tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84914835820041062932024-03-12T17:12:53.399-07:00Monkey Life.Monkeys are fascinating but widely misunderstood. Some of the erudite studies that have been published are by people who have read other peoples erudite studies or have had only a brief contact with them on a field trip. This blog is written from the point of view of a Rescue Center that has twelve years of daily experience with these very intelligent little people.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-56163069262473851022010-02-23T08:34:00.000-08:002010-02-23T08:36:27.094-08:00Rethink our positions on animal intelligence.Chimps are intelligent enough to appreciate a full pint <br />By Matt Walker <br />Editor, Earth News <br /><br /><br /> <br />Panzee goes with the flow<br /><br /><br />Chimpanzees are intelligent enough to appreciate how big a pint of liquid is, or the volume of any other measure.<br /><br />That shows they have an ability to gauge the difference between continuous quantities, such as a pint or half pint of non-alcoholic fruit juice. <br /><br />Previously, apes have only been known to differentiate discrete quantities, such as eight sweets over five. <br /><br />That mean chimps are more intelligent than we thought, and shows they have a basic grasp of the physics of liquids. <br /><br />Details of the discovery are published in the journal Animal Cognition.<br /><br /> In some sense, this is a kind of folk understanding of the physics of liquids <br /><br />Dr Michael Beran<br />Georgia State University <br />Comparative psychologist Dr Michael Beran of Georgia State University, Atlanta, US has spent over decade researching animal intelligence, in particular the mental abilities of monkeys and apes, including people. <br /><br />In the past he has shown primates are able to keep track of how many sweets are in a container: by performing simple addition and subtraction calculations they can keep count of how many treats are added or taken away. <br /><br />Knowing that eight sweets are more than five shows an ability to distinguish between discrete quantities. <br /><br />However, liquids pose a different challenge. Because a liquid flows, it forms one continuous quantity, that gets larger as more liquid is added. <br /><br />"So I wanted to know whether they would perform as well when they had to judge two poured amounts of juice," says Dr Beran.<br /><br /> APE ABILITIES: FIND OUT MORE <br /> <br /><br /><br />The world's first film shot entirely by chimpanzees was broadcast by the BBC last month as part of a natural history documentary: watch it here <br />Chimpanzees have been seen using tools to chop up and reduce food into smaller bite-sized portions <br />Chimpanzees are biologically programmed to appreciate pleasant music: watch a video of a baby chimp enjoying a tune <br />Watch more videos of chimpanzee behaviour here <br />He tested three chimps, a 37-year-old female called Lana, a 21-year-old female called Panzee and a 34-year-old male called Sherman. <br /><br />In the first experiment, Dr Beran poured quantities of fruit juice from a 600ml syringe into a clear cup and opaque cup. <br /><br />The chimps watched as he did so, and then choose the larger to drink. <br /><br />It did not matter if Dr Beran poured 100ml, 200ml, 300ml or so on up to 600ml into either cup (one UK pint = 568ml). <br /><br />More than three quarters of the time, the chimps would select the larger volume. <br /><br />Crucially, by pouring the liquid into opaque containers, the chimps could only see how much was being poured, not how much had accumulated in the measuring cup. <br /><br />That means the chimps could accurately visualise or understand how much liquid was being poured, rather than collected. <br /><br />"They had to watch juice pour into containers and once the juice was there, it was out of sight. So they had to remember how much juice is there, just from seeing it fall," Dr Beran told the BBC. <br /><br />Overcoming an illusion<br /><br />In a second set of experiments, the chimps had to choose between a clear cup already containing a certain volume of juice, and another they couldn't see, but into which was poured a drink. <br /><br />That meant the chimps could not take the relatively easy option of timing the pouring events, and choose whichever cup had liquid poured into it for longer. <br /><br />"This is a complicated feat because there are no cues such as duration of pouring or height of the liquid that can be used," explains Dr Beran.<br /><br /> <br />Panzee passes another test with flying colours <br />"They must represent and compare the poured amount to the visible amount, and estimate which is larger." <br /><br />Again the chimps easily appreciated the difference. <br /><br />In a third set of experiments, Dr Beran then varied the height from which the liquids were poured. <br /><br />That creates a perceptual illusion that might confuse the chimps. <br /><br />"I wanted to see whether the chimps overestimated the amount of juice if it was poured from higher up," says Dr Beran. <br /><br />"This is an old favourite of the experienced bartenders of the world, where the patron gets the impression of getting more alcohol than is really true because of varying the height of the pouring." <br /><br />However, it made little difference to all three chimps, who picked the largest amount over 80% of the time, with Panzee scoring a high of 86%. <br /><br />"The results support the position that chimpanzees are good mental accountants who judge various forms of quantities," says Dr Beran. <br /><br />"They can track quantities in ways not previously demonstrated. <br /><br />"In some sense, this is a kind of folk understanding of the physics of liquids." <br /><br />The experiments also suggest the chimpanzees use the same mechanism to gauge discreet and continuous amounts. <br /><br />Rethinking intelligence<br /><br />Dr Beran, whose research is supported by the US National Institutes for Health and National Science Foundation, believes such intelligence could help chimpanzees in their natural environment. <br /><br />"I have no doubt such skills would prove valuable in the wild," says Dr Beran. <br /><br />"Chimpanzees make many decisions regarding how to spend their time foraging, and where to forage, and also they must attend to who else is around them in terms of the number of individuals. <br /><br />"In many of these cases, quantity offers valuable information, and so sensitivity to quantity and the ability to judge quantities and use forms of mental accounting would be adaptive." <br /><br />Such findings may also force us to think again about how clever animals really are. <br /><br />"Certainly, these kinds of capacities, like many others that we continue to find in nonhuman animals, require rethinking our positions on animal intelligence. <br /><br />"The results also support the position that there is psychological as well as biological continuity across species, at least for many cognitive and intellectual abilities," says Dr Beran.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-60810480567153592212008-11-20T05:01:00.000-08:002008-11-20T05:02:48.690-08:00Females are definitely the chattier sex, even in monkeys!London, Nov 20 (ANI): Women might be tired of carrying the load of being stereotyped as the talkative sex, but according to a group of researchers, the label might indeed be true at least in the case of female-centric monkey groups.<br /><br />The research team at Roehampton University in London, who observed a female-centric group of macaques, noticed that the gossipy nature of the monkeys might add weight to the theory that human language evolved to forge social bonds.<br /><br />A large number of scientists reckon that language replaced grooming as a less time-consuming way of preserving close bonds in ever-growing societies.<br /><br />Researchers Nathalie Greeno and Stuart Semple hypothesised that if this was true then in species of animals with large social networks, such as macaques, vocal exchanges should be just as important as grooming.<br /><br />The scientists listened to a group of 16 female and eight male macaques, the most widespread primate genus apart from humans, living on Cayo Santiago island off Puerto Rico for three months.<br /><br />They counted the grunts, coos and girneys friendly chit-chat between two individuals while ignoring calls specifically used when in the presence of food or a predator.<br /><br />Female macaques were found to make 13 times as many friendly noises as males. They were also more likely to chat to other females than males.<br /><br />“The results suggest that females rely on vocal communication more than males due to their need to maintain the larger social networks,” New Scientist quoted Greeno, as saying.<br /><br />The study has been published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.<br /><br />The scientists believe this is because female macaques form solid, long-lasting bonds. They stay in the same group for life, and rely on their female friends to help them look after offspring.<br /><br />In contrast males who rove between groups throughout their life chatted to both sexes equally.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-48273417468426819692008-11-11T12:14:00.000-08:002008-11-11T12:16:44.189-08:00Stem Cells from Monkey Teeth Can Stimulate Growth and Generation of Brain CellsBy Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University<br />Nov 11, 2008 - 11:43:31 AM<br /><br /><br />Rhesus monkey dental stem cells show the ability to produce different types of cells, illustrating the potential for cell therapy and regenerative medicine. <br /><br /> <br />(HealthNewsDigest.com) - ATLANTA — Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have discovered dental pulp stem cells can stimulate growth and generation of several types of neural cells. Findings from this study, available in the October issue of the journal Stem Cells, suggest dental pulp stem cells show promise for use in cell therapy and regenerative medicine, particularly therapies associated with the central nervous system.<br /><br />Dental stem cells are adult stem cells, one of the two major divisions of stem cell research. Adult stem cells have the ability to regenerate many different types of cells, promising great therapeutic potential, especially for diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s. Already, dental pulp stem cells have been used for regeneration of dental and craniofacial cells.<br /><br />Yerkes researcher Anthony Chan, DVM, PhD, and his team of researchers placed dental pulp stem cells from the tooth of a rhesus macaque into the hippocampal areas of mice. The dental pulp stem cells stimulated growth of new neural cells, and many of these formed neurons. <br /><br />“By showing dental pulp stem cells are capable of stimulating growth of neurons, our study demonstrates the specific therapeutic potential of dental pulp stem cells and the broader potential for adult stem cells,” says Chan, who also is assistant professor of human genetics in Emory School of Medicine.