Fundació MONA was created to put an end to illegal trade, exploitation and abuse of primates in captivity, to report the real risk of extinction and to support their protection in the wild. Close to Girona, MONA has established one of the few rescue centres in Europe that offers both a home-for-life for chimpanzees and other rescued primates, where they are able to live in natural surroundings. Mona is a place in which people become inspired, wish to further understand them, and develop a greater respect for them.

Marco

Nico

Africa

The health of the chimps

The Newsletter of Fundació MONA – Issue 29 – December 2014

ENGLISHCASTELLANOCATALÀ

by Dietmar Crailsheim

Sadly, humans are the only primates with health insurance. Obviously, there are always little injuries and scratches that have to be treated and any little sneeze or runny nose is reported and assessed immediately. Luckily most diseases and injuries don´t become a problem because of preventati-ve actions and a very dedicated care-giver team who spot any little sign of a health issue in its early stages. However, not everything can be prevented and some chimpanzees arrive at the centre with existing malformations or chronic diseases which need prolonged treatment. This year we had several check-ups conducted, hoping to see improvements or obtain better information on the progression in order to adapt the medications.Marco, an adult male in the bachelor group, was diagnosed many years ago with a weak heart and we are happy to announce that he has improved greatly. However he still gets tired and sweats more profusely than others, suggesting that there could be something else wrong.Africa, a young female of the family group, has terrible denti-tion due to an inadequate diet and a jaw fracture in her past. Recently we realized that she had started to refuse cold food items such as self-made fruit flavored ice cubes (a treat she normally likes). It didn´t take us long to contact a dentist to check her out and arrange a date to take care of those troublesome teeth. Nico is our special patient. Since day one at MONA he has needed intensive veterinarian care, several operations and daily treatments. In his early years we were not sure if he would ever reach adult age but, eventually he pulled through. These days however, more secondary effects of his illness are becoming obvious. His bone structure resembles that of a chimpanzee double his age and his lungs are badly affec-ted. His check-ups gave us a better picture of his situation and now we need to find adequate treatment to ensure his wellbeing.

FRONT page - Veterinary -1

www.mona-uk.org/adopt-me/More:

Adopt Nico and help us to take care of him for the rest of his life.

We would like to thank all the people who decided to spend a day visiting us and learning about our work at MONA.On Saturday we hosted ‘open doors’ when for most people it was their first visit to us. We organised games, workshops, exhibitions, etc. We wanted people to become interested in the world of primatology and to explain the work of a rescue centre to the local society. On Sunday, it was more intimate and personal: we had a day dedicated to our dear members and sponsors.

With you, MONA is possible!

by María José Sánchez1.100 visitors during the OPENMONA 2014 days!

OpenMONA 2014

Follow this link to see the pictures of this very special weekend: www.fundacionmona.org/fotos-openmona-meeting

by Alba GomaraLinda finally gets the life she deserves

“I am hungry, I haven’t had any food or water since yesterday and I feel terribly nervous. What are all these people doing here?… OH, NO…! They’ll hit me again with that long stick (blowpipe) and that hurts!! Did I do some-thing wrong?! I hope they will not hurt me… I scream, I am scared…. I just woke up locked in a very small dark box. I don’t know where I am or what happened. Everything is moving… Am I dead?!”.No, dear Linda. You did not die. Perhaps you were dead for the last 20 or 30 years without even realizing… But now you are heading to a centre based in the Netherlands because we want you to have a good life, with dignity and space enough to run and climb freely. Perhaps you don’t understand this now but in time you will be much happier and you will forget about the small dark place you used to live in.You will probably be living with Julio and Jim, two hairy fellows just like you, because you, dear Linda, are also a chimpanzee.

Linda

From now on everything will be better!!! We wish you the best with our friends from Stichting AAP.

by David RibaNew educational activities

Monaduca begins this school year with new activities. For the youngest kids we’ve develo-ped a new workshop based on an ancient Japanese technique called Kamishibai. It explains the journey of Ximpàtic, a chimpanzee captured in the wild to be sold as a pet. However Roger, the child who received the chimpanzee as a present, understands Ximpàtic’s sadness, and while taking good care of him, tries his best to return him to his natural habitat. For the older kids we designed some action activities and a role-playing-game where the students are confronted with real life conservation and biodiversity problems. The action activity encourages them to show their survival skills by trying to be a chimpanzee in the wild, whilst in the role-playing-game; they are confronted with the loss of their habitat due to human industry.The journey of Ximpàtic

