Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Murijiza - miracle

A couple of weeks ago the keepers got a big surprise while feeding the monkeys in the morning. There was an extra head to count! Overnight, Vienna, a female Owl-faced monkey had given birth. The strange thing is that only female monkeys are currently living in this cage. However, five months ago Sidney (who has passed away) was also in the cage. After the females hurt him he was removed from the cage for one month to recover and afterward was place back inside the cage. The next day Sidney was found dead, with no injuries at all to his body. We can only assume that Sidney is the father of this new little monkey who has been named Murijiza (miracle in Swahili). Of course, it is not ideal for sanctuaries to breed animals, and we do what we can to prevent this. However, we have limited recourses and facilities. At present we are working on implanting all of the female monkeys with contraceptives.

-Andrea-

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