<br /><br />Because dental pulp stem cells can be isolated from anyone at any age during a visit to the dentist, Chan is interested in the possibility of dental pulp stem cell banking. “Being able to use your own stem cells for therapy would greatly decrease the risk of cell rejection that we now experience in transplant medicine,” says Chan.<br /><br />Chan and his research team next plan to determine if dental pulp stem cells from monkeys with Huntington’s disease can enhance brain cell development in the same way dental pulp stem cells from healthy monkeys do. <br /><br />For more than seven decades, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, has been dedicated to conducting essential basic science and translational research to advance scientific understanding and to improve the health and well-being of humans and nonhuman primates. Today, the center, as one of only eight National Institutes of Health–funded national primate research centers, provides leadership, training and resources to foster scientific creativity, collaboration and discoveries. Yerkes-based research is grounded in scientific integrity, expert knowledge, respect for colleagues, an open exchange of ideas and compassionate, quality animal care.<br /><br />Within the fields of microbiology and immunology, neuroscience, psychobiology and sensory-motor systems, the center’s research programs are seeking ways to: develop vaccines for infectious and noninfectious diseases, such as AIDS and Alzheimer’s disease; treat cocaine addiction; interpret brain activity through imaging; increase understanding of progressive illnesses such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s; unlock the secrets of memory; determine behavioral effects of hormone replacement therapy; address vision disorders; and advance knowledge about the evolutionary links between biology and behavior.<br /><br />www.HealthNewsDigest.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-68738977946328092772008-02-23T07:42:00.000-08:002008-12-09T09:16:54.990-08:00Nepal's Shame<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/R8BBItusO_I/AAAAAAAAAb8/NsZS0spQLi8/s1600-h/Nepals+shame.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/R8BBItusO_I/AAAAAAAAAb8/NsZS0spQLi8/s320/Nepals+shame.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170203990191520754" /></a><br />Animal welfare campaigners staged demonstration outside the Nepali Embassy in London on Friday as part of their campaign against Nepal government's involvement in the breeding of rhesus monkeys for biomedical research in America.<br /><br />Protesters gathered outside the embassy at 10:30 am GMT, with posters showing a suffering lab monkey and the heading “Nepal's Shame”, a statement issued by the Stop Monkey Business Campaign said.<br />Campaigners display pamphlet during the protest in front of the Nepali Embassy in London, demanding ban on export of rhesus monkey from Nepal on Friday Feb 22.<br />Campaigners display pamphlet during the protest in front of the Nepali Embassy in London, demanding ban on export of rhesus monkey from Nepal on Friday Feb 22.<br /><br />The protest was the first in the UK in support of the global Stop Monkey Business Campaign.<br /><br />Two representatives of the campaigners talked with Jhabindra Aryal, Counselor/Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy, and conveyed their concerns regarding the trade of monkeys for export to American 'research' companies. Aryal on his part promised to pass on the campaigners’ concerns to the Nepal government, the statement added.<br />“According to the British campaigners, Nepal should be ashamed of providing monkeys for biomedical research, especially in the past the country has built a reputation of protecting wildlife species such as the tiger, rhino and elephant,” the statement read, “They note that monkeys are considered sacred both by Hindus and Buddhists.”<br /><br />The campaigners have urged the Nepal government to stop the export of monkeys for experimentation, which causes great suffering. They say that exposes of animal ‘research’ companies, including the ones on Washington and San Antonio which have established offices in Nepal, have shown time and time again of the untold suffering and fraudulent research that goes on in the name of science.<br /><br />“Researchers tend to treat monkeys as disposable tools and consider proper animal care to be too expensive.”<br /><br />The London demonstration was part of a growing global campaign pressurizing the Nepal government to ban the export of rhesus monkeys for commercial or scientific use. Earlier this month, campaigners protested at the Nepali Consulate in Amsterdam, Holland.<br /><br />Similar demonstrations will be held in France and other European countries in March.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-62777880515156245832008-01-13T22:20:00.000-08:002008-01-13T22:22:04.233-08:00Make a monkey of the boss and succeed in businessJan 14 2008 by Emma Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post<br /><br />THE politics of the office are thought to be a matter peculiar to western culture. For the office politician to be able to deploy his or her Machiavellian tactics and chicanery, it is necessary to have a large corporate setting to manoeuvre among staff and management.<br /><br />After all, in small organizations, everyone is busy actually doing things to achieve their goals, otherwise matters grind to a halt.<br /><br />But clichés that the office is a jungle appear to be fact. Big companies are not necessary for office politics to thrive. Behavior patterns of jockeying for preferment are replicated among monkeys and chimps in the wild. Understanding their strategies is as useful as any insight into climbing up the corporate ladder or holding onto your job.<br /><br />In the US, a study reported by the New Scientist magazine sets out “five rules of the jungle” that we would all be wise to assimilate for our corporate survival.<br /><br />“The office and the jungle are surprisingly similar,” write the psychologists who undertook the research. It makes sense, really. Both social groups are ruled by stringent hierarchies, but both have to find a balance between the natural drive for competition and simultaneous need for co-operation to ensure the group’s successful continuation.<br /><br />To this already complicated and often contradictory mix, there is the risk of hostile takeovers, a marketplace of favours and favourites, brazen opportunism. And – let’s not forget it – the long and ignominious tradition of brown-nosing.<br /><br />What this means in totality, say the scientists, is that “you can’t tell the savanna from a forest of cubicles.”<br /><br />Monkeying around takes on a more serious meaning with New Scientist summarizing five basic jungle rules that have emerged from the research that are applicable to the office.<br /><br />We’d all do well to adhere to these guidelines if we want to learn how to cope with aggressive colleagues and over-demanding bosses. In other words, we do much worse than to make a chimp of ourselves.<br /><br />Apparently monkeys, just like human beings, bridle at being treated unfairly. Trust is everything: it can be quickly established, but is difficult to retrieve if relations break down.<br /><br />The monkeys even go on strike if they feel they are being let-down or short-changed by those in charge.<br /><br />The researchers trained the monkeys to trade pebbles for food, which could be a commonplace piece of cucumber, or the much more valued grape. In a communal situation, if the researcher gave one monkey a grape and another a cucumber piece for doing the same task, the one that received the cucumber would down tools and refuse to take any further part in the experiment.<br /><br />Apart from the blatant unfairness of the work/reward equation, the lesson that carries over to the office situation is that a single person should avoid taking credit for work that is done collectively.<br /><br />Office relationships collapse when workers hijack their colleagues’ efforts; it is also unwise for individuals to brag about their salaries.<br /><br />The second monkey rule of office behaviour is not only to have colleagues on your side, but also the boss (which could well be the more important). Other studies already indicate that primates who spend time currying favor with their superiors receive more backing when any arguments or fights occur.<br /><br />But as important – and one often forgotten by the so-called superior human beings – is the third rule: the need for reconciliation and to avoid bearing a grudge.<br /><br />Chimps embrace and even kiss after a fight, dolphins rub alongside each other and goats nuzzle. This magnanimity reduces stress and prevents the dispute re-igniting.<br /><br />Team playing underpins the fourth rule, as chimps and humans prefer the company of co-operative fellows. Show your kind and caring side, even simple activities like making tea and buying buns for the department can repeat multiple benefits.<br /><br />Finally, the fifth rule is probably the hardest: be a good boss. An acutely difficult act of balancing leadership, control and motivation. The failure of those in charge is also replicated in the wild, with insensitive chimps having to fight constantly to maintain their status, while their group becomes increasingly stressed.<br /><br />It’s a wonder that any work gets done at all, isn’t it?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-56457656243930853502007-12-16T05:20:00.000-08:002007-12-16T05:21:31.209-08:00Crack down on New Delhi monkeysNEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Monkey handler Ramal Lala strolls along New Delhi's streets, a leash on his monkey named Mungle. The local government has hired the two to chase down thousands of smaller monkeys known to roam this mega-city of 13 million people, hopping on just about anything, breaking into houses and occasionally biting spectators.<br /><br /> <br />Monkeys such as these hang out on New Delhi's street corners. The city's government is trying to round them up. <br /><br /> 1 of 2 On this day, Lala bangs a large stick, yells at the monkeys and lets his partner off his leash. Mungle, a Langor monkey, jumps into the trees and hisses at his smaller monkey kin. Every once and a while, Lala whips out a slingshot and fires at the little menaces.<br /><br />"They steal clothes, snatch food from inside the houses. They raid the houses in large numbers," he says. "Sometimes, the brave ones even bite."<br /><br />Lala and Mungle are essentially the monkey police of New Delhi. The government wants men such as Lala to round up the wild monkeys and move them to the Bhati reserve on the edge of India's capital city. Watch "monkeys gone wild" »<br /><br />Authorities have tried to prevent the animals from freely roaming the city for decades. But they've met resistance. The monkeys -- known as "hanuman" -- are revered in India and not everyone wants to see them go.<br /><br />The latest roundup began after the city's deputy mayor fell and died. His son said he was fending off monkeys at the time -- although speculation in the streets doubts whether that was the case.