Comments On: Apes and Monkeys

ALEXA By Charles Douglas Sherman [part1]
For as long as I can remember 1 have always wanted a monkey., not only because they are agile, funny and cute (the reasons for which children and adults find monkeys so fascinating in zoos and circuses) but simply because I have always held such a high regard for them and I actually felt a need to have animals around me to survive. As a child I always had pets, the usual and not-so-usual. I have owned cats., dogs., birds,, fish and also mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits and even snakes, lizards@ salamanders and hermit crabs. But I still wanted a monkey. Thankfully, my mother drew the line at monkeys, I say thankfully because I know all too well now that monkeys should never be the pets or playthings of children (or anyone else for that matter).
At that time I was happy with the animals that I had, but as time went by and I grew up most of the animals either died or had to be given away. Through my teen years the only pets around me were my cat Nikki., who is now fourteen, and some fish kept in a small aquarium. Then I started working, making money, and basically governing my life. Somewhere in the back of my mind I still had a monkey on the brain., so to.speak. At the age of twenty I had saved enough money, to be able to afford a monkey and started toying with the idea of getting one. There was, however one problem. I was still living in my parents' home...and just because several years had passed since my last request for a primate it didn't mean that the no-monkey rule wasn't still valid. But I was no longer a child. I felt like a responsible adult (as we all do at that age) and thought that I could take care of a monkey. It was only after three straight months of constant persuading that my mom finally gave in and said okay.
Then along came Chana. She was a one and a half year old female vervet. I will briefly relate how I obtained Chana. I had done a lot of research on monkeys,, had read all the books that I could find watched all the documentaries and had come to the conclusion that I wanted a female squirrel or capuchin monkey. I contacted a place called Monkeys Unlimited from an ad in the classified section of the New York Times. Since my recent contacts with many people in the Simian Society, I have learned that this source was less than reputable. After many phone conversations I was persuaded, against my better judgment., to obtain a vervet. I took their advice, since my knowledge of monkeys was limited, not "Unlimited". Chana was supposed to be six months old when I got her but I later found out that she was probably closer to one and a half years, if not older. She is a beautiful monkey, though not of the sweetest nature capable of being very aggressive and downright spiteful when she wants to be. I have had her for over six years, and she will still take a swipe at me if she is in the mood. Also, she will not let my parents near her cage, even though they have been feeding her for the past six years. Brad and Trouble
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ALEXA By Charles Douglas Sherman [part2]
After having Chana for two and a half years and working with her constantly., the most progress that I was able to accomplish was having her wear a collar and leash and taking her out in the back yard in the summertime. She would sit on my shoulder and let me pet her, but that was about it. If she was not in the mood, there was no way of persuading her to do anything unless you wanted a nasty bite in return (which she would be more than happy to give you.) I had come to the conclusion that this was not what I had wanted or expected from a monkey and I was very disappointed. Also, I felt quite sad for her and believed that she didn't care much for people and would be better off with her own kind, undisturbed in the outdoors. I had no idea at the time whether any place like that even existed. I decided that rather than give her away to be some other person's pet or, worse, to becorm a laboratory animal, I would keep her until I found a suitable home for her. I felt that I owed her that much. But this story, as the title indicates, is not about Chaha. I wanted to give the reader some insight into my situation and what I had been through up to the time that I obtained my capuchin. My hope in writing this story is that people will understand the extreme hardship and sacrifice that one must make in keeping monkeys as pets, and the formidable price that the monkey must pay for our selfishness.
