Monkey trio

18januari2012
Source: aap.nl
At the end of September a remarkable monkey trio arrived at the Stichting (Foundation) AAP: a Hamadryas baboon, a crab-eating macaque and a mona monkey. The three had lived together in one cage for years, despite their very different species.
In the monastery on Cyprus where the monkeys had lived, the monks thought that all monkeys can be housed together in harmony. However, each monkey species has its own language and habits. The situation is comparable to housing three people together who speak different languages and have different lifestyles! Despite the monks’ good care, living together was stressful for the animals. AAP and the Cypriot animal protection agency ARC arranged to have the primates moved to Almere, in the Netherlands. As soon as possible after their arrival the animals were placed with others of the same species. A home for the Hamadryas baboon has already been found. After a short stay at AAP, she’ll join two other baboons of the same species at Lakeview Monkey Sanctuary.

According to David van Gennep, director at AAP, lack of human knowledge often leads to unintentional animal suffering. When housed alone, for example, group animals can become bored and exhibit deviant behaviour; the wrong kind of feed can induce diabetes, obesity and permanent growth defects. AAP sees these kinds of problems regularly in exotic animals that have been kept as house pets. AAP hopes the members of the monkey trio can enjoy a healthy and stress-free future.