<br /><br />The New Delhi government says it has rounded up 600 monkeys in recent months and moved them to the reserve. Some estimates put the number of monkeys roaming the city as high as 10,000.<br /><br />The whole thing has scientists such as Iqbal Maliq, the leading expert on primates in India, furious. She says she believes the roundup is a joke.<br /><br />"It's a stupid plan," she says. "It is a ridiculous plan that is making the entire country look ridiculous in the eyes of the scientists of the world."<br /><br />She questions putting the Langor monkey on a leash to intimidate the smaller ones. And the idea of brandishing a slingshot against a monkey is just too much to bear. "Stupid," she says.<br /><br />Half-joking, she adds, "I say give the monkeys the power."<br /><br />It's a controversy that's not about to go away. Monkeys can be seen throughout the city. They run across the top of the Indian Parliament, swarm across streets, slide down telephone poles and sit on the side of the road staring at bystanders. Sometimes they heckle tourists, snatching lunch as people look away.<br /><br />The city is filled with tales of people having to beat off a crazed monkey with a broom on their porch.<br /><br /><br />At the reserve where the monkeys are taken, a green fence separates them from the city. They climb the fence and walk along it, keeping a keen eye on everything.<br /><br />When they get bored, they just hop over and head back into the city, back home. E-mail to a friendUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-27178910000320572522007-10-31T10:44:00.000-07:002007-10-31T10:46:20.552-07:00DeBrazza MonkeyScientists Make Breakthrough Discovery of Monkey Population in Kenya <br />By Joe De capua <br />Washington<br />31 October 2007<br /> <br />After much news of late about how primates are being threatened across Africa, there’s good news from Kenya. A new population of an unusual species of monkeys has been found in a most unexpected location. Scientists are calling it a breakthrough discovery in primate research. <br /><br /> <br />DeBrazza Monkey, Photo courtesy of Wildlife Direct <br />The De Brazza Monkey can grow up to five feet in length, counting its tail, and weigh more than seven and a half kilograms. But what really stands out is the De Brazza’s snowy white beard and mustache. <br /><br />Up until recently, it was thought there were only 700 such monkeys in Kenya. Conservation officials say the discovery was made in an arid region of northern Kenya, in “one of the last intact indigenous forest ranges.” <br /><br />Iregi Mwenja is a research scientist with the Institute of Primate Research. It’s a department of the National Museums of Kenya. He also works closely with the conservation group Wildlife Direct. He confirmed that the monkeys were indeed De Brazzas, not known to exist east of the Great Rift Valley.<br /><br />“De Brazza Monkeys in Kenya, we say they are endangered. But in Africa, we have stable populations in Congo, which is in the central part of Africa, but Kenya being the easternmost range of the species. We have a very low population. They have been estimated to be less than a thousand. So, before the discovery it was estimated to be at least 700. So, at least an additional 25 percent is significant to the conservation of the species in Kenya,” he says.<br /><br />The habitat of the new population – the Mathews Range Forest Reserve – is described as “an island of biodiversity.” <br /><br />“First you must understand the nature of the De Brazzas. They are very shy. The habitat that they occupy is usually very dense riverine forest. So, it is difficult to just spot them, apart from just walking along a river. Unless you deliberately, you know, go for them. So, this particular case the habitat is isolated. It’s in a very remote part of Kenya where we have very low human traffic. Of course, the local people knew about it and they had already given it a name. So they knew about them. They knew it very well,” he says.<br /><br />In other parts of Kenya where the De Brazzas live, deforestation is a threat, as humans make room for agricultural land.<br /><br />Mwenja says, “They have been saying that in probably 40 or 50 years there would be no suitable habitat remaining for the De Brazzas. But in this case what we found is that this is a new habitat relatively safe from human degradation. And this offers new hope for the species. They are not under serious threat, so we’re sure they’ll be there for longer.”<br /><br />Mwenja says scientists aren’t sure how or when the De Brazzas arrived in the northern party of Kenya, since none were thought to exist east of the Great Rift Valley. The valley was formed about two million years ago and separated some species. However, the primate expert theorizes that at some point in its history there was some “connectivity,” as he puts it, between the eastern and western parts of the valley. A connection – possibly a wet forest corridor - that no longer exists.<br /><br />Dr. Richard Leakey, chairman of Wildlife Direct and well-known paleontologist and conservationist, writes, “It is a critical issue for study as it puts climate change again as the most critical consideration as we plan for the future.”<br /><br />A recent study – Primates in Peril – warns that at least 25 species of primate are at risk of extinction around the world.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-54618824142854763362007-10-26T04:32:00.000-07:002008-12-09T09:16:55.656-08:00A third of primates face extinction<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/RyHRzg5ZtUI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/Gy0lrUZ_FwU/s1600-h/Extinction.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/RyHRzg5ZtUI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/Gy0lrUZ_FwU/s320/Extinction.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125608533858563394" /></a><br />Almost a third of the world's primates are in danger of extinction because of destruction of their habitats, a report by conservation groups has warned. <br /><br />The report says many apes, monkeys and other primates are being driven from the forests where they live or killed to make food and medicines. <br /><br />The research is being presented at the International Primatological Society (IPS) on the Chinese island of Hainan. <br /><br />It was compiled by a team of 60 experts led by the World Conservation Union. <br /><br />Asia threat <br /><br />The report focuses on the fate of the world's 25 most endangered primate species, which are threatened by a depressing list of problems. <br /><br />The authors say all the surviving members of these species combined would fit in a single football stadium. <br /><br />Of particular concern are the Hainan gibbon from China and Miss Waldron's red colobus monkey from Ivory Coast, both of which have only a few surviving creatures left in the wild. <br /><br />The report says the threat to primates is worst in Asia where tropical forests are being destroyed and many monkeys are being hunted or traded as pets. <br /><br />It also argues that climate change is making some species more vulnerable. <br /><br />Scientists have been warning for decades about the growing human threat to animal species around the world, but this study says we should be especially concerned about primates because they are the closest living relatives of humans.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-22706901881066049342007-08-17T01:35:00.000-07:002007-08-17T01:40:02.700-07:00Malaysia has lifted a 23-year-old ban on trading monkeys'It seems to me that the humans are where they should not be with their rapid urbanization. What about exporting a few of them?'<br />Philip Cordrey<br /><br />Malaysia has lifted a 23-year-old ban on trading monkeys for research and food and is in talks with several countries including Japan for possible export, the New Straits Times reported Friday.<br /><br />The ban "was lifted recently," it said, although adding that the government has to put in place trade quotas before issuing licenses to wildlife exporting firms.<br /><br />Negotiations were already underway for possible exports of macaques to Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and Japan, the report said citing sources.<br /><br />Government officials were not immediately available for comment.<br /><br />As many as 10,000 Malaysian macaques were exported each year in the 1970s, mainly for laboratory research in the United States and Europe and to other countries as exotic food or pets, the report said, citing records.<br /><br />The trade led to a drop in the macaque population and subsequently forced the government to impose the ban in the mid-1980s.<br /><br />The report quoted an official as saying the macaque population has grown steadily since the ban and have now become a "nuisance and cause for many problems."<br /><br />Rapid urbanization has also led to constant reports of humans getting attacked by the monkeys.<br /><br />The official said it was better for the macaques to be exported than culled, the report said.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-45165401819101643682007-08-11T05:46:00.000-07:002008-12-09T09:16:56.475-08:00Scientist's arrest stirs concern<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rr2v2Ja8WlI/AAAAAAAAAPM/N03njp8Q4Wk/s1600-h/Marc+van+Roosmalen.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rr2v2Ja8WlI/AAAAAAAAAPM/N03njp8Q4Wk/s320/Marc+van+Roosmalen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097423698029992530" /></a><br /><br />By MICHAEL ASTOR<br />Associated Press Writer<br /> <br />Dutch scientist Marc van Roosmalen is seen in the state of Amazonia, Brazil, in this Nov. 1997, file photo. Van Roosmalen, who has discovered more new monkey species in Brazil in the past decade than anyone else, was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for illegally trying to auction off the names of monkey species and keeping monkeys at his house without authorization.<br /><br />• http://marcvanroosmalen.org <br /><br />Dutch scientist Marc van Roosmalen's success at combing the Amazon for new monkey species has earned him international acclaim and recognition as one of the world's leading biologists. Time magazine named him one of its "Heroes for the Planet."<br />Now his work has earned him a more troubling distinction: a nearly 16-year prison sentence. He was jailed in June for nearly two months before a panel of judges freed him on bail Tuesday while he appeals.<br />Van Roosmalen was convicted of holding an Internet auction for the naming rights of two monkey species he discovered. He planned to use the proceeds to help preserve their habitats. But the court ruled the auction was illegal because van Roosmalen was working at Brazil's National Institute for Amazon Research at the time of the discoveries and said the naming rights belonged to the government.<br />Van Roosmalen blames the state's powerful logging interests and overzealous environmental regulators for orchestrating his conviction and accuses them of trying to discourage scientific investigation.