We would like to welcome all of 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 Abu, Suki and
Bonny


Abu, a Bonnet Macaque, arrived on 3/14/00, when
he was 5 years old. Abu was a former pet, who
depended on his human caregivers for everything.
He was treated as a member of the family until
he did what so many pet monkeys do. He bit a
family member. Then his life changed forever.
For the next 5 months he was kept in the
backyard tool shed. It was always dark, he was
cold and alone for the first time in his life.
The shed was never cleaned and he was barely
fed. He weighed only 8 pounds. A five year old
Bonnet Macaque should weigh at least 16 pounds.
His owner finally called animal control,
stating that he was going out of town and
abandoning Abu. They were told that they
should send someone out to do something about
the monkey. They immediately began searching
for a sanctuary. The first one had no room
for him. Linda was contacted and agreed to
take Abu. When she inquired what species he
was, she was told that the shed was so dark
they could barely make out the monkey. When
he arrived, his face and skin were white
from never seeing daylight or the sunshine.
He was also anemic. Now that he is being
fed a wonderful diet, with his favorites
being steamed squash, cooked beets, bananas,
peanuts and apples, he is doing wonderfully.
Now he weighs somewhere around 20 pounds.
He has grown into quite a handsome monkey.
Abu loves to sit 10-15 feet up in the air
atop his house surveying all of his domain.
His nickname is Mr. Personality. He does
have one very strange habit, he likes to
walk around with a dried banana peel
hanging out of his mouth.


Suki, a Bonnet Macaque, was retired from
Lehmann College in October 2001, when she
was 12 years old. She had spent her entire
life as a research monkey. She had been
born into research and was rejected by her
mother. When she first arrived at Mindy's
she could not get enough of sitting in the
sunshine. In fact, she spent so much time
sunning herself that she received a slight
sunburn on her pale face. Now her face is a
nice walnut color. When she first arrived,
if she became frustrated she would bite
herself and hit her face with her foot.
This behavior comes from being confined
in a small area without social contact.
She has adapted well to her new life. Now
that she can roam freely, climbing and
playing whenever she chooses to, she no
longer exhibits any odd mannerisms.


Bonny is a Bonnet Macaque, who arrived at
Mindy's in March 1993, when she was only
8 months old. She lost her home due to a
divorce. As a result of being taken away
from her mother at an early age, she
still sucks her thumb. Bonny and Suki act
like two little old spinsters. They just
love sleeping, grooming and laying out in
the sunshine. On windy days they can both
be found sitting in a barrel that has been
turned on its side.


WHAT THEY ARE UP TO NOW!

While Abu may only weigh approximately
20 pounds, he is a very strong monkey. He
has a muscle in each of his arms about the
size of a walnut, and just as hard. Linda
calls him her Popeye monkey. Abu is no
longer housed with Bonny and Suki, who are
very quiet monkeys. He is a very active
monkey and is now enjoying his new cagemates
Detroit, a Pig Tail Macaque and Sunshine,
a Barbary Macaque, who were featured in a
previous Monkey Tales issue. While it is
always in the monkeys best interest to be
housed with their own species, sometimes
they have different ideas. While they are
3 different species of monkeys, they get
along with each other. They spend many
hours running, jumping, playing, chasing
and grooming each other.

Bonny and Suki are enjoying the quiet
times they can now spend with only each
other. They no longer have to worry about
Abu when he would decide to shake things
up by running in a display that would have
them squealing and running in different
directions. When they would stop and look
around, he would be sitting there looking
at them. They are some of the quietest
monkeys at Mindy's. Unlike most of the
monkeys, they are not busybodies. While
Abu's enclosure is right next to theirs,
there is no interaction, they ignore each
other.


HELP US MAKE THE SECOND ANNUAL CHRISTMAS
MONKEY TOY DRIVE A SUCCESS!!

Wouldn't you like to help make a Monkey's
Christmas dreams come true? Our goal is to
collect at least one toy for every monkey
and one group toy for each enclosure. The
toys do not have to be new, just in good
condition. What many people do not realize
is that monkeys can enjoy the same toys
that human children do. All you have to do
is make sure that the toy is sturdy or
durable enough to be played with by a
strong child. For example, Fisher Price or
Playskool, busy boxes or riding toys make
excellent choices for them. They cannot be
something that can easily be taken apart.
As you are putting away all of the backyard
toys, if your child will have outgrown some
of the toys by next summer, consider sending
them to the monkeys. Keep this in mind as
you are getting rid of the old toys to make
room for the new Christmas toys. They also
enjoy flat bed sheets, that will have plenty
of knots tied in them. They like to drag them
around and hide under them. When they peek
out to see if anyone is watching, another
monkey will quickly pounce on them and then
the wrestling fun begins. Spray them with a
little perfume and they enjoy it all the more.
All of the monkeys love to play with pails
and shovels. Sometimes out of necessity dust
pans and containers are substituted. They love
to scoop up and fill the pails with mulch from
the floor of their enclosures. If you would
like to donate a toy as a gift for someone,
please indicate this when the donation is made.
A gift notification will be sent, letting that
special someone know that you have made the
donation in their name.


Just to give you an idea as to what monkeys play
with, please visit:
http://www.amomentintimedonations.freeservers.com/photo.html
where you will see photos of some of the monkeys
enjoying themselves, with their toys.

1) Indigo and his pail

2) Detroit has climbed up high, just as soon as
he was given a basketball. He did not want to
share his new found treasure.

3) Katy Jo is enjoying herself on a toddler's
swing.

4) Cookie is on her slide. Monkeys do not use
the slide the same way humans do. Instead of
sliding down the middle, they slide down the
sides.

Please try to have your toys delivered by
December 15, 2003.

Toys can be mailed to:

Mindy's Memory Primate Sanctuary
P.O. Box 134
Newcastle, OK 73065


*************
Please read "A Monkey's Prayer" which was
written by Linda
http://www.mindysmem.org/monkprayer.html
*************


PHOTOS OF ALL THE ABOVE MONKEYS AND THEIR
FRIENDS CAN BE VIEWED AT
http://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:

Mindy's Holiday Specific Greeting Cards
http://pictures.care2.com/welcome/118046932
Mindy's Residents Album
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
http://pictures.care2.com/welcome/768443115


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 A HUNGRY PRIMATE

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 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 food
to a hungry primate. While there you can
also preserve The Rainforest.


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


HOW YOU CAN HELP

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

When shopping online, please check to see if
the store that 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 total 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 established after funds were not raised
quickly enough to rescue 2 research monkeys,
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 them 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 web page:
http://www.heartwarmers4u.com/members/?tashasmom
where you will find many Click To Donate websites
as well as ways that you can help your favorite
non-profits at no cost to you.

Or my website:
http://www.amomentintimedonations.freeservers.com
to explore several wildlife sanctuaries including
Mindy's. There are also links to various Click To
Donate websites, which are done at no cost to you.
You can also find Helpful Organizations, Websites
of Interest, Quotes, a collection of Animal Poems
and an Animal Story as well as ways to help your
favorite cause.


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