|
Ganesh running up a hill |
|
|
|
|
|
You can just see Castle Drogo on the hill to the right |
|
Cavalier's stone |
|
The Monkey Sanctuary is a home for woolly and capuchin monkeys, rescues from the pet trade and descendants of those rescued monkeys. They live in a series of enclosures joined together with tunnels, such as can be seen over Ian's head in this picture. |
|
Some of the enclosures also have rooms inside, for them to play in in the warm when it gets cold. |
|
The monkeys move quite quickly and it can be hard to predict where they will move to, so taking photos can be difficult. |
|
Woolly monkeys are fairly plain in colouration, though there are variations with age and family. |
|
The enclosures have lots of ropes, tree limbs and beams for the monkeys to climb and play on. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We managed to arrive around feeding time. This species of monkey are amazingly polite at accepting food, for monkeys. |
|
|
This is Murray. He's very short sighted, due to cataracts, so is always fed in the same place each day. He has cataracts due to diabetes and turns up at the same time each day for his insulin injections, in return for a couple of grapes - the monkeys' favourite treat. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I was just fascinated watching how as Murray moved around, his tail always found a hold on the bars or ropes. |
|
|
|
|
|
This is the trees enclosure. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We spent a long time listening to this keeper talk, but never got his name. |
|
|
Although this monkey looks small, she's a full adult female. She didn't have enough nutrition when young and has never grown to the size of a normal adult. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The capuchins are kept in a separate set of cages to the woolly monkeys. They are a new group, with only 5 capuchins here and are all fairly recent rescues. It's more important that they learn to interact with each other rather than be on display to the public. Because Ganesh's sponsored monkey, Peppy, is a capuchin, we got to see him for a minute. Peppy is on the left and a recent female addition to the capuchin group is on the right. |
|
|
Here a keeper is giving the woollies nutrients on bread, including vitamin D because the UK doesn't have the amount of sunlight as the monkey's natural home. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spot the baby. Born in January 2004, this is the newest addition to the woolly colony. I adopted him on the day. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here an adult male, Pepe is being very protective of mother and child. |
|
What you aren't see is that the only reason the monkeys are sitting here for so long is that the keeper telling us about them is picking grass from outside the enclosure and handing it to them. The grass is always greener on the other side. |
|
|
And if he pauses, she reaches out to say "more!" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We got taken up to the capuchin territory because of Ganesh's adoption. |
|
|
Reaching for grapes. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the garden |
|
The monkeys get some great views. |
|
On the drive back from the monkey sanctuary, we passed this village. |
|
|
And passed dartmoor ponies. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ian is in this phot |
|
|
|
|