<br />"They are criminalizing science," van Roosmalen told The Associated Press in a telephone interview this week from the Amazon city of Manaus.<br />Scientists have rallied around van Roosmalen, saying the case highlights a growing conflict between scientific research and Brazil's efforts to protect the Amazon with some of the world's toughest environmental laws.<br />"Dr. van Roosmalen's situation is indicative of a trend of governmental repression of scientists in Brazil," read a letter signed by nearly 300 international scientists at an Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation meeting in Mexico.<br />Some also suggest van Roosmalen - who sent monkey samples abroad for DNA analysis - may be a victim of widespread fears that scientists are conspiring to patent the valuable genetic information Brazil considers to be its national heritage.<br />Van Roosmalen also was convicted of keeping wild animals at his home without authorization, and selling a scaffolding that had been donated to the institute.<br />His lawyer, David Neves, calls the charges baseless and the sentence disproportionate.<br />"The sentence was very stiff, it's not normal," Neves said.<br />Prosecutors countered that Roosmalen's conviction sets an important example.<br />"Brazil isn't against science, but there is a code of ethics that exists," said an assistant to federal prosecutor Edmilson da Costa Barreiros Jr. "Science doesn't justify the seriousness of these crimes."<br />Van Roosmalen said he was thrown in jail without warning on June 15, after a sentencing hearing that neither he nor his lawyer attended.<br />"I spent six weeks in prison being threatened. I have some very powerful enemies," van Roosmalen said, alluding to logging and ranching interests in Amazonas state that he believes pressed for the charges.<br />Van Roosmalen did not explain how he made those enemies, but many of his discoveries were made in a region near the Madeira and Aripuana rivers where logging is increasing. His discovery of new species and plan to preserve habitat have the potential to make logging more difficult.<br />Federal prosecutors said if van Roosmalen believes he is being threatened or framed, he should file a formal complaint and they would be happy to investigate.<br />Many scientists say Brazil's regulations often hamper legitimate research, even as loggers and ranchers escape punishment for routinely ignoring environmental regulations.<br />At 60, van Roosmalen cuts a maverick figure, with long blond hair and a penchant for wearing shirts opened to the waist. The scientist, who is a naturalized Brazilian, has published scientific descriptions of five new monkey species, a new porcupine and a new peccary species, and says he has discovered about 20 additional monkey and other animal species.<br />"I think my father felt that if he followed all the necessary requirements, he'd never get anything done," Vasco van Roosmalen, the scientist's son, told The Associated Press. "He had the attitude that if he was doing the right thing, the rules were not important. That can get you into trouble in Brazil."<br />Van Roosmalen's lawyer said officials from Brazil's environmental protection agency, Ibama, seemed to have no problem with his client keeping monkeys at home in the past, and even brought him sick or orphaned monkeys.<br />Henrique Pereira, the Ibama chief of Amazonas state, said officials may have brought monkeys to van Roosmalen between 1996 and 2001, when his request to house wild animals was being considered, but stopped once the permit was denied and van Roosmalen was obliged to remove the monkeys.<br />Prosecutors also noted that van Roosmalen was fired from a government research institute for sending genetic material abroad, among other irregularities.<br />Congressman Jose Sarney Filho, a former environmental minister who led a commission investigating bio-piracy, said van Roosmalen was singled out as an outsider in a region rife with rumors that developed nations want to control the Amazon and its natural diversity.<br />"I think he's being made a scapegoat, but he gave them reason to go after him," said Sarney. "My impression was he was a disorganized scientist. You could do what he did without meaning any harm."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-25884030278937052722007-07-30T12:58:00.000-07:002007-07-30T13:01:47.877-07:00What you must know about ZoonosesZoonoses Acquired From Pet Primates<br /> <br /> David M. Renquist, D.V.M., M.A.<br /> and Robert A. Whitney, Jr., D.V.M., M.S. <br /> <br /> [Source: Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal<br /> Practice 17 (1) 219-240, 1987. With author's permission.]<br /> <br /> <br /> Nonhuman primates are susceptible to many biological agents that <br /> infect human beings but are not infectious to lower animals. The value of <br /> this susceptibility in biomedical research is well known; however, the <br /> infected nonhuman primate is a potential hazard to the research personnel <br /> in contact with it. This hazard is even greater for the typical pet primate<br /> owner, who is unfamiliar with the pathogenesis of disease. This article <br /> reviews the most important infectious diseases that are found in the pet <br /> nonhuman primate and present potential hazards to human beings. <br /> <br /> Use of a monkey or ape as a pet should be strongly discouraged. <br /> Although a current owner may be difficult to convince, a person considering<br /> such a pet can generally be dissuaded. Most owners lack the knowledge, <br /> devotion, and ambition necessary to prevent disease transmission and <br /> maintain the health and welfare of the primate. Owners usually obtain the <br /> primate as a curiosity or whim but lose interest rapidly as the problems of<br /> puberty, nutrition, sanitation, and unpleasant habits appear. In addition, <br /> the disease hazards to be discussed here far outweigh any advantages of <br /> keeping the "cute little monkey." Therefore, veterinarians should<br /> diplomatically discourage the practice of keeping a pet primate. <br /> <br /> Fortunately, importation of primates for exclusive use as pets is now <br /> prohibited by law; however, animals bred at wildlife parks, roadside zoos, <br /> educational facilities, and (rarely) research facilities find their way<br /> into the hands of pet owners. <br /> <br /> There are more than 244 species of living primates, including the<br /> great apes through the monkeys and prosimians such as lemurs, pottos,<br /> galagos, tarsiers, and tupais. The groups principally seen in the United<br /> States are described here. <br /> <br /> PRIMATES SEEN AS PETS <br /> <br /> APES<br /> <br /> <br /> The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is a large, intelligent ape of West <br /> African origin. In the past, small numbers were imported to perform in <br /> circuses, for exhibition in zoologic collections, and, occasionally, for<br /> private owners. Fortunately, the chimpanzee's cost ($10,000 and up) usually<br /> prevents its being kept as a pet. Moreover, after puberty, the chimpanzee <br /> is usually intractable and seen only in the protected environment of the <br /> zoo or research facility. <br /> <br /> The gibbon (Hylobates lar) is a smaller ape that was imported from <br /> Indochina and Thailand in small numbers by military personnel and others. <br /> It may be encountered as a pet even today, despite its status as an <br /> endangered species. <br /> <br /> OLD WORLD MONKEYS<br /> <br /> The rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is the principal species used in <br /> biomedical research. These animals are not currently imported from the <br /> wild. The domestically bred rhesus is expensive and, because of its size <br /> and aggressive nature, it is rarely kept as a pet. <br /> <br /> The cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) is still being imported <br /> from the Philippines for use in biomedical research. Its cost, considerably<br /> less than that of a rhesus, may contribute to its occasional use <br /> however, it too is an aggressive animal. <br /> <br /> The vervet, or African green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops), is a<br /> lighter-bodied, more agile animal than the macaque. Its light yellow-green <br /> haircoat and pleasant facial characteristics enhance its popularity as a<br /> pet. <br /> <br /> Baboons (Papio spp.) are very large (adult weight 25 kg plus) African <br /> monkeys that are sometimes kept as pets when they are infants. Postpu- <br /> bertal animals are rarely seen outside zoos or research facilities. <br /> <br /> NEW WORLD MONKEYS<br /> <br /> <br /> Until the 1974 prohibition, New World primates were used extensively <br /> in the pet trade. Wooley monkeys (Lagothrix), capuchins (Cebus), squirrel <br /> monkeys (Scuireus), marmosets of several species, and owl monkeys (Aotus), <br /> in particular, are popular pets, with the squirrel monkey outranking all<br /> the rest combined. In general, the South American monkey is less<br /> aggressive but much harder to adapt to the pet environment. <br /> <br /> LOWER PRIMATES (PROSIMIANS)<br /> <br /> <br /> Galagos (Galagidae), or "bushbabies," are occasionally seen as pets <br /> because of their "teddy bear" appearance, but they are widely considered <br /> unacceptable because of their fierce bite. <br /> <br /> ZOONOTIC DISEASES <br /> <br /> <br /> The infectious diseases of this large group of animals are as diverse<br /> as the groups of animals they affect. The extensive bibliography at the end<br /> of this article will provide further information about the diseases<br /> presented as well as other related and distinct entities. In this article,<br /> only the most important zoonotic hazards in the primates noted in the<br /> preceding sections will be discussed. Discussion of the zoonotic diseases<br /> will be limited to the Virchow definition: animal diseases transmissible to<br /> man. <br /> <br /> VIRAL DISEASES<br /> <br /> <br /> Probably the most dangerous diseases, because they are so difficult to<br /> diagnose and treat, are those of viral origin. Many viral diseases, such as<br /> hepatitis or herpes B, can be transmitted from animal to man. A virus may <br /> be latent in one species of primate, with little or no disease, yet be<br /> fatal in another species of primate, including man. <br /> <br /> Herpesvirus. Herpesviruses have been found in many different species <br /> of primates. Some herpesviruses can produce a highly fatal systemic<br /> disease. <br /> <br /> Most primate herpes viruses are latent in one reservoir host species<br /> and fatal in another species. Overt disease in the host species rarely<br /> occurs other than as a mild skin lesion that is quickly self-limiting. The<br /> most important of the zoonotic diseases is herpes B virus or Herpes simiae.