More babies

[Paul Saban]

Following the very sad death of little JJ we had not really contemplated having another baby monkey yet but today, we came upon a little Capuchin boy, about 2 months old. Typically, he was tied to a pole on a cord about 2 feet long. Usually, they are on the ground but this time, the little guy was 5 feet off the ground to keep him away from the dogs which jumped at his 'perch' every time he showed his face over the edge. His whole world was a 4ft diameter circle of bare boards and his food supply, scraps of vegetables and rice.

Understandably, he is very nervous at present and scared of everything that moves so we have started to work with him to help him underdstand that he is in no danger now. Over the next few weeks, we hope to see a great change in him as we did with Monte.

Yesterday, we came across 2 baby Coatis which we think are about 6 weeks old. They were in filthy conditons and we have yet to get close enough to clean them up! We already have Coatis in the Gardens and so we hope that these will join the others, introducing new blood. With careful training, we hope that they will learn to come to the feeding table in the garden so that more visitors will be able to see and learn about these charming creatures.

This week has been a busy one with 3 schools visiting. More than 60 children have been around with our guides and learned a little about their enviroment. The last group, yesterday, had written a song about the enviroment and the importance of recycling. They sat by the fountain, ate their lunch and sang it to us. Later in the day we had a visit by 16 police and government officers concerned with tourism in Chiriqui.

The need for the education centre, which we intend to build as soon as possible, is becoming even more pressing as we are now averaging 1 school visit per week and that figure is growing. The centre will provide the children with a permanent educational display as well as a lecturing facility for visiting speakers from time to time. Not only do we, but many of the teachers we speak to, believe that the one of the best ways to save the enviroment, is to teach the children about its importance.

[Lee Zeltzer]

I am sorry to hear about JJ, I know how each never animal becomes a part of your extended family. Good luck with the new members.