Building A New Home for Rescued Monkeys in Israel

If you recall in our last update, we told the story of Mufajaa, our latest victim of the exotic pet trade. An extremely lucrative business, the exotic pet trade, second only to that of arms and drug smuggling, amounts to a roughly $10 billion industry worldwide every year. The wildlife trade, however, is not only detrimental to wild populations of these animals and our ecosystems, it is also devastating to the individual animals forced to live (and then die) an unnatural life. The wildlife trade has enormous public health implications, ranging from neighborhood safety concerns to the transfer of zoonotic diseases. Monkeys, being highly intelligent and social creatures suffer immensely in the exotic pet trade. Typically purchased as infants, these babies become aggressive when they reach sexual maturity, endangering the lives of those around them. In order to cope with the aggression, “owners” will have the monkey’s teeth removed, making it difficult for the monkey to eat properly. Overly frustrated with the wild animal's new aggression, these monkeys then end up discarded. If they are lucky, they will end up at a reputable sanctuary. Unfortunately, reputable sanctuaries are always at capacity, which means that most of these discarded "pets" end up in worse situations such as with backyard breeders or at petting zoos. 

Just as a human baby requires the love and care of his or her own mother to thrive, so does an infant monkey. Being torn from one’s mother at this age is not only frustrating and heartbreaking for the baby and for his mother, it also negatively affects the baby’s development and mastering of normal social, physical, and cognitive behaviors typical of non-human primates. Human socialization is not the same as monkey socialization, and these brilliant animals do not enjoy human contact and being confined indoors. Monkeys thrive in family groups where they can learn from one another and exhibit natural behaviors. For this reason, our Global Giving Project establishing permanent homes for rescued monkeys is vital. Helpless babies like Mufajaa are given a second chance at a life as natural as can be provided for an animal born into captivity.

We are grateful that here in Israel, the keeping of monkeys as pets is illegal. Unfortunately, there are many countries and states in the world where this is not the case. Moreover, photo-ops and pay-to-play sessions with wild animals only perpetuate the idea that these animals make good pets, which is in fact wrong and negatively affects their conseravtion in the wild. We are forever grateful to the Israeli Authorities' for their diligent efforts to stay on top of this issue here in Israel.

Mufajaa, now roughly 2.5 years old, was introduced to a monkey family of his own. This sweet boy has been very busy in our "monkey school" this past month, learning important behaviors which have helped him find his place in his new family. Pictured above are Mufajaa, Siman-tov, Kalansi, and Bussani foraging together. Bussani, if you recall, was another young vervet monkey seized from the exotic pet trade like her adoptive brother Mufajaa.

What else is happening? Save the date! Giving Tuesday begins at midnight EDT on Tuesday, November 28^th. The Israeli Primate Sanctuary Foundation will be competing for a portion of $75,000 Incentive Fund as well as $25,000 in bonus prizes. In addition to these incentives, there will be a 100% match on all recurring donations (of up to $200) that begin on #GivingTuesday!

Thanks to your ongoing support, we continue to make progress on the monkeys’ permanent habitats. 

We simply could not do this lifesaving work without you! Stay tuned for updates on Mufajaa, Bussani, Siman-tov, Kalansi, and the other vervet monkeys who, with your help, will call these state-of-the art enclosures home! 

If you haven't already, follow IPSF on Facebook for more updates on the rest of the Sanctuary's monkeys!

Take a look at the picture below of one of our completed habitats. Can you spot one of our vervet monkeys on the lookout in the trees?

We have even more exciting (and adorable) news to share with you! 

From our last update, you learned about a young female vervet monkey who was being advertised on Facebook as a pet for sale; the asking price was over $5,000. She was confiscated by the Nature Reserves Authorities and brought to our sanctuary. This little girl has been given the name Bussani, and we are pleased to report that Bussani now has a family of her own! With three groups of vervet monkeys to choose from, Bussani and a female vervet named Kalansi immediately took to each other. Kalansi lived for many years by herself at a petting zoo before being introduced to Siman-tov, a male vervet monkey with the same history of living alone in a petting zoo.

Click here to watch the official introduction of Bussani and Kalansi. You will see Bussani unsure of what to do when initially meeting her adoptive mother but, when Bussani finally approaches Kalansi, the two wrap their arms around each other and begin hugging. We could not be more thrilled to provide these monkeys with the family and refuge they deserve! 

Sadly, the trend on Facebook with monkeys being advertised as pets for sale continues and, pictured above, Mufajaa is the latest victim of this cruel trend. As you know, it is illegal to privately own a monkey in Israel, so once again, authorities were immediately on the case. The seller quickly realized this but was able to sell the young monkey before the cops were able to confiscate him. The buyer, however, also realized the authorities would be after him and took it upon himself to deliver the monkey to the sanctuary himself in order to avoid trouble.

Once again, we are grateful to the Israeli Authorities for their diligence in staying on top of those trying to profit off of these innocent and wild animals. Bussani, Mufajaa, and so many more monkeys have been given a second chance at life at IPSF!

Mufajaa, which means “surprise” in Arabic, is pictured above in the small cage in which he arrived. We estimate that he is about two-years-old. Once he has passed all of his health checks, we will introduce Mufajaa to a monkey family of his own and, like in the case of Bussani, our staff will observe who Mufajaa seems most interested in and which vervet monkeys show the most interest in him. Perhaps he will choose Bussani and her new adoptive parents or maybe he will end up with the vervets rescued from the Gaza zoo late last year. We will just have to wait and see!

Thanks to your ongoing support and generosity, we are moving forward with the completion of our last three vervet monkey habitats that will house Bussani, Mufajaa, Kalansi, Simon-tov, and many more! Our staff and volunteers have been hard at work setting up the mesh that will separate the three enclosures (pictured below), but there is still much work to be done. We need to purchase materials in order to build night houses for each enclosure as well as purchase and install the solid green metal that can be seen in the picture below which also shows two of our vervet monkeys who currently live in the first completed enclosure. The green metal will be attached to the top of the mesh fencing in order to prevent the monkeys from climbing out of their new homes.

What else is happening? Beginning at 9:00 AM ET and ending at 11:59 PM ET on Wednesday, July 11, 2017, GlobalGiving is hosting a Rewards Bonus Day. Because the Israeli Primate Sanctuary Foundation is listed as a Superstar Organization, any donation that day will be matched at 50% while the $110,000 in matching funds remain. Throughout the day, new recurring donations will be matched at 100% and, at the end of Bonus Day, projects with the most funds raised and the most donors will receive extra prizes including bonus funds and social media promotion.

We simply could not do this lifesaving work without you! Stay tuned for updates on Bussani, Mufajaa, and the other vervet monkeys who, with your help, will call these state-of-the art enclosures home! 

If you haven't already, follow IPSF on Facebook for more updates on the rest of the Sanctuary's monkeys!