By Vicky Shoemaker

Part 1

I have had monkeys for 12 years. We started with Kirsty who came from a dirty old livestock auction. We were there to buy saddles for resale (we’d tried to buy and sell horses but that was too depressing – a good home does not always mean a good home and “sound” doesn’t always mean healthy!). I never forgot the monkey I’d met when I was small and dreamed of having one “just like that one” (ha). I couldn’t get hubby to bid – I’d just got him used to dogs and horses! The guy who was selling Kirsty passed because he could only get $50 (I said it was an old dirty livestock auction – what do cowboys want with a monkey? – kidding cowboys!) This gave me time to talk hubby into a new adventure. We got Kirsty (who we thought was “Kirby” at the time) for what we had in our pockets – $80. We had no idea what monkeys sold far and this was hard times for us. I can assure you that if we’d known what it costs to keep a monkey, hubby never would have gone for it! ha Kirsty was sweet as could be until we went to put her in the back of the truck (hubby wouldn’t go for putting him/her in the front with us). Well, first thing Kirsty did was to give hubby a few good bites. Hubby was fit to be tied but we got Kirsty in the camper. I think this was the first time he’d ever been bitten by an animal – at least, the first in a long time. She was all bones so we stopped at a store and bought her a carrot cake which she “inhaled”. Now that we know about monkeys I realize that it is amazing that she didn’t take lots of opportunities to escape. I can only think that this was our fate and nothing was going to change it. On the romantic side maybe Kirsty knew who we really were before we ever did! We weren’t sure what was underneath the pillow case corners that were attached to her hands by rubber bands but when we finally looked the next day, we were horrified. Kirsty had gangrene on many of her fingers and the flesh was eating away to expose bone. I couldn’t believe she was not screaming in pain but she wasn’t. This was a weekend but we set out on our search for a vet – rude awakening in a long list of obstacles … finding a vet who will see primates. The first we called told us he would confiscate it and give it over for experiments (I kid you not). I realize now what he was up to but I will never forgive him. We’d explained the situation and I know he thought we had gone to an exotic auction and purchased a monkey. The thing is that a monkey could have died because of him. I realize he felt it was better off dead than being a pet but he shouldn’t advertise to seeing exotics if that is how he feels. Anyway, we finally found a vet (2 hours away) and he fixed Kirsty’s hands. He had to remove a few finger parts but after 10 days her hands looked great compared to what had been there. This vet led us to The Simian Society of America, thank goodness. We learned the correct diet, health, environment, etc. The weird “fate” deal was that a few months earlier a friend of my sister had a cage to sell (cheap) and we’d bought it. Turned out they’d had a capuchin monkey for years but lost him. The cage was sitting empty so when they heard we liked animals they thought we might have a need for it. We got it planning to put “whatever” in it – never planning to put a monkey.

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By Anita

Pookie, my 5 yr old Java Macaque and Alex our 31/2 yr old Spider like to liven up our weekends for us.

I suppose it was Alex’s turn to start and he had spent a good deal of his time Saturday swingin on his swing. Later I go in to see them and what did I find but half of my clothes in the floor of his cage! He had managed to bang a hole in the wall inside of his cage and one in the wall of our closet. When he got tired of swinging he decided to pull my clothes through the holes and lined the whole floor of his cage with them!

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By Walt

I had taken the day off from work the day that we planned to do the work on Scotty’s teeth and the doctor who was doing the work had closed their office to be sure that they would have plenty of time with no interruptions to finish the work. Their were 4 people working on Scotty for 4 hours. I had to put him down before I ever left home with him. He would have never allowed someone other than myself to give him the shot he had to have. He was soooo funny. I gave him the drugs and he was drunk in just a few minutes. He came outside and staggered to the car getting in his seat. I placed theseatbelt on him and to the doctors office we went. I pulled up next to some police officers who freaked out when they saw Scotty, they looked again and then raced up to make sure they were not seeing things. Scotty was obviously drugged and they could tell it.

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By Walt

To begin with I worked at a small zoo and one of my duties was to care for all the needs of the primates. Scotty was just a few weeks old and the decision was made to remove him and hand raise him. It was my duty to tranquilize the parents and go in the enclosure and remove Scotty. I did this without my heart in it because I knew I was pulling a family apart. I carried Scotty home that night and all he did was hide in the very back of his carrier. I made no attempt to push myself on him and allowed him to decide when he wanted to accept me. After three days he screamed and ran form his carrier and attached himself to my leg where he remained for the most part of the day. Luckily I was off that day. After only two weeks, I returned Scotty to the zoo area where his parents were he just hugged me and his parents acted as if they did not know who little Scotty was, he never looked back. He did have an older sister at the zoo who I would bring home from time to time and let them play and they bonded quite well.

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By Walt

When Scotty was about 2 year I had an occasion to take him with me to a construction company in order to work out some plans on some new enclosures. As usually Scotty was the center of attention. He came into the building and went around to all the employees to see what they were doing. He soon found a hard hat and put it on. The hat came down over his eyes and he was unable to see where he was going but he would not remove the hat. After he had run into several pieces of furniture and wall, he started walking erect with his hands out in front of him feeling for and obstacles that might be in his way. The entire office staff was laughing which only encouraged Scotty.

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By Sherry Freeman

It is 7 am and Benji is upstairs in bed with me…..I change his diaper and  take him downstairs and get him and sammy a mini muffin and take Benji into their bedroom where he and Sammy have their own  sleep cages. Sammy is in her cage and Benji is getting into his, with muffin in hand. I give Sammy her muffin and they will stay in their sleep cages till 9 or 10. I go in the kitchen and check all my email. I turn on the camera so I can see Sammy and Benji in their room….they are already back to sleep.

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By Donna Dozier

I’ve had Jessica since she was 11 days old. She just had her third birthday March 1. She is wonderful. She has her own bedroom. She also has an indoor-outdoor enclosure that she spends her day in. They are actually two large chain link dog runs, one inside and one outside with a doggie or (monkey) door in the middle. For her birthday, I got her another 6 foot run to attach to her outside cage.

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By Karen Hawkins

Atrocities occur and it is mandatory that people be held accountable for their actions. Wednesday, July 2,1997 I was in a local grocery store with my capuchin monkey, Mookie, shopping, as I have done for the past 2 years with him. While I patiently waited in the check-out line between two local woman, he was visiting a man (while still attached to the leash and myself as he is always ) accompanying several children (I am not sure if they were from a camp or where). I spoke to all of them and answered their questions pertaining to the work Mookie does. He became a part of our family at several weeks of age and turned 2 years old in April. I had been granted a permit from our State Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for him to be allowed into the state of Maine specifically to participate in therapeutic type endeavors.

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