How many primates need sanctuary?

Is there really a need for primate sanctuary?

Rather than going to the expense of building sanctuaries, why not release captive primates in their natural habitats?

I’ve always wanted a pet monkey. Do they make good pets?

May I be a foster parent in my home to one of the sanctuary monkeys?

A primate sanctuary is a place of refuge for captive monkeys and apes to spend the remainder of their lives. Primates that find their way to sanctuary have usually experienced abuse, neglect, abandonment, or displacement, or they are considered unmanageable as they behave like the wild animals that they are rather than the pets that we want them to be. Sanctuary provides them care and protection for the remainder of their lives.

In sanctuary, primates are not purchased or sold. They are not asked or expected to perform. They are not bred. They are not available to the public for entertainment viewing.

Sanctuary provides secure enclosed compounds in which the primates will neither be harmed nor inadvertently do harm. They are fed balanced diets based on their natural nutritional requirements. They are offered emotional and intellectual stimulation and enrichment to feed their hearts and minds. They are introduced to others like them, perhaps for the first time since birth. They are permitted and encouraged to bond and establish their own social order.

Animal sanctuaries are private enterprises with no city, state or federal assistance available and few avenues for generating self-sustaining revenues.  They are non-profit organizations whose operations depend upon the generosity of donations, grants and volunteerism. It is the tenacious dedication of founders and staff, along with the financial support of individual donors like you, that keeps most sanctuaries afloat.  Find out how you can help. Sanctuary offers retirement from human expectations. It is a safe place for non-human primates to be who and what they are. Sanctuary is their place for peace and refuge.
 

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Why should we be concerned about animals when there is so much human need?

It is easy to forget that the delicate balance of nature is dependent upon the existence of diverse varieties of plants and animals. Each has its role in maintaining our ecosystem. The very activities of their daily lives benefit the ecosystem by stimulating new plant growth while foraging, excreting seeds, providing pest control, and fertilizing forests. These activities ultimately provide both food and oxygen to us.

Until those who generate revenue into the economy are appalled enough about the conditions that we impose upon animals to step up to the task and assume responsibility for them, there is little motivation for better legislation or enforcement, and surely no impetus for constructing and financing facilities to care for the animals that are the fallout of abuse, neglect, greed, curiosity, and commerce.

There are no automatic systems to help animals; no cash reserves set aside on their behalf; no provisions for their care upon their retirement from service. They are victims of our fascination with them. Primates are frequently victims of their similarity to us since they endure invasive research studies on our behalf. Don’t we owe them some comfort for what they endure for our benefit?

As we express our compassion for the misfortunes of humans suffering, we cannot ignore the truth that the animal kingdom also suffers at our hands. We humans create their problems and, at the same time, upset the balance of nature by so doing. If only in self-interest, we must advocate on behalf of animals. Above and beyond our self-interest, they are living, thinking, feeling beings who belong here as much as we do.  Given the conditions that we impose upon them, especially in captivity, if we don’t look out for them, who will?
 

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Is there really a need for primate sanctuary?

Because of the biological, genetic, behavioral and intellectual similarities between human and non-human primates, they are used on our behalf in pharmaceutical, biomedical, biotechnical, cosmetic, product and behavioral research.

According to the 2007 Animal Welfare Inspections Report, published by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), 69,990 non-human primates were used in research, experiments, testing and teaching during that year.

Rather than going to the expense of building sanctuaries, why not release captive primates in their natural habitats?

Captive primates cannot be released to their wild roots. For many bred here in the US, their roots may be a backyard, a breeding colony, a zoo, or a research lab.

Like us, all primates have long childhoods and learn about the world from their families. Captive monkeys, chimps, and gibbons are taken from their mothers shortly after birth and often never encounter others like themselves again. As a result, they don’t know the social codes of their species. They surely don’t know how to be wild. They have neither the skills nor the savvy to hold their own in the wild. They only know how to live within the confines of the conditions that we impose upon them.

The law of the wild is simple: survival of the fittest. Captive primates are not fit to survive in the wild; an imposed condition, not one of natural selection.  Perhaps ironically, release in the wild would be cruel and ultimately fatal. Sanctuary provides them an option for safe and more natural lives.

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There's no need for a monkey who finds his or her way to sanctuary to be fostered in a home. Monkeys are not companion animals. The best place for them is in an environment that is established for their life styles, not yours. Further isolation from their species is more damaging to them. Our goal is for the monkeys to become less dependent upon human companionship and more interdependent in relationships within their own species.

You can be a foster parent by sponsoring a monkey. With your monthly or annual sponsorship donation you will receive a photo and history of your monkey. We'll tell you about what foods and toys he or she likes and you are welcome to bring or send those items to the sanctuary  for your foster monkey. We will have designated foster parent days when you can visit your foster monkey. This program is not yet available, so please watch for it!

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