Category: living with monkeys

By Mary Lynn Campbell

fire safety plan with monkeys
Silly Willy, one of the special loves in my life.

How to prepare for a possible fire in our home when we have monkeys?  On Monday, before Thanksgiving of 2014, I had some friends that awakened to this happening to them. When I spoke to my friends the next evening after the fire, one of the first things that the man of the house said to me was, “I have always been afraid of a fire breaking out and how in the world would we be able to get all of our animals out.” This statement was what made me know that I had to write a blog post about this subject.   Please take a moment to send this family of four some much needed prayers. Even though their were no humans that lost their lives in this fire (which is certainly a miracle), they did lose 2 monkeys from their troupe. We know that it will take a very long time for them to recover from this trauma filled experience.  Many of the animals who were lost in the fire had been with them for years and years. Thank you everyone.

So, let’s talk about things that we can do to be more mindful of what we could do in case this type of thing happens to you or me. Let’s go to the famous “Safety First” lists.

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By Mary Lynn Campbell

monkey home escapes

What to do when your monkey gets out of it’s cage at home?

  • Pray that all doors and windows are locked and that Tiki is not at your house visiting!
  • Pray that there is nothing on the stove hot.
  • Pray that you will be home soon.
  • Pray that none of the neighbors come walking in to visit.
  • Pray that the monkey does not put something in the toilet and then flushes it.
  • Pray that the monkey does not wish to shave with a Bic shaver.
  • Pray that the monkey does not wish to write with a Bic pen too!
  • Pray that the monkey does not decide to cook spaghetti in the microwave and mixes it up on the kitchen floor.
  • Pray that the monkey does not wish to put on make-up and eat it and then put it all over their face and hands and go running through your house which just happens to have light beige colored carpet in it.
  • Pray that the monkey does not wish to go and unlock the other monkey’s cages after it has just picked the lock of it’s own cage with a staple from one of the section of the Sunday newspaper.
  • Pray that you have time to examine your head about getting a monkey to begin with!

Yes,  these things and more have happened since I have had monkeys in my home.  I have seen everyone of these messy things happen and have also had to clean them up!

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By Mary Lynn Campbell

wedge-cap capuchin
Mary Lynn and Sophie Girl Who Is A Wedge-Cap Capuchin Monkey

Thank you for returning to read more about this important “Safety First” topic here on the Primate Care site. I thought that giving an overview might be helpful for you who will not be choosing to re-read the first part of this two part topic. In part one we were talking about what are some of the important things to think about and discuss with your friends and family if your monkey were to get away from your home. I shared many stories and proven ideas of things that can and will work for strengthening your odds of getting your monkey back home.

In this part of this topic I wanted to talk more about how the way our monkeys are kept affects what happens when they get away from your home.

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By Mary Lynn Campbell

lostmonkey

In this posting about “Safety First” we are once again talking about a topic that has a lot of emotional charge to it. There have been many times in my life that I have picked up the phone, or gone on line and read on Facebook that a monkey has gotten away. So let’s get started with some important information that could be very helpful for you or someone who you know that has a monkey that has gotten away.

I would like to think that because of my experience with this issue that this is one reason I have always been successful with getting a monkey back when it has gotten away. However, I know that it is not always the case with many people that I know.

There have been stories of monkeys getting out and being run over by cars on city streets and then others have been killed by dogs. There have been stories of people who have chased after monkeys for several days with them scampering away just as they were about to be caught. I even know a story of someone that got a call about their monkey being found and returned after 6 months.

Many of the above stories were in subdivisions, country settings, apartments and even some have been in the tropical forest and heavy vegetation around Florida. Monkey escapes can happen in all different types of living areas or types of accommodations that we are keeping our monkeys in. I think that it might be the best thing to start this “Safety First” subject by asking yourself some very important questions.

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By Mary Lynn Campbell

Monkey Stolen

Of course, we are still talking about “Safety First” in yet another posting. When I type the words (a monkey is stolen) it makes me have a sinking feeling in my heart. This is a subject that I do not like to talk about but it is yet another part of the “Safety First” topic that needs to be covered thoroughly. So let’s begin.

Recently, in the monkey circles on Facebook there was a family that had someone break into their home while everyone was gone, and take their young baby monkey. This actually was what prompted me to begin my first posting about becoming a “Safety First” type of monkey caregiver, here on the Primate Care site. It is important to us monkey caregivers to have well thought out plans formed in our minds if something devastating takes place with our monkeys.

I am so happy to report that the outcome was wonderful for this little monkey and it’s family. They used good judgment and choose to instantly kick into action upon finding the monkey was missing from it’s cage. They did many of the same things that will be listed here on our list. This story touched my heart and soul.

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By Mary Lynn Campbell

maggiewithcapuchins

We as monkey caregivers must live everyday with the knowledge that safety is the most important thing to be aware of with our monkeys. In choosing to follow Safety First monkey care-giving, when you are away from your home with your monkey, you will be able to relax and enjoy your time with your friends and family. I have found that peace of mind when it comes to monkeys is something that I must have at all times. So, it is very important for me to make plans ahead of time in order to know what I would do in case of a real emergency; such as a monkey is stolen, or one escapes, or even an accident, such as a bite or scratch happens involving another person.

A motto that I live by is to always choose to think about Safety First when planning the events or outings that I will be attending. These are just a few of the questions that I will ask myself before I say yes to taking the monkeys out: Is this okay to do with my monkeys? Will their safety be in prosody? Will anyone else be put in danger with what I am planning to do with my monkey? Will the temperatures be acceptable? Will there be pets that are not tethered?

The following information will always be here on this site for you and your loved ones to access if one of the above listed events takes place with your monkey. These are suggestions, of course, but I do know they have been tried and tested many times with a lot of people that have had to respond quickly to monkey emergencies.

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By Mary Lynn Campbell

maggiewithcapuchins

Due to the recent changes with the rules and regulations in many of our states across the country, the issue of keeping our monkey’s safe and under control has become very important.

When an accident happens and a monkey gets away or when something worse happens, the media is right on the story immediately. It is evidently big news to many but to us as monkey caregivers, we begin to think about what we would do if this happened to our beloved monkey. The next things that enters into our minds is what is another incident going to do to the already challenging situation that we have been dealing with due to fearful people and the activist who are working to push more regulations and changes for us monkey caregivers.

Are you using the proper safety procedures and equipment for your monkey?  Let’s find out!

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