The black tufted-ear marmoset species originally lived in Brazil, while the golden-handed tamarin species originated north of the Amazon River (in Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, and Venezuela). So how do these species end up in North America when they don't even belong in this hemisphere? Humans of course! Sadly, Willy and Arie were stolen from their parents and sold as pets. Happily, they have found a home here at Jungle Friends, where they are free to act like monkeys and are safe from humans who may harm them. Although these two new world primates could probably survive on their own in this climate, they are far too hymanized, and would likely find themselves in deep trouble when they approached the next human they saw (not to mention the danger the human could be in). At Jungle Friends, we give the "Munchkins" a 12'x12'x12' outdoor habitat and access to an indoor shelter. Here, they are free to jump, climb, eat bugs (along with the diets we prepare for them), and live happily as wild monkeys should!
In the wild, these species do not live on their own, denied access to other monkeys, or isolated from other species. This is why Kari, the founder of Jungle Friends, and I are in the process of resocializing Willy and Arie. They may be two different species, and both males, but at Jungle Friends, we are totally against breaking bonds! Willy and Arie have already experience the bonds to their parents being broken. They then experience being separated from their owners. We do not want to cause a third broken bond by keeping these two separated.
Broken bonds can cause severe side effects. A common effect experienced by these monkeys is called reactive attachment disorder. When these monkeys are young, they need to develop a relationship with at least one primary caregiver for normal development of social and emotional characteristics. Naturally, the primary caregiver is the father, while all family members act as some sort of caregiver. However, when these monkeys become pets, the initial bond between parent and offspring is broken, and a new bond is formed between the pet and owner. Reactive attachment disorder can be caused by abrupt separation from their primary caregiver, from a frequent change of caregivers, and by lack of a caregiver's response to the young monkey's efforts of communication.
Sometimes after multiple bonds are broken, an animal will never trust again, as with the marmoset MoMo. He was taken from his parents, from his owner, and the female he was initially paired with at Jungle Friends died. He now lives alone in his habitat because he has fought with the other other moneys he has been socialized with.
Our goal the first few days of socializing is no fights. To be safe, we are observing Willy and Arie constantly while they are together, and are limiting their time of having full access to each other. In the days before the socialization, we allowed the two monkeys to be separated by no more than one fork (the set of sliding bars used to separate monkeys into different habitats) in their runways. We observed the boys showing interest in each other, and even saw them grooming one another through the fork!
Also, during the socialization, pictures and videos are being taken. These records will be compiled into a video that will help anyone who wants to socialize two monkeys properly, whether it be in another sanctuary, or in a pet owners backyard. We will also be creating videos of how to construct a proper habitat for a monkey and other necessities.
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