We would like to welcome the new members to
Monkey Tales.


Come meet the monkeys, see what they were,
who they have become and what they are up
to now.


This issue will introduce you to Linus,
Garner, Ginger and Pumpkin


Linus, a 5 year old Rhesus Macaque, is
a former illegal pet from New York, who
arrived in June 2001. His former owners
were given 10 days to get rid of him or he
was going to be euthanized. Arrangements
were made for him to be surrendered to Mindy's.
Everything was going smoothly until Linus
arrived at the airport for his scheduled flight
and he was refused boarding. Linda was notified
that he was not arriving on schedule and that
was all we knew. Linda and I spent countless
hours over the next few weeks worrying about
him and wondering if he was even still alive.
We later found out that he was being shuffled
around by various friends of his previous owner
while she found alternate transportation for him.
Linus arrived at the sanctuary after spending
several days in his cage while being transported
by truck. As there was to be no human contact
with him once he was loaded, all food and water
had to be placed in his cage before time. He
also needed to wear a diaper. Needless to say,
he ran out of food and water at some point.
There was no way for him to understand he
had to make his food last. He arrived extremely
hungry and thirsty, wearing a soggy diaper.
Getting him to eat was no problem, he ate
everything that was given to him, including
3 bananas. His little belly was bulging. When
Linda went to check on him that night and
bring him a clean towel to sleep with, she
found him curled up on a chair. He took the
towel from her and went back to sleep. For
the first time in his life he was lulled to
sleep by the sound of crickets. The following
week, when the vet arrived to check him out,
as well as to vasectomize him, (Mindy's will
not allow anyone to breed) we found out that
he had an upper respiratory infection. He
was going to have to stay in the quarantine
enclosure, isolated, for an even longer period
of time. Despite his ordeal, this sweet monkey
is doing just fine. You can view a picture of
Linus on his arrival day sitting in a chair,
just like a little human. Also shown is one
that was taken after he started to climb and
act just like a monkey should.


Garner is a 7 year old Java Macaque who arrived
in October 1998. He is another former pet whose
owners found that caring for him was too much
of a responsibility. They did, however, opt to
drive here from Iowa so they could say their
final goodbyes at his new residence. After they
left he stared out the window and cried for days.
Garner was very small for his age. New plans had
to be made as to where to house him as he was
too small to be placed with the monkeys Linda
originally had in mind to be his cagemates. It
was decided that he would be kept in an indoor
cage with outdoor access along with Tasha, a
Lesser Spot-Nose Guenon. He was a rowdy,
hyper little monkey and was a lot for Tasha to
put up with. One of his favorite activities was
stealing her blanket and taking it outdoors.
Tasha was able to help Garner with his
socialization skills. By the following summer
he had grown enough to be placed with the
larger monkeys. They have all become a family.
They depend completely on each other. Garner's
former owners have not abandoned him, they do
contribute for his care and well being.


Ginger is a Rhesus Macaque, who was still a
baby when she arrived being only 16 months
old. She was turned in from The Pet Den, in
Glen Head New York, along with Phoebus, a
Java Macaque, in March 2001. The pet store
employee who was responsible for monkey
care stated that Ginger was not her favorite,
she liked Phoebus better. After being exploited
as a form of entertainment and put on display
when not being used, Ginger is finally enjoying
life. When she first arrived she was very
aggressive. She now spends her days playing
chase games, climbing, grooming and being
groomed by her cagemates. Ginger was thrilled
when Pumpkin arrived with all of his toys, and
immediately picked out her favorite. A purple
riding toy that she really made work for her.
At Mindy's she is valued for her life as an
individual and not as a commodity.


Pumpkin is a 7 year old Java Macaque, who
arrived in June 2001. He was originally a
resident of Back To Nature Wildlife Refuge
(http://www.btn-wildlife.org) in Orlando
Florida. He had been confiscated at 3 years
old, from an Orlando owner who did not
have a proper license. After he had been at
the sanctuary for 2 years, it was decided
that it was in his best interest to be with
other monkeys. This was not an easy
decision to reach as he was loved very
much by his caretakers. Three women drove
straight through, for 24 hours from Florida to
Oklahoma, bringing all of his toys with them.
They wanted to make the trip as stress free
as possible and also to make sure he was going
to be safe here. If they were even the least
bit apprehensive after meeting Linda and
checking out the sanctuary they were going to
take him back to Florida with them. They were
thrilled to see his large enclosure, which
was much larger than he was accustomed to.
When they saw how well he was getting along
with the other monkeys they knew the right
decision had been made. He very quickly
figured out that the best seat was in between
2 other monkeys. This way you can get groomed
on both sides at the same time. Instead of
the tears Pumpkin's former caregivers had all
anticipated when they left, they left with
smiles. They contribute towards his care in
the form of rakes, cleaning supplies etc.