Then along came Alexa. Seemingly, she was a gift frori God (or the devil, whichever you prefer). I managed to find a small breeder who dealt with capuchins only. They were extremely nice and helpful to me, and after many weeks of long distance conversations I arrived at the choice of a baby female Cebus apella, black-capped capuchin. I was put on a waiting list and four months later I got a call that a baby female was born. Would I like to take her? Definitely yes. She was shipped to me at two and a half weeks old. I was so nervous the day she arrived that I had a friend drive me to the airport. When I took possession of the crate and opened it up I was absolutely horrified. There was so much shredded newspaper that I wasn't even sure there was a monkey in there, except for the faint cries I heard. I was completely shocked when I did find her. She was about the size of a small hamster and was clinging to a stuffed yellow chicken. She was cold and wet. Wondering what I had done, I almost cried right there. My fear soon turned to anger as I questioned how one could possibly ship such a small, fragile creature so far in these conditions. When the breeder called me the next day to find out if Alexa had arrived safely, I proceeded to ball her out. She assured.me that it was perfectly safe to ship an infant monkey, and as long as I kept her warm and well-fed she would be fine. Brad and Trouble
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ALEXA By Charles Douglas Sherman [part3]
For the first few weeks I was a wreck, thinking at every minute that she was going to die. I fed her monkey formula every three hours and gave her a beautiful Gund stuffed monkey to have an her surrogate mother (which she kept until it practically disintegrated.) over the next few weeks I got used to a new routine. At night I kept her bottle of formula in a bottle warmer at my bedside and Alexa would wake me up every three hours or go, asking to be fed. I was able to find her mouth in the dark, and after drinking her two ounces of formula she would go back to sleep, and so would I. During the daytime hours my mom would take over nursing duties. (Iĉm sure she hadn't expected to have another kid at her age.) In time she grew quite accustomed to the routine and became very close to Alexa, who grow up to be a small but beautiful monkey, extremely friendly and affectionate. She loved people and was very attached to me, as I was to her. In raising Alexa I made sure that every day we would have some rough play so that she would be accustomed to having human hands on her and would not be frightened later on by sudden movement or being touched in the wrong way. I guess it must have worked because, except toward the end, Alexa never bit me, not even once. All my dreams had come true. I had this beautiful animal whom I loved beyond belief...more than any other animal I had had before and even more than most people I know. Alexa would ride on my shoulder all around the house and sit on my lap in the back yard. However, one thing I could never do with her was take her out in large crowds. She became terrified around large groups of people, so I didn't take her out. My intention was not to make an exhibit or a spectacle of her or myself. However, she loved my family and friends and was quite playful around them, never attempting to bite them. Everything was simply great for three and a half years .... until one Monday.
It had been a quiet, uneventful day. I had come home from work and was getting ready to go out for an early dinner engagement.I had asked my sister how the monkeys were doing and she told me that they were fine and that she had fed them at about one o'clock that afternoon. She also mentioned that my nephew was even playing with Alexa for a little while. I cut up the fruit-vagetable-monkey chow mixture for their dinner and was trying to get everthing done quickly. I went downstairs to give them their food, cast a quick glance to Alexa, who gave me a "Hello" chirp (maybe a little fainter than usual but I thought nothing of It), and proceeded to fill chana's food cup first as I always do. Then It was Alexa's turn.
I walked over to Alexa's cage, and noticed that she looked a little strange. Her coloring-was off, and she had a sort of ratty appearance. Then as I noticed her right arm, which she had kept hidden from me, I thought that I would collapse right there on the spot. She had a half dollar-sized (or maybe slightly larger) hole in her arm. And I say hole, as opposed to any other word, because I could clearly see her bones and what was left of the exposed muscle tissue. There was no skin around the wound and. surprizingly, no blood. In panic I started crying and didn't know what to do next. I got hold of myself as quickly as I could and thought that I must eot her to a vet and have her arm stitched up. I felt that if that was done fast enough, she would be fine. I ran upstairs called the veterinarian, who was not :in because it was after hours. I tried an emergency number, got through to someone who told me to bring her in right away. As I opened Alexa's cage she jumped right into my arm and I could see that she was very weak, but surprisingly calm.
Brad and Trouble
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ALEXA By Charles Douglas Sherman [part4]
She let me wrap her in a towel and my mom rapidly drove us to the vet's office. As we were driving in the car Alexa became weaker. Her eyes were closing and opening. She gazed into my eyes and all I could say was Hold on, you can make it, it's just a little further, as I prayed to God not to let her die. I promised her that I would save her. The vet took us right away and asked what seemed like a hundred stupid questions. I begged them to take care of her first. After examining her they told me that Alexats condition was very serious and she had to be put on IVs. They would bandage her arm and put her in an incubator overnight, and suggested that I call them in the morning. I suppose I was naive at the time, because I really thought I would be taking her home with me that night. When I asked them if she was going to die, the doctors told me that they didn't know, and would have to perform tests in the morning. I returned home extremely upset, and didn't sleep at all that night.
The next morning I called them and was told that Alexa had lost a lot of blood, was very weak and that her arm needed to be operated on. They still didn't know if she would pull through, and if she did there was strong talk of amputating her arm. For three days I didn't know what would happen to her. I cried and prayed every day that she would be all right. By the third day the doctors said she was improving and it seemed as though she would recover. There was also a very good chance she would keep her arm. However, I was not permitted to see her for almost six days. The vet believed she was too weak and that I would be upset to see her hooked up to IVs with her arm strapped down. I insisted that if I didn't see her I would take her out of the hospital. When I finally did see her she looked much thinner and a little older, butwhen she saw me she ran to the front of the glass and jumped right into my arms when the incubator was opened. She lipsmacked my lips, which was a typical greeting of hers. Alexa's entire arm was covered by a long, thick bandage, except for her right hand which was exposed and had swollen to about three times the size of her other hand. They told me that this was because of the fluid draining into her arm. It looked awful but I was happy to see her alive and relatively okay. Alexa stayed in the hospital for two and a half weeks. The day she came home I was so happy and thought to myself that the worst was over. I couldn't have been more wrong -- it had only just begun.