<br /> <br /> Herpes simiae (herpes B) produces a mild disease in some species of <br /> monkeys that is analogous to the cold sores caused in humans by the virus <br /> Herpes hominis (simplex), to which B virus is immunologically related. In <br /> man, B virus can be fatal, causing an acute ascending myelitis. Of the 20 <br /> plus cases reported, only two patients have survived, and there is some <br /> question on the confirmation of B virus in those two. Thus, the virus has a<br /> possible mortality rate of 100 per cent in patients who develop clinical <br /> disease. <br /> <br /> Under natural conditions, the virus seems limited to the macaques, <br /> with both the rhesus and cynomolgus considered primary natural hosts; <br /> however, other macaque species are also incriminated from results of <br /> serologic testing. <br /> <br /> As high as 25 per cent of macaques, both imported and domestically <br /> bred, have antibodies to herpes B virus. A short incubation period of 4 to <br /> 10 days is required from initial exposure. As with Herpes hominis,<br /> recurrent infection can occur even in the presence of antibody; thus, all<br /> macaques at any time should be considered potential carriers. As with other<br /> herpes infections, viral shedding probably occurs only during periods of<br /> active lesions. <br /> <br /> The lesions in the primates can be difficult to detect because they<br /> are usually on the mucosa of the buccal cavity. There may be vesicles or<br /> ulcers around the lips and external nares, with an appearance very similar<br /> to the cold sore of man; however, the most common site is the tongue. The<br /> lesion resolves quickly and often goes unnoticed by the handler. A rate of<br /> 2 to 3 per cent has been reported for clinical evidence of lesions in the<br /> macaque at any one time. <br /> <br /> The primary transmissions are from monkey bites and aerosolization <br /> of the virus. Most human infections have resulted from laboratory accidents<br /> and monkey bites; however, one case was thought to have been caused by <br /> droplet spread. <br /> <br /> The hazard to the practitioner and the owner makes it imperative that <br /> macaques not be kept as pets and that the risk be explained to the owner. <br /> Any macaque being handled should be sedated with ketamine hydrochloride.<br /> Face masks and rubber gloves should be used to prevent possible spread.<br /> Serologic testing is available from primate reference services to determine<br /> the presence of Herpes simiae and/or H. hominis antibody. An isolated<br /> animal found negative for Herpes simae will remain negative unless brought<br /> into contact with a primate shedding the virus. The virus can also <br /> cause a fatal disease in the bonnet monkey (M. radiata). <br /> <br /> Two other herpesviruses, Herpesvirus saimiri and Herpesvirus ateles, <br /> which are found in the squirrel and spider monkey, respectively, are <br /> oncogenic in other nonhuman primates, causing neoplasms of lymphoretic- <br /> ular origin upon injection. The incidence of antibody to H. saimiri in<br /> wild-trapped squirrel monkeys approaches 100 per cent; however, H. saimiri<br /> and H. ateles are not considered zoonotic hazards to human beings. A <br /> recent survey by NASA, using an indirect immunofluorescence test, showed <br /> no positive serologic response to H. saimiri in human beings frequently <br /> exposed to animals shedding the virus. Similar negative data exist for H. <br /> ateles. These negative findings are mentioned here because of the<br /> popularity <br /> of New World monkeys, especially squirrel monkeys, as pets. <br /> <br /> Poxviruses. Poxviruses cause foul diseases in nonhuman primates. All <br /> four viruses are infective to man, although the incidence of human<br /> infection <br /> for these viruses is low; monkeypox is the most frequent. <br /> <br /> Monkeypox is serologically related to smallpox in man, so a smallpox <br /> vaccination will prevent human development of monkeypox. Recent surveys <br /> on purported "smallpox" outbreaks in Africa show that many of these cases <br /> were monkeypox in unvaccinated individuals. The virus is found in both <br /> New and Old World monkeys and apes with epithelial papular and vesicular <br /> lesions. Protection is achieved through vaccination of animal and owner. <br /> <br /> Benign epidermal monkeypox (BEMP) is known as "Tana pox" in the <br /> human being. It was first recognized in 1965 in African children. The <br /> reservoir hosts are macaques; New World primates are not infected. Clinical<br /> signs are crusty elevations of the skin of the face, digits, and perineum. <br /> Lesions usually regress in 3 to 6 weeks with no scarring. Immunity<br /> following infection in the nonhuman primate lasts about 6 months. <br /> <br /> Yaba virus infection is a rare disease of macaques, patas, baboon, and<br /> man. The squirrel monkey and marmoset are resistant. Clinical lesions are <br /> found as dermal tumors of the face, which regress spontaneously in 2 to 3 <br /> weeks for up to 4 months. The virus, which is arthropod-borne, is seen <br /> only in newly imported macaques. <br /> <br /> Molloscum contagiosum is seen only in chimpanzees and man as a <br /> small, domelike waxy papule on the face and eyelids. The disease regresses <br /> spontaneously and is mildly contagious from animal to man. <br /> <br /> Measles (Rubeola). Measles is the most frequently reported viral<br /> disease of nonhuman primates. In the wild, its incidence among them is<br /> almost nonexistent; infection comes from exposure to infected children<br /> during trapping. Upon infection, the primate sheds the virus and can<br /> reinfect man. Measles is a highly infectious exanthematous viral disease of<br /> children that causes a similar maculopapular rash in most nonhuman primate<br /> species. Vaccination with 1/2 ml of an attenuated live virus is protective<br /> for man and other primates. The disease in marmosets, tamarins, and owl<br /> monkeys is usually fatal. <br /> <br /> Rabies. Nonhuman primates are as susceptible to rabies as human <br /> beings. Modified live vaccines for dogs and cats can cause rabies in the <br /> nonhuman primate. Only killed vaccines or vaeeines suitable for man must <br /> be used in nonhuman primates. Primates housed in rabies-endemic areas <br /> are potentially at risk for indigenous wildlife and should be vaccinated. <br /> Symptoms in the primate, as in man, are hydrophobia and paralysis. The <br /> furious form is not usually seen in the nonhuman primate. Because of the <br /> seriousness of this disease, the risk should be minimized by isolation, <br /> environmental control, and a pre-exposure immunization program for <br /> animals in an endemic area.<br /> <br /> Marburg Virus. Although the vervet, or African green monkey, is rare <br /> as a pet, the potential health hazard to human beings of this disease<br /> requires its mention. Marburg virus was first reported in human beings in<br /> Europe in 1967. Of the 31 cases in those outbreaks, 7 were fatal. <br /> <br /> Twenty-five of these cases were found in laboratory personnel exposed<br /> to African green tissue culture. No cases were reported in personell<br /> handling the live African green monkey. The latest reports were of 300<br /> fatalities in Sudan and Zaire (1976), caused by an unconfirmed but<br /> morphologically indistinguishable virus, and 3 confirmed cases in Kenya<br /> (1980). The reservoir host has never been determined; however, the virus is<br /> virulent experimentally for vervet, rhesus, and squirrel monkeys. In man<br /> there is a 4- to 9-day incubation period, accompanied by fever, weight<br /> loss, vomiting, and diarrhea after 3 to 4 days. In nonhuman primates, death<br /> occurs in 6 to 9 days with no signs until the day of death. Considering the<br /> potential danger all African green monkeys should be handled as if<br /> infected. <br /> <br /> Viral Hepatitis. The virus of human infectious hepatitis (hepatitis A)<br /> ean infect the chimpanzee, patas, wooley monkey (Lagothrix spp.), gorilla, <br /> cebus, aotus, and some tamarins. Infection in the primate is usually <br /> inapparent; however, the animal can carry the virus and be infective to <br /> man. Several outbreaks have been reported in primate handlers in research <br /> facilities. The disease in primate handlers appears to be related to<br /> handling recently shipped animals; the virus is probably spread shortly<br /> after exposure, antibodies develop, and the animals then become immune to<br /> reinfection. Because chimpanzees have not been imported as pets for many<br /> years, the few pet chimpanzees encountered probably present no danger of <br /> hepatitis. However, the chimpanzee is susceptible to disease from infected <br /> persons. Vaccines are being developed, but they are not reeommended for <br /> routine primate vaccination.<br /> <br /> BACTERIAL DISEASES<br /> <br /> <br /> Like man, the nonhuman primate is susceptible to the wide variety of <br /> bacterial agents. There is little difference in susceptibility between most<br /> primate species; however, the macaques are more susceptible to tubercu- <br /> losis and enteric bacteria, whereas the New World primates are more <br /> susceptible to the water-borne agents (Pseudomonas or Klebsiella). The <br /> bacteria that deserve the most concern are Mycobacteriaciae, Shigella/ <br /> Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Klebsiella. <br /> <br /> Mycobacteriaciae. Mycobacteria are responsible for tuberculosis, the <br /> scourge of the primate owner and veterinarian. Tuberculosis has been <br /> recognized as a common disease of captive primates for many years. Early <br /> outbreaks were devastating, causing the loss of hundreds of primates of <br /> many species. Species most susceptible are the macaques and apes; the <br /> New World species seemingly are more resistant. Almost all species can <br /> be experimentally infected. Historically, the three major species of myco- <br /> bacteria--avium, bovis, and tuberculosis--have been incriminated as caus- <br /> ing tuberculosis in the nonhuman primate. Recently, many atypical myco- <br /> bacteria have also been reported in the nonhuman primate, including M. <br /> kansasii and M. scrofulaceum, all of which are potential hazards to man. <br /> The extreme susceptibility of monkeys to tuberculosis is often discussed; <br /> the disease is usually miliary, and arrest and calcification are unusual.