Currently there are 13 chimpanzees being housed at MONA enjoying the spacious enclosures and enrichment prepared by the volunteer care-giving staff. Due to the uneven sex ratio of 9 males and only 4 females, we have had to separate them into two groups to avoid fights over females. In the all-male group (5 chimpanzees) there is a lot going on these days. When Bongo came of age, he overthrew the alpha male Marco but was not able to maintain such a high ranked position. He might have had the physical strength expected of an alpha but he lacked the social skills to uphold his position. This provoked quite a disturbance in a usually quiet and calm group, though we feel it won’t be much longer until this issue is resolved and a new alpha emerges which will settle the group.Right beside the all male group in an adjacent enclosure, we have the family group which has just received 3 new members. This now brings them to a total of 8 chimpanzees. MONA is strictly against breeding at the centre so they are not blood-related, but are instead considered a patchwork family. They all arrived with a complicated history and in the

by Dietmar Crailsheim

beginning they struggled to form bonds with other chimps, but eventually started to accept and trust each other leading to enjoyment within the group.With each new year the groups keep growing by adding more rescued chimpanzees. The best treatment for the psychological traumas and scars they have received in the past is by providing them with a group of friends and a family.

A new life amongst friends and family

Nico and Waty

The rescue centre PRIMATES - No. 29 - December 20142

If you have a business and you want to be part of the MONA Project helping abused primates and promoting respect and dignity towards animals, contact us and we gladly inform you how to do so. info@fundacionmona.org

MONA Support

Black-faced Lion Tamarin - Leontopithecus caissaraMeet the…?

It has a golden-coloured back that contrasts with the black face, head, mane, chest, feet, forearms and tail. Like all lion tamarins it has a long tail, silky fur and a mane of hair that frames the face. This species is listed as Critically Endangered due to a small population size of about 260 individuals located in three isolated subpopulations, endemic to coastal forests in south-eastern Brazil. They live in extended family groups with 4-8 members. Within these families there is normally only one breeding female per season. The groups defend home ranges of 40 to more than 100ha..

by Cisco Jiménez

Black-faced Lion Tamarin

Contributors

Ajuntament de Riudellots de la SelvaOneVoiceFundació Lluís CorominaFundación Brigitte Bardot

MONAsupport

Formigons AlsinaDiari de GironaAra.CatAudax Energía)VSK�°*VT\UPJHJP}

Sallés HotelsBlaufruitTUI EspañaCan Solàdiari Empordà

VirbacSomacForn Cresell

"It was a real privilege to see the other side of MONA and get hands on experience. I had so much fun here. It has more than affirmed what I already knew; that these chimps are given the best quality of life by a truly wonderful team of keepers. A huge thank you to the wonderful MONA chimps and keepers for having me."

Emma - Norwich (UK)

If you also want to embark on such an adventure, joining the MONA Team working with and for primates, than write a mail to a.gomara@fundacionmona.org and plan your Working Weekend stay at the Rescue Centre.

This year we suffered a natural catastrophe. Heavy rains caused a close-by river to overflow leaving the whole centre flooded, frightening the primates and damaging the facilities. But throughout the chaos and disaster, something amazing happened: out of nowhere an astonishing amount of people appeared offering their help. It only took a short two-line announcement to begin receiving hundreds of replies from people willing to help or simply show their support. There are no words to describe the deep feeling of gratitude and happiness we felt when we realized the amount of people who cared for primates and were ready to help in any way they could.Thank you very much! It’s only thanks to people like you that the MONA project exists. Your friendship and support are priceless!

by Dietmar Crailsheim

MONA is never going to be rich in money,

but we are rich in friends

flooding at MONA

On October 24, 2014 a new Master in Primatology had begun. MONA

Foundation in collaboration with the University of Girona, are happy to announce that we can offer an academic degree for those interested in primates: Innovation and Formation. A total of 27 people, from all over the world will have the opportunity to participate in the only postgraduate and monographic Masters program in Primatology in Spain. Thank you for having confidence in us and good luck entering this new primatological adventure!