For the next two months It was a twlce-a-week routine of taking Alexa to the vet to have her bandage changed and her wound cleaned. Although she was a friendly and easy-going monkey before the accident, she became very protective of her arm and would not allow anyone to touch it, including me. Therefore she had to be given isoflorine gas every time the bandage had to be changed. At first she used to fight it, but after a while she grew to accept it as part of her normal routine. Brad and Trouble
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ALEXA By Charles Douglas Sherman [part5]
I really think I was still in shock at that time because I remember going through the process very calmly and almost matter-of-factly but I suppose in my mind I felt that this was what had to be done for her to recover and no matter how long and how much money it took I would do whatever was necessary. Thinking back I really can't say it was all my fault. I was led on by the veterinarians, partially because of the money, but just as much out of ignorance on their part. It is extremely I difficult to find a vet who has a decent knowledge of primates and even harder to find one who actually treats them on a regular basis. I do feel, however, that my doctors did the best they could.
I'm sure that the question running through everyone's mind is ... how could this happen. Unfortunately, no one will ever really know. It was as simple as this -- Alexa was fine at 1p.m. and at 7 p.m. she had a hole in her arm. No one in the house heard screaming or any unusual noise. There was no blood, no skin fragments in her cage at all. No clumps of hair -- nothing. I went over her cage with a fine-tooth comb, looking for some clue as to what had happened. I could find nothing. The vet claimed she had an abscess that had erupted and she just kept picking at it. However, I find that story hard to believe. I played with Alexa every day, coming in contact with her arms and hands. She had no bruises bumps or swelling, and showed no signs of any discomfort at all. My theory 'is (and it's the only one I could possibly imagine) that somehow she either got her hand stuck in a part of her cage or scraped it or cut it in some way and she panicked, started biting, chewing and picking at it, keeping at it for few hours untill finially I found her. I refuse to believe that, as happy and content as she was, Alexa would mutilate herself in such a horrific and painful way. She had removed all surface skin around the wound, all muscle tissue, and most nerve endings were destroyed -- her arm would never be the same again.
In spite of the severe extent of her Injuries, coupled with the limited knowledge of my veterinarian, three and a half months after the initial injury Alexa was "finia!ly healed". The wound, which had been too deep and wide to be sutured, eventually granulated in and had completely closed. Hair had even started to grow over the new skin. The swel ling in her hand and fingers went down completely. The doctor told me she would never regain full use of the arm, but "with therapy" she would have partial use of it. For one week I worked with Alexa every day, and she finally allowed me to touch her right arm. It was quite stiff from being bandaged straight for so long, but she was regaining movement in it and was even starting to use it to carry her little doll around. I thought the nightmare was over at last. Brad and Trouble
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ALEXA By Charles Douglas Sherman [part6]
Twelve days after the bandage was removed my mom called me at work, telling me to come home quickly, Alexa had something wrong with her fingers. I dashed home to find that Alexa had chewed off the tip of her index finger and removed all the outer skin tissue on her thumb. I was shocked and extremely discouraged, unable to believe that after all this time and after coming this far she could do something like this. We rushed her to the hospital once more, although she really seemed fine...almost in good spirits. She had to stay in the hospital for three days, during which time they amputated the two mutilated fingers. I really didn't know what to do at this point. I was literally running out of time, patience and, most of all money. The medical bills were becoming quite steep and I felt Alexa really didn't seem to be getting much better. It was at that time that I started making some phone calls to try to get advice from someone else. Until then I knew of no other person in my area who kept monkeys as pets. I felt alone and confused, and I didn't know what I was going to do with Alexa. Sadly,, the unpleasant routine started all over again: once a week she went to the vet to have her bandage changed and her wound cleaned, And once again she had to go under isaflorine gas. I had called the Bronx Zoo and was given three referrals; a New York member of the Simian Society, a veterinary hospital in Long Island that treats exotica, including monkeys, and Cathy Travers, exotic animal director of the New York City ASPCA. I called all of them and told them my story. During that time Alexa was getting worse. On two occasions she had removed her bandage. The second time, New Year's Day, she had severely mutilated her arm, having to be rushed to the hospital and stay overnight.