<br /> The danger to owners and others who come in contact with infected monkeys <br /> is obvious. Control requires an effective quarantine for newly arrived <br /> primates, isolation from infected persons, and a rigorous testing program. <br /> It is generally agreed that the route of initial infection is usually <br /> respiratory (60 per cent) or intestinal (40 per cent). Because of their <br /> fulminating nature, terminal infections often present difficulty in<br /> establishing the portal of entry because so many organs are involved in the<br /> generalized infection. <br /> <br /> The clinical signs of tuberculosis are not striking until the disease<br /> is in an advanced stage. The first sign may be a slight behavioral<br /> alteration. The animal may be slower than normal or stay along the floor of<br /> the enclosure rather than climb the enclosure or cage wall. Soon the<br /> infected animal will exhibit a dull appearance, crouch in the corner, and<br /> refuse to eat. The latter may be all the owner notices; coughing or other<br /> respiratory signs are conspicuously absent. Less common signs that may or<br /> may not be present with tuberculosis include diarrhea, skin ulceration,<br /> suppuration of Iymph nodes, and visible enlargement of the spleen and<br /> liver. Often there are no clinical signs, and the owner reports that the<br /> animal died suddenly without explanation. Radiographs of the lungs, etc.,<br /> are usually nondiagnostic because of the lack of calcification. The usual<br /> presence of mite (Pneumonysis spp. ) lesions in normal rhesus monkeys<br /> complicates the radiographic diagnosis. <br /> <br /> The lesions seen at necropsy are fairly typical yellowish-white to<br /> grey nodules that range from pinpoint size to several millimeters in<br /> diameter and appear just under the surface of the affected organs. As the<br /> disease progresses, the nodules fill with caseous material and may rupture<br /> and produce cavitation. Caseous, enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes in the <br /> rhesus monkeys are almost pathognomonic for tuberculosis. In baboons and<br /> apes, the disease is much more like that seen in man, with caseation and<br /> eventual calcification. <br /> <br /> Cutaneous tuberculosis in primates usually migrates to the regional <br /> Iymph nodes, and any draining lymph node should be suspected as a <br /> tubercular lesion until proven otherwise. Tuberculosis of the spine, or <br /> Pott's disease, also occurs in monkeys and should be considered whenever <br /> there is unexplained paralysis of the hindlimbs. <br /> <br /> Tuberculin skin testing must be part of any physical examination of a <br /> nonhuman primate. Newly imported primates should be tested biweekly <br /> and isolated until five negative tests have been certified. Approximately <br /> 15,000 tuberculin units (0.1 ml) of full-strength mammalian tuberculin is <br /> given intradermally in alternating eyelids. The test is read at 24, 48, and<br /> 72 hours. A positive reaction is any erythema and/or edema that persists <br /> for 48 hours or longer. Suspicious tests may be repeated at 7 days in the <br /> opposite eyelid or abdomen. Stabilized Old World primates should be <br /> tested quarterly, and New World monkeys semi-annually. Because of the <br /> public health danger and the potential resistance to treatment, positive <br /> animals should be euthanatized; treatment is not recommended. Atypical <br /> tuberculosis, other serologic methods, and so on, are beyond the scope of <br /> this article. The reader is referred to the bibliography for further<br /> information. <br /> <br /> Shigella and Salmonella. Although shigellosis and salmonellosis are <br /> caused by two separate organisms, the symptoms, signs, and treatment are <br /> similar, so they will be discussed together. Shigella and salmonella are <br /> frequently present in the alimentary tract of nonhuman primates. Isolation <br /> of the organism from the carrier animal is difficult, requiring numerous <br /> samples and enrichment techniques. A single negative culture means <br /> nothing. Fortunately, the most serious human pathogens of these two <br /> groups, Shigella dysenterriae type 1 and Salmonella typhi, have only rarely<br /> been isolated from nonhuman primates; however, several others (Shigella <br /> flexneri, S. sonnei, and Salmonella typhimirium, for example), which are <br /> also infectious to man, have been recovered. <br /> <br /> The literature contains many reports of infection in primates and few <br /> reports of transmission to human beings. One of the earlier transmissions <br /> reported was a case of shigellosis in a child who licked an ice cream cone <br /> that had been touched by a monkey in a pet shop. This illustrates the <br /> potential danger for infants and children in contact with the species. <br /> <br /> Fortunately, the published reports of primate-to-man infections are <br /> rare. The primate carrying the organism can have a fulminating fatal <br /> infection at any time, with excretion of large numbers of organisms during <br /> the course of the disease. This acute infection is usually precipitated by <br /> some stress, such as environmental change of corticosteroids. <br /> <br /> Clinical signs of shigellosis and salmonellosis are weakness,<br /> prostration edema of the face and neck, emaciation, and diarrhea with mucus<br /> and/or blood. As a rule, a bloody dysentery eventually occurs in<br /> shigellosis. <br /> <br /> Prolapse of the rectum is commonly seen, with death in a few days to 2<br /> weeks after the onset of signs. At necropsy, the large intestine is<br /> distended and the serosol surface has a red tinge. A catarrhal and<br /> diphtheritic colitis occurs with a varying degree of exudation and necrosis<br /> of the mucous membrane and ulceration that may penetrate the serosal<br /> surface.<br /> <br /> Diagnosis is based on signs, necropsy, and culture results. Culture<br /> must be fresh, but, even so, the isolation rate is low. Treatment for both<br /> entities is as follows: (1) take offor reduce feed; (2) provide<br /> fluids--lactated Ringers, 1/2 strength with 2.5 per cent dextrose given at<br /> a rate of 20 ml per kg or higher, depending on the state of dehydration;<br /> (3) administer antibiotics--trimethoprim and sulfadiazine (Tribrissen) will<br /> eliminate the carrier state if given conscientiously; and (4) administer<br /> kaolin plus pectin (Pectolin).<br /> <br /> The family medical practitioner should be made aware of any pet<br /> monkey with symptoms of these diseases, particularly if children are or<br /> will be in contact with the primate.<br /> <br /> <br /> Campylobacteriosis. Campylobacters were originally classified as a<br /> member of the family Vibriacae but recently have been reclassified as a<br /> separate group. Campylobacter jejuni, the etiologic agent seen most fre-<br /> quently in the nonhuman primate, is a small, gram-negative, non-spore-<br /> forming, curved rod causing a moderate to severe enterocolitis in a variety<br /> of mammals and birds, including man. The review article by Shane and<br /> Montrose (1985) is highly recommended for a full description of the disease<br /> and its pathogenesis. Because Campylobacter has been one of the leading<br /> causes of diarrhea in human beings, it is keenly important as a zoonotic<br /> biohazard. The original report by King (1957) on the isolation of C. jejuni<br /> from the blood of children with diarrhea was the first account of the<br /> organism's pathogenicity. Since that time, the organism has been recognized<br /> as a significant problem in a variety of domestic and exotic animals.<br /> <br /> The signs and lesions of campylobacteriosis have been extensively<br /> reviewed by Butzler and Skerrow. A usual incubation period of 3 to 5 days<br /> is followed by a febrile period accompanied by malaise, dizziness, myalgia,<br /> and abdominal pain. The stool is watery, bile-stained, and malodorous, and<br /> may contain blood. The diarrhea phase usually lasts for 3 days but may<br /> recur up to 2 weeks. It is most severe in infants, children, and<br /> prepubertal primates (Morton et al., 1981) and in immunocompromised adults,<br /> in whom the infection can be fatal. Poor self-hygiene in the pet owner can<br /> be directly related to infection. In the adult primate, the disease is<br /> usually a mild, self-limiting enteritis, but it is a significant hazard to<br /> the handler or owner from fecal spray and droplet contamination. The<br /> carrier reservoir condition, as with shigella and salmonella, is frequently<br /> a sequel to an active clinical infection. Surveys in companion domestic<br /> animals have shown direct correlation between positive animals and positive<br /> household members. The organism is quite resistant, being found to remain<br /> viable in streamwater at 4x C far up to 4 weeks. Contamination of the<br /> environment by the pet primate poses a significant threat to human beings.<br /> <br /> Diagnosis is through culture, which must be specific for the<br /> organism's growth requirement of 43x C and reduced oxygen tension. Normal<br /> anaerobic/aerobic culture techniques at 37x C will not pick up the<br /> organism, andthe diagnosis will be missed or attributed to a nonspecific<br /> entity.<br /> <br /> Treatment is similar for shigella and salmonella: erythromycin is the<br /> antibiotic of choice. Vaccines provide partial protection for 3 to 6 months<br /> to nonimmune individuals in highly endemic areas. However, the routine use<br /> of vaccines is not recommended.<br /> <br /> <br /> Klebsiella. Klebsiella and other water-borne, gram-negative bacteria<br /> (Pseudomonas) are primarily opportunists affecting primates that have a<br /> lowered resistance. Primates with inadequate nutrition (the fruit-fed<br /> squirrel or owl monkey, for example) are prime candidates for this disease.<br /> The infected primate is a real threat to the infant or child with a mild<br /> respiratory infection whose reduced level of health increases the potential<br /> for infection. Klebsiella is present in stagnant water, dirty drinking<br /> receptacles, and soil, and as flora of the alimentary tract.<br /> <br /> The clinical signs are coughing, sneezing, facial edema (air<br /> sacculitis in owl monkeys), nasal discharge, dyspnea, and anorexia. The<br /> lesions consist of pleural congestion and red to gray hepatization of the<br /> lungs. The airsacs of the owl monkey may be filled with a clear fluid,<br /> eventually leading to a severe bronchopneumonia.<br /> <br /> Diagnosis is by isolation of the organism, a nonmotile, gram-negative<br /> short bacillus with rounded ends and a thick capsule.<br /> <br /> Treatment is with an organism-sensitive antibiotic such as streptomy-<br /> cin, kanamycin, colimycin, or gentacin. The organism may develop multiple<br /> resistance to antibiotics, however. Aerosol installation of kanamycin in an<br /> incubator has been reported to be effective.<br /> <br /> FUNGAL DISEASE<br /> <br /> <br /> Several reports have been made on systemic and superficial mycoses<br /> in primates. Fortunately, these are isolated cases; however, there is a<br /> potential danger to human beings. The primary pathogens are Dermato-<br /> philus congolensis, Candida albicans, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.<br /> The systemic fungi, nocardia, coccidiomyces, and crYptococcus have been<br /> reported and are included in the bibliography.<br /> <br /> <br /> Dermatophilus congolensis. Streptothricosis (D. congolensis) is caused<br /> by an actinomycete with gram-positive but non-acid-fast mycelium and<br /> spores. Natural disease has been reported in Aotus and Lagothrix, and<br /> experimental infection was successful in rhesus, cynomolgus, and squirrel<br /> monkeys. The disease was reviewed by Kaplan in 1976.