Abu

Abu, a bonnet macaque, arrived in 2000 when he was five years old. He has a sad story with a happy ending. Abu was purchased as a baby from the state of Arizona. Hand raised and kept as a house pet in California, his life as a pet primate was all he knew.

He relied on his owners to care for him.

When Abu bit a family member, he was put out in the backyard in a tool shed. Dark, cold and alone for five terrible months. The owner called Ventura County animal control and stated that the monkey had been abandoned, no-one was there to feed him and the man doing the calling stated he was leaving town and could the animal control do something with this monkey.

The animal control called a sanctuary in CA. There was no room for him there, so TAOS was contacted and I volunteered to take him. I contacted the animal control in CA, told who I was, and asked for the monkey's history, age, and his story. I also asked what kind of monkey is it? I was told the shed was so dark the monkey could barely be made out, no telling his species.

For 5 months Abu was left in a shed, never cleaned, barely fed, alone in the dark. No heat, no blanket, no stuffed animals, no nothing. Abu is undernourished, weighs only eight pounds. His face and skin were snow white from lack of any sunshine or daylight. He arrived anemic.
I have him on a good diet, steamed squash, cooked beets, bananas, peanuts, and apples are his favorites, so far. He does not eat monkey chow, I doubt he ever had any. I will keep coaxing him with it in hopes he might take a bite and find he likes it.

Because of the current health scare it is getting more costly to rescue macaques. Abu had to come by private charter. The airlines are refusing to take macaques at all. The cost to get him here from CA was $690. People should think of this. Their animals will be euthanized if unwanted and a macaque. How can money be raised to save these guys at this price?