The sweet little monkey I knew was behaving like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When the bandage was on and she could not get it off her temperament was f ine. However, if she got it off she would attack her arm with such f eroclty I barely recognized her. I was so distraught that every waking moment I was consumed by the fear that she would remove her bandage and start on her arm. Even at night I was having nightmares of this happening. My family and friends told me I was crazy, that Aleza was making me a nervous wreck and draining me of all my funds and that I could seriously consider getting rtd of her. I know to a small degree that they were right, but how does one write off one of his children? I know it's a bit extreme and maybe even silly to compare a capuchin monkey to a child, but for me that's what she was. Alexa was my little girl. I raised her from an infant and she looked up to me as her father/mother. I couldn't let her down -- not at that point, after all that she and I had gone through together. However, I also knew I couldn't physically or financially go on much further. This is when I began my many phone calls to the people in the Simian Society. Brad and Trouble
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ALEXA By Charles Douglas Sherman [part7]
My mind was slightly eased by the idea that there were hundreds of decent people out there who owned not only one monkey but dozens of monkeys, who were so willing to take the time and energy to try to help a perfect stranger calling from so far away. I will always remember the kind words and true pain and sympathy in their voices as I related my desperate story to them.
It was now five and a half months after Alexa's first injury and at this point there seemed to be no way she would leave her arm alone. At the first chance she could get she would try to remove her bandage and sometimes she would succeed. Then the day came when I could take no more. She had removed the bandage three times in a row within a four-hour period. I had to rush her to the hospital three times, and three times she had to be rebandaged. At this point even the vet said something had to be done. I was afraid to have Alexa in the house any more because I couldn't constantly watch her, so I asked the vet if they could keep her for a few days until I could find out what I was going to do. They kept her under a 24-hour watch, and Alexa stayed there for four days. Surprisingly though, she never got that last bandage off. I finally decided that after many long hours on the phone and serious consideration I would give Alexa to a woman by the name of Alison Pascoe. I felt that Alison was the beat choice to take care of Alexa and she told me she would try to work with her to see if the self-mutilation was physically or mentally induced. After Alison's evaluation Alexa was to go to Albany to reside in the permanent care of Linda Martini, who is known for treating and caring for monkeys with emotional and physical problems. Both Linda and Alison assured me that Alexa would get the best care possible and that If I wanted I was welcome to visit her whenever I liked.
It made me feel better to know that Alexa was in capable hands and that she would even be :in the same state. Finally she would be around people who knew what they were talking about when It came to monkeys . Alison and Wally Swett advised me to put Alexa in what is called a hexolyte cast (so that her arm could breathe, but the cast would be extremely difficult for her to remove) in order to facilitate her transport and evaluation. my vet would not (or did not know how to) do this, so I took Alxca to Dr. Altman at A& A Animal Hospital, who examined her, put her in the cast and also told me that the arm looked bad, and I should consider having it amputated.. I could never bring myself to do that to her, and at that point I could not afford the medical expense.
1 drove up to Alison's home in Westchester, New York, to give Alexa to her. It was a sad, but also relieving day for me. I felt she would get the care that I was unable to give her and I would f:inally, have a break from six months of an emotional roller coaster. we set up Alexa's cage in Alison's dining room., met Alison's monkey Amelia and stayed for a few hours. Alison was only supposed to keep Alexa for three or four days to evaluate her condition. Then she would go to Linda. I kissed Alexa goodbye and left, feeling very sad but I did not cry. There was a weight lifted from my shoulders. Brad and Trouble
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ALEXA By Charles Douglas Sherman [part8]
Three days later I spoke to Alison who told me Alexa was a very sweet monkey and well cared for, and that she didn't particularly care one way or another for Alison's monkey but had taken a liking to Alison's daughter who was very good with her. She also told me that she had decided to keep Alexa for an indefinite period of time to try to work with her. She felt there was some hope. I was so happy I even entertained the thought that one day I might have Alexa back.
One weel later Alison called and told me the news... "We had to put Alexa to sleep today." The words went through my head but I couldn't believe them. I had no reaction. She went on to tell me that when her doctor removed Alexa's bandage her arm was so deteriorated they all felt amputation was the only way. But after extreme self-mutilating behavior Alexa exhibited on her arm, and the trauma she had gone through for the past six months, the added pain and pressure in an amputation operation -would be too cruel for her to suffer. So they came to the decision for euthanasia. Alison told me she was very sorry and felt truly awful. She hated to be the one to make that last painful decision, but felt that at least "Alexa is at last at peace". I could barely speak, and told Alison I would call her In a few days to discuss what we would do with Alexa's cage. I got In my car and drove and drove, and cried and cried. I felt, after all this, she is dead. I had a hard time accepting this, and at first was even angry with Alison for not consulting me, but I must admit that euthanasia was a possibility that I had considered more than once since the day of the accident. I didn't want anyone to have Alexa who would not be willing to do for her what I would do. I guess I found that person in Alison, and she did what had to be done. Alexa is finally at peace. Unfortunately there Wasn't anything we could do to save her. It was Nature's way.
