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| Pearl |
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Many years go, I was involved with many discussion groups on the Internet, about any and everything concerning primates. Just like all lists, there is always a primate in need of a home for one reason or another and that is how Peaches came into my life. A woman listed her as available on the Internet and we corresponded for months before we decided to provide her with a home and made the long journey from Virginia to the Chicago area to pick her up. I don't think I will ever forget when we saw her living conditions. The home itself was clean, the owners nice enough. It was evident they did not have a clue to the requirements of housing a primate or general care. This little java girl had spent the last 5 years of her life living in a small iron parrot cage. The cage was filthy, her water bowl fouled and rusted and to make matters worse she had a child's toy size plastic tire hanging in the middle of her cage and the inside rim of the tire was her bed. The cage was also padlocked and so was she. She had a waist collar on that was locked. It was never adjusted, so Peaches grew and the belt didn't. The belt had to be cut off and she will always have permanent scars. She was filthy, she smelled, her hair was sparse from improper diet and she had muscle dystrophy from lack of space and exercise plus rectal problems from straining. Later it was determined she suffered from second hand smoke. I can't e be angry at these owners for their negligence for the simple reason they were not educated enough to even realize what they had done to this little primate. I believe she ate mainly canned fruits and monkey chow soaked in dirty water. She had no sunlight or freedom to go outdoors for five years. I believe a breeder sold her to a woman that kept her for a year and then she went to her new home, the parrot cage for 5 years and then to me. It took years to rehabilitate her so she could jump-climb-eat-grow hair and gain weight. She came to me as one of those tiny macaques that stay small. She was just 6 pounds. I don't think there is any such thing as a tiny macaque, just a malnourished one. Peaches stayed with us for years until our situation changed in 2004 and now she is fortunate to be able to spend the rest of her life (with my finacial support) at Mindy's Memory. I believe, when we are born, God gives us all certain jobs he will expect us to do and I do believe mine was this little primate with the big ole brown eyes. If I would not have gone to get her she would have perished in a house fire that occurred the following weekend after I picked her up because she would have been padlocked in her cell in the kitchen. Bottom line Primates and the Pet trade is a bad idea don't support it. -- Deb |
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