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


This issue will feature Linus, Garner and Pumpkin.


Linus, a 6 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 that was known.
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 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 to make him understand that 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 (no monkeys are allowed to breed
at Mindy's) Linda 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 in the yahoogroups photo album of
Linus on the day he arrived, sitting in a chair, just like
a little human. Also shown is a picture that was taken after
he started to climb and act like a monkey should.

Garner, an 8 year old Java Macaque, arrived in October 1998.
He is another former pet whose owners found that taking care
of him was too much of a responsibility. They did, however,
opt to drive 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 that 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.

Pumpkin is an 8 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 former caregivers. 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 wanted
to make sure that he was going to be safe at Mindy's. 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.

Linus is still immature, and will throw handfuls of
wood chips behind him, like an angry bull pawing at
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.


HELP MAKE THE THIRD ANNUAL CHRISTMAS MONKEY TOY DRIVE
A SUCCESS!!

Wouldn't you like to make a monkeys Christmas dreams
come true? Our goal is to collect one toy for every
monkey and a group toy for every enclosure. The toys
do not have to be new, just in good condition. What
many people do not realize is that monkeys enjoy the
same toys that human children do. You just have to
make sure that the toy is sturdy 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. The toys cannot be something that
can easily be taken apart. As you are putting away the
backyard toys, if your child will outgrow them 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 ones. They also enjoy flat
bed sheets that will have plenty of knots tied in them.
They drag them around and hide underneath 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 them all the more. Monkeys love to play with pails
and shovels. Sometimes out of necessity, dust pans and
containers are substituted. They like to fill up the pails
with mulch from the floor of their enclosures. Kong toys
for dogs are used as enrichment items. Monkeys also enjoy
playing with balls such as basketballs, mini basketballs
and tennis balls (they can only have tennis balls made for
dogs). Many of the monkeys enjoy playing with baby rattles.
Even some musical instruments, such as an xylophone,
make good gifts.

If you would like to donate a toy as a gift, please
indicate this when the donation is made. A gift
notification will be sent to that special someone
letting them know the donation was made in their name.

Just to give you an idea of what monkeys play with,
please visit:
http://www.amomentintimedonations.freeservers.com/photo6.html
where you will see photos of the monkeys enjoying themselves
with their toys. For example:

1) Linus and his Kong Toy.

2) Indigo and his pail.

3) Cookie and Rowdy with their Kong Toys.

4) Nona with her Kong Toy.

5) Katy Jo enjoying herself on her toddler's swing.

6) Cookie and a Barbie Jeep.

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

Please have your toys delivered to Mindy's by
December 15, 2004

Toys can be mailed to:

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


Mindy's could really use some volunteers. The
sanctuary is located in Newcastle, Oklahoma.
This is near Oklahoma City. If you live in the
area, or know someone that would be interested
in volunteering, 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 sponsor a monkey or make a $25.00 donation
you will receive a Flip Album on CD. You will view
monkeys playing, eating and socializing. This is set
to music.


**********
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://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.


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 own 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, Pets
In Need, Children In Need and Stop Violence.

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 click to
donate websites, visit:
http://www.heartwarmers4u.com/members/?tashasmom
Whether your interest lies in helping animals,
the environment or humanitarian causes there is
a website for you.


SANCTUARY WISH LIST

Toys
Jelly
Craisins
Stamps
Juicy Juice (for biscuit soaking)
Peanut Butter
Raw In Shell Peanuts


HOW YOU CAN HELP

When shopping online, please check to see if
the store you will be making your purchases
from is listed with at 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 clicking on "Make A Donation" on the
Mindy's website 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
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
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
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,
Website 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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