CERCOPAN

He's So Big Now!
By volunteer veterinary nurse, Heather MacIntosh and and project veterinarian, Uche Anayorah

Mottie arrived at CERCOPAN in March 2007 – a very very sad case. But mona monkeys can be tough, and resilient – and Mottie has rallied. Read about his story below. If you would like to ‘adopt’ Mottie, click here

Mottie is an adult male Mona monkey orphan. He was kept as a family pet from a very young age, taken from his family who were more than likely killed. The young girl of the family was his main carer, and at first he was cute and manageable. (They are cute and cuddly when they are small…). He was kept in a small cage and fed on garri (a local staple) and rice. These are both carbohydrates and therefore were a completely unbalanced diet for a mainly fruit and leaf eating species. This highlights the level of ignorance in what is needed to care for monkeys. As the years went on, and despite the inadequate diet, he started growing into an adolescent male and eventually grew big enough to escape the cage. Once out he terrorized the neighbourhood, stealing food and being destructive like any young (and very hungry!) male primate. He also became aggressive and started biting not only the neighbours and family but also the young girl too (oh no!). After many of these occasions a decision was made by the family to have Mottie killed. However the nephew of the family, a student from the University of Calabar south east Nigeria who had done some research with CERCOPAN as part of his studies, had been trying to persuade his aunt to hand over Mottie to CERCOPAN. He tried one last time and eventually they agreed.

So Mottie found his way here. He is about 8 years old and as can be seen by the ‘before’ photograph he was very malnourished and his skin and coat were in extremely poor condition, his eyes were sunken and he was visibly dehydrated. He weighed only 2.8 kg, about half normal weight. His hair was loose and would come off at the slightest pull. In fact, he was a pitiful sight. He was placed in quarantine and left to settle for a few days before the quarantine tests were started.

Now he is through the quarantine process, TB tested, de-wormed and health checked. He has been fed a varied and balance diet, and as can seen in the ‘after’ photo he has really filled out (now he weights 3.8 kg!) and boasts a lovely shiny new coat. The before photos were taken on 5th March 2007 and the after on 12th April 2007. So it has taken just over one month for him to look like a Mona monkey again, although he will still continue to gain weight before reaching his full adult size.

He is a curious monkey but he can also be quite shy, and doesn’t like having his picture taken. He is also very interested in food and looks forward to getting his daily egg which he guards jealously. When he first arrived, he was an excellent fly catcher and would spend most of his day catching flies; this makes us believe that that was his only source of protein previously, and the reason he was able to survive. Now, after being fed a proper diet he is not so obsessed and lets the flies be.

The next stage for him will be to introduce him to another Mona monkey and start the socialisation process. So eventually he will become a fully integrated Mona monkey and a possible release subject.

We wish you well Mottie.