<br /> <br /> Clinically, the disease is characterized by erythema that becomes<br /> scaly and progresses to an exudative papillomatous crusty lesion. When the<br /> crust is removed, a raw bleeding area is left, resembling a strawberry<br /> surface. Diagnosis is through gram smears of the exudate; branched<br /> filaments forming packets up to eight coccoid cells wide are seen. The<br /> disease is treated with penicillin, ampicillin, or streptomycin applied<br /> with a topical iodine tincture on the lesions. Strict sanitation and<br /> isolation are necessary to avoid contamination of the pet owner or<br /> technician.<br /> <br /> <br /> Candida albicans. Candidiasis is a fungal infection of the mucous<br /> membranes. It has been reported in a variety of primates, but it is usually<br /> secondary to nutritional deficiency, other disease, or extensive antibiotic<br /> treatment. Syrnptoms vary with the site of infection. Intertriginous infec-<br /> tions appear as pruritic, exuclative patches between the skin folds (the<br /> toes, for example). Oral candidiasis appears as creamy white patches of<br /> exudate that can be scraped offthe inflammed tongue or buccal mucosa. The<br /> disease in individuals with an immune deficiency may be quite severe. Man<br /> is susceptible to the infection; however, it usually requires a favorable<br /> moist environment or reduced defenses caused by another disease. The infant<br /> with a mild diaper rash would be a prime candidate for candida transmission<br /> from the pet primate.<br /> <br /> Diagnosis is by finding yeast cells and hyphae in gram-stained prepa-<br /> ration. Because candida is often found as a commensal organism, the culture<br /> of a species from skin, vagina, urine, sputum, or stool should be<br /> interpreted cautiously. Confirmation is based on the presence of the<br /> characteristic lesion and, if necessary, a histologic biopsy of the area.<br /> Treatment is contact application of nystatin, clotrimazole, or micono-<br /> zole. A vehicle appropriate to the site of infection should be used in<br /> light of the primate's habit of licking or rubbing off applied ointments.<br /> Recalcitrant or recurrent cases, especially of oral or mucogenital candida,<br /> have been treated with nystatin oral suspension or tablets.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ringworm. Trichophyton mentagrophytes is the usual cause of ring-<br /> worm in primates. Signs, diagnosis, and treatment are similar to that for<br /> the dog and cat. Treatment is oral griseofulvin (microsize 125 to 150 mg<br /> orally with mashed feed). The owner should be warned of the hazard, and<br /> the animal should be isolated during treatment. All primates are<br /> susceptible to the infection.<br /> <br /> PARASITIC DISEASES<br /> <br /> <br /> Most primates inhabit tropical and subtropical regions. In the wild,<br /> many scavenge about villages and share not only food but also the parasites<br /> of the human inhabitants. Danger to the pet owner from imported animals,<br /> therefore, is usually during the first few months after the animal's<br /> arrival in the country. If the parasites are effectively eliminated during<br /> the initial quarantine adaptation period, the danger of transmission to the<br /> pet owner can be eliminated. Parasites that need an intermediate host are<br /> self-limiting but those having a direct cycle become a continual problem.<br /> Possible human infection from primate carriers is a constant threat.<br /> Numerous articles and monographs have been written on the primate<br /> parasites. In this article, discussion is limited to examples of protozoa,<br /> nematodes, tapeworms, and arthropods that have a direct life cycle and are<br /> infectious to man.<br /> <br /> <br /> Protozoa. Many protozoa require arthropod vectors; with vector con-<br /> trol, they do not cause a significant problem to man outside the environ-<br /> mental range of the arthropod. Giardia and Entamoeba histolytica are the<br /> two primary pathogens not requiring an arthropod vector. Although plas-<br /> modia cause malaria, a disease of major importance, they are usually<br /> specific for each primate except in experimental situations and are rarely<br /> transmitted between primates and man in North America. References for<br /> malaria can be found in the bibliography.<br /> <br /> <br /> Giardiosis. Giardia is becoming a frequent cause of recurrent diarrhea<br /> in man and primate. Trophozoites of Giardia are found in the upper part<br /> the small intestine, where they live adhering closely to the mucosa. The<br /> gellate is capable of almost limitless proliferation; diarrheic stools may<br /> contain countless cysts or trophozoites. Diarrhea is the most common<br /> symptom associated with Giardia infection, although some reports show<br /> that the infection mimics biliary disease or even chronic cholecystitis.<br /> The stools frequently contain mucus, but not blood. Giardia, like other<br /> agents potentially transmissible from the primate, is also considerably<br /> more common in children than adults.<br /> <br /> Diagnosis of Giardia is easy, the organism being one of the most<br /> recognizable intestinal protozoa. The trophozoite is bilaterally symmetric<br /> and pear-shaped with an attenuated posterior end. The two nuclei and the<br /> rodlike median bodies resemble a face with eyes and mouth.<br /> <br /> Nonhuman primates can be asymptomatic carriers to man, with infec-<br /> tin via direct contact.<br /> <br /> Treatment using metronidazole is usually successful at a dose of 10 to<br /> 35 mg per kg per day, three times a day, for 7 days. This drug, however,<br /> is currently not licensed for use with Giardia, and there is concern over<br /> its potential carcinogenicity. Quinacrine at 10 mg per kg per day, three<br /> times a day, for 5 days is 70 to 95 per cent effective but is not tolerated<br /> well by squirrel monkeys, often causing some gastrointestinal disturbances.<br /> <br /> Proper hygienic practices with routine fecal smears will minimize the<br /> pet's disease potential to the owner.<br /> <br /> <br /> Entamoeba histolytica. Amebiasis is a severe disease of man and<br /> primate; it causes a protracted diarrhea from chronic colitis and<br /> occasionally abscesses in the brain, liver, or lungs. The cyst must be<br /> ingested to cause disease; the trophozoite in fresh stools is rarely<br /> infective. The organisms involve the intestinal mucosa and form small<br /> colonies that extend into the submucosa and, occasionally, the muscularis,<br /> producing the typical bottle- or flask-shaped ulcers. The frequency of this<br /> tissue invasion varies within an individual; most patients are<br /> asymptomatic. When symptoms do occur, they vary according to geography. In<br /> temperate climates, the disease is usually characterized by a mild,<br /> intermittent diarrhea and constipation, flatulence, and cramping abdominal<br /> pain in both primate and man. In tropical environments, the disease may be<br /> characterized by a frank dysentery with episodes of frequent semifluid<br /> stools, often containing blood and mucus. Complications may involve hepatic<br /> abscess and/or brain abscesses.<br /> <br /> Diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of the trophozoite in fresh<br /> stools. Diagnosis may require examination of three to six stool specimens.<br /> controlling the spread of E. histolytica requires proper hygiene to prevent<br /> direct oral contact with human or primate feces. The high incidence of<br /> symptomatic carriers complicates the problem.<br /> <br /> Metronidazole is the treatment of choice for both intestinal and<br /> extra-intestinal amebiasis. A dose of 30 to 50 mg per kg per day given<br /> orally in three divided doses for 10 days is recommended. Severe cases may<br /> require combination with diiodohydroxyquin at a dose of 30 to 40 mg per kg<br /> per day in three individual doses.<br /> <br /> Three negative stools, obtained on three successive days, are usually<br /> indicative of cure. Reexamination of the stools at 1, 3, and 6 months after<br /> treatment is recommended.<br /> <br /> NEMATODES<br /> <br /> <br /> This is a group of elongated cylindrical worms that infect all species<br /> of primates; the agent depends on species and location. The principal<br /> infective nematode from primate to man is Strongyloides spp.<br /> <br /> Strongyloides is common in many species of primates and, because of<br /> its direct life cycle, can be infectious for man. Three species are<br /> involved: S. fillleborni, S. cebus, and S. stercoralis. The infective<br /> third-stage filariform larvae (rhabditiform), found as a free-living stage<br /> or in fresh feces, penetrates the skin or mucosa and migrates via the blood<br /> to the lungs, alveoli, and trachea. They are swallowed and cause a severe<br /> acute enteritis. The invasion through the skin can cause pruritus and<br /> erythema. The passage through the lungs can cause pneumonia and possibly<br /> death due to pericarditis. The affected primate, unless treated and tested<br /> frequently, can reinfect itself and may be a continual hazard to the pet<br /> owner.<br /> <br /> Diagnosis is confirmed by finding ova or larvae in the feces, coupled<br /> with the clinical signs. Treatment is effective, with thiabendazole at 100<br /> mg per kg repeated in 2 weeks. Sanitation is essential in preventing<br /> reinfection. Veterinarians and technicians handling fecal specimens are<br /> advised to wear gloves during all diagnostic procedures to avoid potential<br /> skin penetration of the infective larvae.<br /> <br /> CESTODES<br /> <br /> <br /> The nonhuman primate is susceptible to a variety of cestodes; however,<br /> the only cestode considered a potential zoonosis from nonhuman primates<br /> is Hymenolepsis nana.<br /> <br /> Hymenolepsis has a direct life cycle but can also pass through an<br /> intermediate host such as a beetle or flea. The life span of the adult in<br /> the intestine is only a few weeks. The tapeworm causes a catarrhal<br /> enteritis with abscesses of the mesenteric lymph nodes.<br /> <br /> The principal signs are diarrhea and abdominal pain, exhibited in the<br /> nonhuman primate by crouching and tucking of the abdomen. The diagnosis<br /> is through fecal examination with demonstration of the typical proglottid.<br /> Treatment is the use of niclosamide at 20 mg per kg per day.<br /> <br /> ARTHROPODS<br /> <br /> <br /> A variety of lice, mites, and fleas infest nonhuman primates. Most of<br /> these can be transmitted to humans through contact. Of these, the most<br /> likely problems are with Sarcoptes scabiei (the itch mite), Pediculus<br /> humanas (the human head or body louse), Tunga penetrans (the chigoe<br /> flea), and Ornithodorus (tick). Disease caused by these arthropods involve<br /> the skin and are characterized by pruritus and scaling, which, in the case<br /> of the chigoe flea, can lead to severe inflammation and ulceration. Fortu-<br /> nately, the grooming habits of healthy primates prevent severe infestation<br /> of most ectoparasites. Sarcoptic mange is the only significant threat among<br /> most animals.