WHAT THEY ARE UP TO NOW


When Pumpkin arrived, he already had a
nickname of Pumpy. This lead to this troop
being called the Pumphouse Four. They get
along remarkably well, considering that they
are 2 different types of macaques. Ginger is
always bossing Linus around, and makes him
squeal like a baby. He is still very immature
and will throw handfuls of woodchips behind
him, like an angry bull pawing the ground
when he does not get his own way. Pumpkin,
as the head honcho of the troop, does not
take any sass from anyone. Garner is very
quiet, and minds his own business, but can
hold his own when necessary. Garner and
Pumpkin can usually be found close to each
other, and spend a lot of time grooming.
Ginger and Linus are always swinging and
climbing. Ginger likes to go off by herself
for some quiet time either in her house, or
sitting in a barrel. They seem to all respect
each others need for quiet time.


SANCTUARY WISH LIST

Rice
Jelly
Raisins
Craisins
Stamps
Juicy Juice
Basket Balls
Peanut Butter
Raw In Shell Peanuts
Scrub Brushes (round, with handles and nylon
brushes, they are sold in Walmart's)


WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE EVERYONE AWARE
OF TWO WEBSITES THAT YOU CAN VISIT ON
A DAILY BASIS AND WITH A SIMPLE CLICK
YOU CAN DONATE FOOD TO SOME HUNGRY
PRIMATES.


Join Care2.com's Race For The Primates
http://primates.care2.com where on a daily
basis you can help protect chimpanzees,
gorillas, bonobos and other endangered
primates supported by the Jane Goodall
Institute. By registering, you can keep track
of your donations as well as invite friends
to join the race. While there, you can also
participate in races for The Oceans, Big
Cats, The Rainforest and Pets In Need.


At RedJellyFish, http://www.redjellyfish.com
a simple click allows you to donate 1/2 of a
cup of food to a hungry primate. While there,
you can also preserve The Rainforest.


PHOTOS OF ALL THE ABOVE MONKEYS AND
THEIR FRIENDS CAN BE VIEWED AT
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/monkeytales
Mindy's has the largest enclosures of any
Primate Sanctuary, complete with wooden
shelves and perches for the monkeys to sit
on and climb to. Please bear in mind that
many of the pictures are taken at an angle,
as the monkeys can be sitting as high as
15 feet up in the air. This could make the
enclosures look smaller than they actually
are.


ALL RESIDENTS OF THE SANCTUARY ARE
AVAILABLE FOR SPONSORSHIP, FOR DETAILS
VISIT THE MINDY'S WEBSITE


For photos that can be sent as greeting cards
which will help promote the sanctuary, please
visit:

Specific Holiday Greeting Cards
http://pictures.care2.com/welcome/118046932
Photos of all of the Residents
http://pictures.care2.com/welcome/824159902


Other albums that you might find interesting:

Missybelle before Mindy's
http://pictures.care2.com/welcome/484014251
Missybelle at Mindy's
http://pictures.care2.com/welcome/963449033
Lorraine's November 2002 visit to the sanctuary
http://pictures.care2.com/welcome/768443115
2002 Toy Drive
http://pictures.care2.com/welcome/988295082


HOW YOU CAN HELP

If you have a website consider adding a banner
to link directly to Mindy's.


When shopping online, please check and see if
the store you will be making your purchases
from is listed with http://www.igive.com If it
is, and you choose Mindy's as your charity of
choice the sanctuary will receive a portion of
purchase donated, at no cost to you. The
amount donated varies by store.


For your convenience donations can be made
online using the PAYPAL link on the Mindy's
homepage, http://www.mindysmem.org You
can make a donation to the Building Fund to
help raise funds for housing future residents.
This fund was created after funds were not
able to be raised quickly enough to rescue
Ben and Norman before they were sold back
into research. You can also donate to the
Mindy's general fund.


If you know an animal lover and don't know
what to give as a gift, we have the solution.
Send a donation in their name and we will
send a card letting them know that you
have made the donation.


INFORMATION PROVIDED BY
LINDA BARCKLAY
DIRECTOR
Mindy's Memory Primate Sanctuary
P.O. Box 134
Newcastle, OK 73065
http://www.mindysmem.org
mindysmem@...


WRITTEN BY JOANNE CHRISTIE-SHPAK
Please Visit My Website
http://www.amomentintimedonations.freeservers.com
where you can explore several wildlife sanctuaries
including Mindy's. There are also links to various
Click To Donate sites, which are done at no cost
to you. You can also find Helpful Organizations,
Websites Of Interest, Quotes and a collection of
Animal Poems, an Animal Story as well as ways
to help your favorite cause.


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