, might just get on with her, to help them both.
Matilda And Sweety
With some trepidation from us humans, she was bought to the Tree House, but it seemed her human carers were far more worried about her reaction to the close proximity of so many monkeys, and new dogs dashing about etc, than she was! She hardly skipped a beat at her new surroundings, and was quite happy to immediately try out all the exotic fruits and vegetables that our own residents are so spoiled at having here. So settled was she, that we took her for a garden walk, which she seemed to enjoy, and then cautiously to meet Matilda. She was rather tentative at first, of meeting a monkey face to face, but Matilda had the sense to take it slowly, and soon won her over, to the point where for the first time since a baby, Sweety knew what it felt like, to be groomed by monkey fingers.
It is early days yet, but after just a few meetings, Sweety is now grooming Matilda, so hopes are high for getting them together to share a pen, and a happy ending for both. Monkeys are notorious for being argumentative and stroppy, so we will be taking it slowly to avoid a “fall out” in these early days, which could be over the tiniest thing, like whose apple pip that is!
Taryn And Raj
Some help this month from volunteer Taryn, who braved the monsoon rains to give us a hand. She proved to be a real hit with Raj, who just couldn’t wait for his walk and cuddle, and this was undoubtedly the highlight of his day.
The loss this month of one of our original dog rescues, Chickoo, through old age, we shall all miss her of course, but also the monkeys, many of which she played endlessly with as babies.
