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Watching spider monkeys play is a delight. A youngster will watch an adult’s tail, suddenly bite it and run away. In return, adults sometimes chastise the young with a slap. On occasion, all play a kind of tag in which they chase an individual until it is caught, the runs off after the others in hot pursuit until it manages a grab or a playful bite. And so it will go on.
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Having an amazingly sensitive gripping tail is totally unique to these monkeys.
The spider monkeys use their tail as an extra limb and this makes swinging through the branches look easy,
Their curious tails even have a bare patch of skin at the tip, much like a palm of a hand, for a more precise grip. But most importantly of all, the monkeys have tails so powerful they can support their own body weight.
But these monkeys have another special adaptation for moving through the jungle. Their hands have no thumbs at all.
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Pet Monkeys...Really A Good Idea?
Many interesting monkeys have come through our doors. Some were kept as pets, others rescued from medical research facilities and zoos. It is estimated that roughly 500 families in South Africa alone keep monkeys as pets, with that number still on the rise. But the question looms: do they actually make good pets?
I'll introduce you to Joyce, for example. A young female capuchin, she was rather pampered with child-like paraphernalia; a dress and a small hat around her head. Cute, indeed. She had been with her "foster" family since only two months old, bought straight from a breeder.
Conservation in Southern Africa is rapidly becoming unsustainable without the active involvement of the community, especially the younger, more active generation. The Bushbabies Monkey Sanctuary and The Elephant Sanctuary group strongly believe that we have to get the younger members of communities involved to instill a passion for the environment and wildlife in them through education.
I'll introduce you to Joyce, for example. A young female capuchin, she was rather pampered with child-like paraphernalia; a dress and a small hat around her head. Cute, indeed. She had been with her "foster" family since only two months old, bought straight from a breeder. The couple who owned her did not have children, and so decided to substitute the missing link with a primate, albeit a bit smaller...and with sharper teeth.
