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 Zeke, Eleanor,
Cleo & Meg


This newsletter will have a slightly different
format as all of the monkeys have the same
background.


Zeke, Eleanor, Cleo and Meg are retired
research monkeys that arrived on 10/17/01.
Unfortunately, Zeke only gets along with
one of the females, so everyone cannot be
housed together. Zeke and Eleanor share
an enclosure and Meg and Cleo share an
adjacent enclosure. Since Mindy's does
not allow monkeys to breed, males sharing
an enclosure with females are sterilized.
Some of their enrichment items include a
suspended feeding table, perfect for a
monkey picnic spread, shelves and poles
for climbing on, as well as overhead beams
for the monkeys to sit on and watch
everything around them. When they first
arrived, all they would do is sit on a shelf,
and not move. They had all of this room to
begin exploring and all they would do is sit
there. However, they were enjoying napping
in the sunshine. Once they realized that
they could do whatever they wanted, they
really began to enjoy their new lives. There
were so many new sights, sounds and smells
to experience. Some of the best information
that I receive comes in the form of normal
conversation or correspondence, as opposed
to specific questions. This was the case
with an email I received from Linda just
after the research monkeys arrived, and
I would like to share a portion of it with
you. As we were only discussing the idea of
an online newsletter at that time, Linda had
no idea that I would save it and use it for
a future newsletter. "If you could see the
monkeys when I step outside of the house and
are within their sight, you would know why
without a doubt, I do this work for the
monkeys. The research ladies sit on top
of their house, all eyes watching me to
see what I am bringing them to eat. If
you could see the absolute passion in
Zeke's face every time he gets apples,
bananas, grapes or sweet potato slices,
it would bring tears to your eyes."

Zeke is a 14 year old Stumptail Macaque. He
was born in the research lab and was rejected
by his mother. Even though Zeke's aggression
does not allow him to be placed with Meg and
Cleo, he does vocalize with them, as well as
with the other Stumptails. Hopefully, one day
Zeke will calm down enough to be placed in
with a troop of monkeys instead of just
Eleanor. One of his favorite past times is
reaching through the enclosure and picking
himself a yummy handful of grass. Another
favorite is sifting through his mulch floor
looking for peanuts.


Eleanor, the dominant female, is a 22 year old
Stumptail Macaque. She has a very unique hair
style. Check out her picture in the yahoogroups
photo album. Doesn't she remind you of one of
the 3 Stooges? Eleanor is capable of getting
along with the other girls as long as Zeke is
not around. Once Zeke appears, Eleanor is just
as aggressive as he is towards them. She is
totally devoted to Zeke and he to her.


Cleo is a 20 year old Stumptail Macaque.
She enjoys listening to the birds singing and
trying to figure out exactly where they are.
The sounds of crickets and frogs in the
nearby pond also intrigue her.


Meg is a 20 year old Stumptail Macaque. If
you want to make her day, bring her a nice
thick Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. She
loves to sit back and watch the neighbors
children riding their horses in the distance.
However, she does not like the pot belly
pigs that also call Mindy's home.


Zeke is still much too aggressive to ever
be with anyone but Eleanor. Zeke and
Eleanor are best friends. He will groom
Cleo through the wire separating them,
and she will let him until he decides that
it is time to pull on her bottom lip and
then she runs away. Meg will not go
anywhere near him. While they will
probably never actually be together,
they can still vocalize and interact.

For enrichment, Zeke, Eleanor, Meg and
Cleo, along with the other macaques are
all given the cardboard rolls from paper
towels, filled with banana chips, raw
pasta and other treats the monkeys enjoy.
A paper towel is placed in at each end
to prevent anything from falling out while
they quickly run to their shelves to check
out what kind of goodies they have.

They all love to sit and relax in the sun,
enjoying the wind blowing through their hair.


PHOTOS OF ALL THE ABOVE MONKEYS AND THEIR
FRIENDS AS WELL AS SOME TOY DRIVE PHOTOS
CAN BE VIEWED AT:
http://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.


Mindy's could really use some volunteers. The
sanctuary is located in Newcastle Oklahoma.
This is near Oklahoma City. If you are
interested, or know someone that would like
to help, please call Linda at 405-387-4354.
If she is not available, there is an answering
machine for you to leave a message.


When you make a $25.00 donation, or sponsor
a monkey you will receive a Flip Album on CD.
You will view monkeys playing, eating and
socializing. This is all set to music.


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


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


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 your
friends to join the race. While there
you can also participate in races for
The Oceans, Big Cats, The Rainforest,
Pets In Need and Children 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.

If you would like to participate in many
other click to donate websites, please
visit my webpage:
http://www.heartwarmers4u.com/members/?tashasmom.
Whether your interests lie in helping animals,
the environment or humanitarian causes, there
is a click to donate website for you.


SANCTUARY WISH LIST

Toys
Rice
Jelly
Stamps
Craisins
Juicy Juice
Peanut Butter
Raw In Shell Peanuts


WAYS THAT 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
your purchase donated at no cost to you. The
amount donated varies by store.


For your convenience, donations can be made
online by 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 future residents. This
fund was set up when we were not able to raise
funds 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 a card will
be sent letting them know that you have made
the donation.


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

WRITTEN BY JOANNE CHRISTIE-SHPAK
Please visit my website,
http://www.amomentintimedonations.freeservers.com
which features several wildlife sanctuaries,
including Mindy's. There are also links to
various Click For Donation sites, which are done
at no cost to you. You can also find a wide
variety of Helpful Organizations and Websites of
Interest, a collection of Animal Poems and an
Animal Story as well as ways to help your
favorite cause.


To subscribe
monkeytales-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe
monkeytales-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com