The longtail macaques who arrived from a research laboratory are making good progress. Although still cautious, the monkeys are visibly more relaxed in their new surroundings. They are playing with and chasing each other. There is a lot of play biting and grooming taking place which is so nice to watch. This week I have noticed that they are spending more time in the water. Many of them enjoy splashing around in the mud and water after their water troughs have been emptied. As a result, I have started to make mud puddles for them during the hot afternoons. They get very excited and gather around to drink, splash, or simply sit in the water.
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Exciting news on Maude and Elsie — this week we introduced them to three other monkeys who have been living in the neighboring enclosure to theirs. Over the past couple of months we had noticed a lot of affiliative behavior taking place between the two groups. So we let them all in together. There was a great deal of excitement and activity that afternoon, lots of grooming and playing. Maude and Elsie are clearly enjoying being with the other monkeys, who themselves had all lived socially and environmentally deprived lives prior to coming to our Sanctuary. Life for all these individuals has been further enriched by the additional companionship and stimulation group living provides.
Until next week,
Sarah