Houdine snacks on prickly pear.109°F in the shade: Check!
Heat index of 117°F: Check!
Ground temperature of 151°F: Check!
It’s August at the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary. Most areas in south Texas have turned a ragged brown and gray as occasional “dust devils” dance across heat-stressed ranchland.[teaserbreak]
Despite the often oppressive heat, this is the season for splashing in the ponds and water troughs, playing in the sprinklers, and enjoying the cooling effect of the misters placed on many of the enclosures.
While staff pours on the sunscreen and sweats their way through the long days, the monkeys make the very most of their time. Sitting quietly in the shade resting or grooming during the hottest periods, they explode into action for brief bouts of chase, to jump in a pool, or to play in one of the many sprinklers we turn on during the hottest time of the day. By far, the most loved activity is getting their fur wet and then climbing a tree or platform to let the breezes cool them off.
It’s also the time of year for several native plants to bear fruit. Prickly pear cactus produces a fruit referred to as “tuna” that is ready for eating when they’ve turned a dark purple color and staff has burned the thorns off. Sometimes, the monkeys in the large main enclosure can’t wait and will brave the thorns anyway, their lips sporting a bright purple lipstick.
Chucky enjoys spiny hackberry.Spiny hackberry (or granjeno as it’s known locally) offers up pea-sized orange berries containing a single large seed. Though small, they are fairly sweet, and we prune limbs heavily laden with the fruit and hand them out to the monkeys to enjoy. They carefully and deftly pluck the little bulbs from the spiny branches.
I often marvel at just how well-adapted the monkeys have become to life in the south Texas mesquite and how they make the most of every day, even in the brutal heat of August.
For the primates,
Tim
P.S. You can help the monkeys keep their cool by sending them gifts from our Amazon Wish List!