It has been a few months since Alexa's death, and I have had time to mourn and calmly look over the past six or seven months. I have come to the conclusion that Alexa is better-off where she Is nows at Peace. She had gone through so much for such a little monkey. What kind of life could she have had living with strangers without an arm feeling pain all the time? Alexa went through a lot and put up a good figlits but she lost. The general agreement on Alexals self-mutilating behavior is that its cause was mostly physical. She had done so much damage to her arm that she had what is known as Phantom pain (sometimes she would have a sensation of sharp -pain in her arm, while other times she would feel nothing but numbness; an animalls natural reaction to this is to bite or scratch.)
I have no immediate intention of obtaining another monkey, and feel that I would never buy another baby monkey. Perhaps in time I will be able to he1p other monkeys who are unwanted or abused. I still miss Alexa a lot, and sometimes I feel I can even hear her chirping around the house. I have recently-moved out of my parents' home and am now living on my own (well not really., I now have two Persian cats and a huge fish tank -- some things just won't ever change. Chana is probably going to Wally Swett at Primarily Primates. Wally expressed concern for Chana and I told hin that when I had Alexa's problems settled I would consider what I was going to do with her. l'm sure Wally can provide the type of home that she really needs. The End Brad and Trouble
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ALEXA By Charles Douglas Sherman [part8]
Three days later I spoke to Alison who told me Alexa was a very sweet monkey and well cared for, and that she didn't particularly care one way or another for Alison's monkey but had taken a liking to Alison's daughter who was very good with her. She also told me that she had decided to keep Alexa for an indefinite period of time to try to work with her. She felt there was some hope. I was so happy I even entertained the thought that one day I might have Alexa back.
One weel later Alison called and told me the news... "We had to put Alexa to sleep today." The words went through my head but I couldn't believe them. I had no reaction. She went on to tell me that when her doctor removed Alexa's bandage her arm was so deteriorated they all felt amputation was the only way. But after extreme self-mutilating behavior Alexa exhibited on her arm, and the trauma she had gone through for the past six months, the added pain and pressure in an amputation operation -would be too cruel for her to suffer. So they came to the decision for euthanasia. Alison told me she was very sorry and felt truly awful. She hated to be the one to make that last painful decision, but felt that at least "Alexa is at last at peace". I could barely speak, and told Alison I would call her In a few days to discuss what we would do with Alexa's cage. I got In my car and drove and drove, and cried and cried. I felt, after all this, she is dead. I had a hard time accepting this, and at first was even angry with Alison for not consulting me, but I must admit that euthanasia was a possibility that I had considered more than once since the day of the accident. I didn't want anyone to have Alexa who would not be willing to do for her what I would do. I guess I found that person in Alison, and she did what had to be done. Alexa is finally at peace. Unfortunately there Wasn't anything we could do to save her. It was Nature's way.
It has been a few months since Alexa's death, and I have had time to mourn and calmly look over the past six or seven months. I have come to the conclusion that Alexa is better-off where she Is nows at Peace. She had gone through so much for such a little monkey. What kind of life could she have had living with strangers without an arm feeling pain all the time? Alexa went through a lot and put up a good figlits but she lost. The general agreement on Alexals self-mutilating behavior is that its cause was mostly physical. She had done so much damage to her arm that she had what is known as Phantom pain (sometimes she would have a sensation of sharp -pain in her arm, while other times she would feel nothing but numbness; an animalls natural reaction to this is to bite or scratch.)
I have no immediate intention of obtaining another monkey, and feel that I would never buy another baby monkey. Perhaps in time I will be able to he1p other monkeys who are unwanted or abused. I still miss Alexa a lot, and sometimes I feel I can even hear her chirping around the house. I have recently-moved out of my parents' home and am now living on my own (well not really., I now have two Persian cats and a huge fish tank -- some things just won't ever change. Chana is probably going to Wally Swett at Primarily Primates. Wally expressed concern for Chana and I told hin that when I had Alexa's problems settled I would consider what I was going to do with her. l'm sure Wally can provide the type of home that she really needs. The End Brad and Trouble
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