More information: investigacion@fundacionmona.org and http://prima-tologia.wordpress.com/

by Miquel LlorenteAnnouncing our Masters of Primatology

New Master of Primatology

More news3 PRIMATES - No. 29 - December 2014

A guided tour doesn´t seem to be enough for you?! If you feel like getting involved even more, try spending a weekend at the centre working as part of the care-giver staff. You’ll be seeing the primates up-close, helping prepare their diets, taking care of their installations and developing games and entertainment for them. It´s a special privilege to work with and for the primates at the centre and we want to share this experience with you. Contact a.gomara@fundacionmona.org for dates and prices.

Experience life at MONA first hand!

CONTACTtelephone: (+34) 972 477 618email: visit@fundaciomona.orgweb: www.mona-uk.orgfacebook: facebook.com/MonaFoundationtwitter: @fundaciomonaworking holidays: a.gomara@fundaciomona.org

We have a new wish list on amazon. Please check it and help our furry friends! Visit: www.fundacionmona.org/wishlist and perhaps you find something you would like to send to MONA!!

MONA’s wish list at Amazon

Have you ever seen a chimpan-zee enjoying some fresh vegeta-bles or the excitement when they receive a special piece of fruit!? A chimpanzee eats about 3 kg of fresh vegetables and fruits a day and we try to offer a varied and well balanced diet. Every little bit helps, with just £1 a month you can help us to ensure that their

Feed a chimp!

diet stays fresh, healthy and never gets boring.Can you think of a better way to spend £1 a month than using it to bring happiness to a chimpanzee?! www.fundacionmona.org/monthly-donation

MONA wants to raise awareness about the needs of primates and inform people about the fate of primates who are abused by humans. There is no better way than by inviting everyone to see the chimpanzees and macaques living at the Rescue Centre. If you

Visit the centre!

want to observe primates, learn more about them and even have your kids participate in workshops, then call (+34) 972-477618 or send an e-mail to visit@fundacionmona.org and join a guided tour.

How to help PRIMATES - No. 29 - December 20144

Get involved! Join the MONA Team!One of the best ways to offer us your help is by becoming a member or by sponsoring one of the chimpanzees. Your contributions allow us to make future plans, some long-term plans because chimpanzees can live more than 65 years, and the youngest we've rescued is only 10!You will receive a welcome pack and we will keep you updated every six months of the novelties in the rescue center. You will also benefit from discounts on all our courses, on the visits for families with children and on the Short Stays as primate caretakers, and have preference when booking a guided tour.

Tel: 0034 972477618Email: info@fundaciomona.orgWebsite: www.MONA-UK.org

UK Registration Charity No: 1109558

Name Mr/Mrs/Ms: Address: Country / Postcode: Telephone: E-mail:

I would like to adopt:�Africa �Bongo �Juanito �Nico �Toni �Beawith an installment of:� £6/month (min) � £10/month � £25/month � £50/month � other......£/-month� £72/year (min) � £120/ year � £300/ year � £600/ year � other......£/ year

I would like to be a supporting member of MONA with an installment of:� Individual: £30/year � Couple: £50/year � Family £70/year� other......£/year

Instead of becoming a member or adopter, I would like support MONA-UK with a gift of:� £15 � £25 � £50 � other.........£ Made payable to MONA-UK

Forms of payment� I enclose a cheque/postal order for: ....... £� Make a PayPal payment to MONA-UK� Make a standing order (only for monthly or annual payments)

If you wish to pay by standing order, please complete and take this form to your bank. You are free to cancel this at any time.Name of bank : ...........................................................................................Address of bank: ........................................................................................Postcode: ...................................................................................................

� If you are not from the UK and don’t have a Spanish account, please return us the completed form (electronically or via post) and use the following information for the transaction:Name of Benefactor: FUNDACIÓ PRIVADA MONAIBAN (online): ES2221003078972100532504IBAN (direct): IBAN ES22 2100 3078 9721 0053 2504BIC/SWIFT: CAIXESBBXXXYearly minimum amount: 120€Yearly minimum amount for members: 60 €

MAKE YOUR DONATION GO EVEN FURTHER WITH GIFT AIDIf you are a UK taxpayer, you can increase the value of your donations at no extra cost to you. All you need to do is tick the box below and the Inland Revenue will give us 28p for every £1 you give.� YES, I am a UK taxpayer and I want MONA-UK to treat all donations I have made since 6th April 2000, and all donations I make from the date of this declaration until further notice, as Gift Aid Donations.

Signature _______________________ Date _____________________

Fundació MONANarcís Monturiol, 5 08170 Montornès del Vallès, Spain

If you think like us, please fill out this form and send it to:

More: www.mona-uk.org/adopt-me/