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At this time of year we take time to reflect and give thanks for the many good things that have happened this year. Many things, such as the weather and the pandemic, are out of our control but we strive to make the most of the situations that face us.
It was a beautiful summer and the monkeys and lemurs enjoyed their outdoor enclosures, some of which were enlarged or renovated. We were extremely fortunate that a tornado that landed in nearby Uxbridge in May missed the sanctuary although trees were down all around us and power was lost nearby. Our little haven was spared.
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RIP Pugsley
We are very sad to let you know that funny little Pugsley died this summer. Pugsley was famously one of three lab monkeys who was given a reprieve and allowed to retire instead of being euthanised once the research experiment ended. Out of over 7,000 monkeys used in research in Canada at any one time, Pugsley was one of the lucky ones and was allowed to live out the rest of his life doing all the things he grew to love in relative freedom. Coming from a life strictly indoors in a 4 feet square cage, for the first time in his life Pugsley was able to feel the sun on his body and became an avid sun worshipper. He learned to catch flies and mosquitoes and dig for beetles. He could go indoors or out as he pleased - even in the middle of winter. Long-tailed macaques can live to be in their 30s, and although Pugsley was only 17 years old when he died, we are so very glad that we were able to give him four extra years.
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Cody
Cody is now the sole survivor of our three original monkeys who, in a precedent-setting move, were allowed to retire under the auspices of the Canada Food Inspection Agency. Cody lives next to Darwin and Max (Japanese macaques) and we hope that they can be integrated. Although we have had some success in the past, inter-species introductions can be difficult and not always successful. We are currently trying to determine what might be the best solution for all involved.
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Ricky
The differences we see and witness in the monkeys and lemurs who come to us can be striking. Sometimes the changes are physical and sometimes they are behavioural. Sometimes the changes can take years but sometimes we see changes in just a few months. One of our newer residents, Ricky, a Black lemur, is an example of how our residents can change physically after being given the holistic care we provide. He was seized and brought to us by Animal Welfare Services after having been neglected as a pet and given just table scraps and the occasional banana to eat. When he arrived he was thin, his coat was sparse and he had no name. We named him Ricky and a year later he is hardly recognisable as his coat has become lush and thick (but curiously not black) and he has developed beautiful thick silver tufts of hair on his ears. We should have called him Einstein.
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Dentistry at the sanctuary
During the Labour Day weekend we were fortunate to host two dentists from the U.S.
who donated their time to do needed dental work and checkups on some of our residents: Pockets, Boo and Gerdie, Cody and Mojo, plus our newcomer, Bruno. Since they all need to be fully sedated in order to undertake any dental work, it was a marathon weekend with a few extractions, a lot of scaling and cleaning plus one filling. We were also able to do annual general health checkups on them while they were sedated. We are able to do all the work onsite with two teams working in tandem. In total we had two dentists, two veterinarians, four vet techs (all of whom donated their time), plus several staff and volunteers working together to make this happen.
Your generous donations have made it possible for us to acquire much of the medical equipment we need and to create the space – our own medical facility – to give our monkeys and lemurs the best health care we can provide.
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2022 Comedy Fundraiser
We are planning our first fund-raising event in over three years. It will be at 7pm on Saturday, November 19th at the Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard Street East in Toronto. Hosted by Arthur Simeon and featuring Melanie Dahling, James O'Hara, Alan Shane Lewis and Steve Patterson. Get your tickets here. There will be a cash bar and a silent auction.
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Gratitude
We are very grateful for the work done by our volunteers which allows us to do that little bit extra for the monkeys every day. We also have a hard-working Board of Directors that helps oversee the direction we are taking as a sanctuary. Some Directors have been involved with the sanctuary for over 15 years. Just recently we said goodbye to a Sanctuary volunteer of over 17 years.
With careful monitoring by our staff and volunteers Rudy, who has developed diabetes, is doing well. He has a very strict diet plan that was developed by one of our volunteer veterinarians. He is also being given medication to monitor his diabetes plus we are developing a plan to train him to receive insulin should that become necessary.
Mishaa, a Japanese macaque, was brought to us from a zoo last year at the age of two after her mother died at childbirth. Consequently she was not accepted into her troop but we hoped that she would be welcomed by some of our Japanese macaques. After many weeks of carefully watching and controlling her integration, we are pleased that Mishaa now has other macaques that she can call family. Bella and Samson continue to indulge her and all three of them can be seen grooming each other as a group.
None of these successes would be possible without the combined hard work of everyone involved with the sanctuary.
We are very thankful for your support from year to year which allows us to continue the work we do. Our monkeys and lemurs come to us for a better life. We strive to give them the best life possible while we take care of their emotional and physical scars.
Thank you.
Daina Liepa
Executive Director
P.S. The full text of the direct mail newsletter is available here.
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Thank you for your continued support.
Thank you for being part of the Story Book family.
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