<br /> <br /> The most serious danger to man and primate is the role of the<br /> arthropods as an intermediate biological host for parasitic diseases and as<br /> a mechanical vector for infectious organisms. The tick (Ornithodorus) is an<br /> intermediate host for relapsing fever. Yellow fever, an important disease<br /> of Central and South America, has its reservoir host in the primate and<br /> utilizes the mosquito (Aedes) as an important vector. Control is through<br /> environmental sanitation and direct treatment of the primate. Treatment is<br /> difficult because of the grooming, licking nature of the primate; however,<br /> dusts and ointments suitable for cats and humans can be used with<br /> discretion on the primate.<br /> <br /> SUMMARY<br /> <br /> <br /> Laws regulating the importation of primates have drastically reduced<br /> the number of primates seen as pets and, thus, the hazard both to the<br /> potential owner and veterinarian. Active disease and latent carrier states<br /> in primates potentially have severe consequences for the contact person.<br /> This potential for human transmission makes it imperative that medical and<br /> veterinary professionals collaborate to educate the public on the danger of<br /> the primate as a pet.<br /> <br /> SUGGESTED READINGS<br /> <br /> Zoonoses of Primates: General<br /> <br /> 1. Fernandes MV, Arambulo PV, Moro M: Planning of national zoonosis control<br /> programs in developing countries. In Third International Symposium in<br /> Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Arlington, Virginia, 1982.<br /> Edwardsville, Kansas, Veterinary Medicine Publishing Co, 1983, pp 631-639.<br /> 2. Fiennes R (ed): Pathology of simian primates. Part I. General Pathology.<br /> Part II. Infectious and Parasitic Diseases. Basel, Switzerland, Karger,<br /> 1972.<br /> 3. Fiennes R: Zoonoses of Primates. Ithaca, New York, Cornell University<br /> Press, 1975.<br /> 4. McLean RG, Trevino HA, Sather GE: Prevalence of selected zoonotic<br /> diseases in vertebrates from Haiti, 1972. J Wildlife Dis 15:327-30 1979.<br /> 5. Melby EC, Altman NH (eds): Handbook of Laboratory Animal Science. Volume<br /> 2. Cleveland, CRC Press, 1974.<br /> 6. Milhaud CL, Klein MJ: Diseases of primates transmissible to man.<br /> Sciences et Techniques de l'Animal de Laboratoire 4:27-41, 1979.<br /> 7. Mortelmans J, Kumar V, Brandt J, et al: Import of exotic diseases in<br /> pets and other animals. Symposium on Tropical Medicine Outside of the<br /> Tropics, Antwerp, Belgium, 1983. Ann Soc Belse Med Trop 65:109, 1984.<br /> 8. Ruch TC: Diseases of Laboratory Primates. Philadelphia, WB Saunders Co,<br /> 1959.<br /> 9. Sedswick CJ, Robinson PT, Lochner FK: Zoonoses: A zoo s concern. J Am<br /> Vet Med Assoc 167:828-829, 1975.<br /> 10. St Whitelock OV (ed): Care and Diseases of the Research Monkey. New<br /> York, New York Academy of Science, 1960.<br /> 11. Tauraso NM: Review of recent epizootics in nonhuman primate colonies:<br /> Their relation to man. Lab Anim Sci 23:201-210, 1973.<br /> 12. Tribe GW, Noren E: Incidence of bites from cynomolgus monkeys in<br /> attending animal staff--1975-80. Lab Anim 17:110, 1983.<br /> 13. Valerio DA: Nonhuman Primates: Standards and Guidelines for the<br /> Breeding, Care, and Management of Laboratory Animals. Edition 2. Revised.<br /> Washington, DC, National Academy of Sciences, 1973.<br /> 14. Vitali E: Viral, Bacterial, and Parasitic Diseases of Primates in<br /> Captivity. Berlin, German Democratic Republic, Akademie-Verlag, 1980.<br /> 15. Whitney R, Johnson D, Cole W: Laboratory Primate Handbook. New York,<br /> Academic Press.<br /> <br /> Viruses: General<br /> <br /> 1. Bauer K: Newly appearing virus diseases in animals and humans. Tierarztl<br /> Prax 8:307-312, 1980.<br /> 2. Hull RN: The simian viruses. In Virology Monographs 2. New York,<br /> Springer-Verlag, 1968, pp 1-66.<br /> 3. Jerath R: Recent advances in viral zoonoses. Int J Zoonoses 6:49-60,<br /> 1979.<br /> 4. Kalter SS: Virus research. In Bourne GH (ed): Nonhuman Primates and<br /> Medical Research. New York, Academic Press, 1973, pp 61-65.<br /> 5. Mayr A: New emerging viral zoonoses. Vet Rec 106:503-506, 1980.<br /> 6. Zuckerman A: Exotic viruses (Marburg disease, Lassa fever, rabies).<br /> Nature 263 (5579):625-626. 1976.<br /> <br /> Herpesvirus<br /> <br /> 1. Daniel MD: The herpesvirus group. In Fiennes RN (ed): Pathology of<br /> Simian Primates. Part 2. New York, S Karger, 1972, pp 592-611.<br /> 2. Hunt RD, Melendez LV: Herpesvirus infections of nonhuman primates:<br /> Review. Lab Anim Care 19:221-234. 1969.<br /> <br /> Herpesvirus simiae (B virus)<br /> <br /> 1. Cole WC, Bostrom RE, Whitney RA: Diagnosis and handling of B virus in<br /> rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). J Am Vet Med Assoc 153:894-898, 1968.<br /> 2. Espana C: Herpesvirus simiae infection in Macaca radiata. Am J Phys<br /> Anthropol 38:447-454, 1973.<br /> 3. Hartley EG: Naturally occuring "B" virus infection in cynomolgus. Vet<br /> Rec 76:555-557, 1964.<br /> 4. Hartley EG: B virus: Herpesvirus simiae. Lancet 1:87, 1966.<br /> 5. Keeble SA, Christofinis GJ, Wood W: Natural virus-B infection in rhesus<br /> monkeys. Pathol Bacteriol 76:189-199, 1958.<br /> 6. Sabin AB, Wright AM: Acute ascending myelitis following a monkey bite<br /> with the isolation of a virus capable of reproducing the disease. J Exp Med<br /> 59:115-136, 1934.<br /> <br /> Herpesvirus tamarinus (Herpes T)<br /> <br /> 1. Holmes AW, Calwell RG, Dodmon RE, et al: Isolation and characterization<br /> of a new herpes virus. J Immunol 92:602-610, 1964.<br /> 2. Hunt RD, Melendez LV: Spontaneous herpes-T infection in the owl monkey<br /> (Aotus trivirgatus). Pathol Vet 3:1-26, 1966.<br /> 3. King NW, Hunt RD, Daniel MD, et al: Overt herpes-T infection in squirrel<br /> monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). Lab Anim Care 17:412-423, 1967.<br /> 4. Melnick JL, Midulla M, Wimberly I, et al: A new member of the<br /> herpesvirus group isolated from South Americall marmosets. J Immunol<br /> 92:596-601, 1964.<br /> 5. Tate CL, Lewis JC, Huxsoll DL, et al: Herpesvirus T as cause of<br /> encephalitis in an owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus). Lab Anim Sci 21:743-745,<br /> 1971.<br /> <br /> Herpesvirus hominis (simplex)<br /> <br /> 1. Emmons RW, Lennette EH: Natural Herpesvirus hominis infection of a<br /> gibbon (Hylobates lar). Arch Gesamte Virusforsh 31:215-218, 1970.<br /> 2. Heldstab AH, Ruedi D, Sonnabend W, et al: Spontaneous generalized<br /> Herpevirus hominis infection of a lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla<br /> gorilla). J Med Primatol 10:129-135, 1981.<br /> 3. Kalter SS, et al: Experimental herpesvirus hominis type 2 infection in<br /> non-human primates. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 139:964-968, 1972.<br /> 4. Katzen DS, Connor JD, Wilson LA, et al: Experimental Herpes simplex<br /> infection in the owl monkey. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 125:391-398, 1967.<br /> 5. London WT, et al: Genital Herpesvirus hominis type 2 infection of<br /> monkeys. Obstet Gynecol 35:501-509, 1971.<br /> 6. McClure HM: Natural Herpes-irus horninis infection of tree shrews<br /> (Tupaia glis). Lab Anim Sci 22:517-521, 1972.<br /> 7. Melendez LV, Espana C, Hunt RD, et al: Natural Hetpes simplex infection<br /> in the owl monkey (Aotus trivirgatus). Lab Anim Care 19:38-45, 1969.<br /> 8. Smith PC, Yuill TM, Buchanan RD, et al: The gibbon (Hylobates lar): A<br /> new primate host for Herpesvirus hominis. 1. A natural epizootic in a<br /> laboratory colony. J Infect Dis 129:292-297, 1969.<br /> <br /> Oncogenic Herpesviruses<br /> <br /> 1. Daniel M, et al: Herpesrirus saimiri. VII. Induction of malignant<br /> lymphoma in New Zealand white rabbits. J Natl Cancer Inst 53:1803-1807,<br /> 1974.<br /> 2. Hull D, et al: Recovery and characterization of a new simian herpesvirus<br /> from a fatally infected spider monkey. J Natl Cancer Inst 49:225-230, 1972.<br /> 3. Hunt RD, et al: Morphology of a disease with features of malignant<br /> Iymphoma in marmosets and owl monkeys inoculated with Herpesvirus saimiri.<br /> J Natl Cancer Inst 44:447-465, 1970.<br /> 4. Hunt RD, et al: Pathologic features of Herpesvirus ateles Iymphoma in<br /> cotton-topped marmosets (Saguinus oedipus). J Natl Cancer Inst<br /> 49:1631-1639, 1972.<br /> 5. Hunt RD, et al: Spontaneous Herpesvirus saimiri Iymphoma in an owl<br /> monkey. J Infect Dis 127:723-725, 1973.<br /> 6. Melendez LV, Daniel MD, Hunt RD, et al: An apparently new herpesvirus<br /> from primary kidney cultures of the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus). Lab<br /> Anim Care 18:374-381, 1968.<br /> 7. Melendez LV, et al: Herpesvirus saimiri. 1. Further characterization<br /> studies of a new virus from the squirrel monkey. Lab Anim Care 19:372-377,<br /> 1969.<br /> 8. Melendez LV, et al: Herpesvirus saimiri. II. Experimentally induced<br /> malignant lymphoma in primates. Lab Anim Care 19:378-386 1969.<br /> 9. Melendez LV, et al: Herpesrirus ateles, a new Iymphoma virus of monkeys.<br /> Nature (New Biol) 235: 182- 184, 1972.<br /> 10. Melendez LV, et al: Two new herpesviruses from spider monkeys (Ateles<br /> geoffroyi). J Natl Cancer Inst 49:233-238, 1972.<br /> 11. Wolfe LG, Falk LA, Reinhardt F: Oncogenicity of Herpesvirus saimiri in<br /> marmoset monkeys. J Natl Cancer Inst 47:1145-1162, 1971.<br /> <br /> Other Herpesviruses<br /> <br /> 1. Allen WP, Felsenfeld AD, Wolf RH, et al: Recent studies on the isolation<br /> and characterization of delta herpesvirus. Lab Anim Sci 24:222-228, 1974.<br /> 2. Ayers JP: Studies of the delta herpesvirus isolated from the patas<br /> monkey (Erythrocebus patas). Lab Anim Sci 21:685-695, 1971.<br /> 3. Clarkson MJ, Thorpe E, McCarty K: A virus disease of captive vervet<br /> monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) caused by a new herpesvirus. Arch Gesamte<br /> Virusforsch 22:219-234, 1967.<br /> 4. Heuschele WP: Varicella (chicken pox) in three young anthropoid apes. J<br /> Am Vet Med Assoc 136:256-257, 1960.<br /> 5. Mialherbe H, Strickland-Cholmley M: Simian herpesvirus SA8 from a<br /> baboon. Lancet 2(7635):1427, 1969.<br /> 6. McCarthy K, et al: Exanthematous disease in patas monkeys caused by a<br /> he*rpes virus. Lancet 2(7573):856-857, 1968.<br /> 7. White RJ, Simmon L, Wilson RB: Chickenpox in young anthropoid apes:<br /> Clinical and laboratory findings. J Am Vet Med Assoc 161:690-692, 1972.<br /> <br /> Poxviruses<br /> <br /> 1. Arita I, Jezek Z., Khodakevich L., et al.: Human monkey pox: A newly<br /> emerged orthopoxvirus zoonosis in the tropical rain forests of Africa. Am J<br /> Trop Med Hyg 34:781-789. 1985.<br /> 2. Cho CT, Wenner HA: Monkeypox virus. Bacteriol Rev 37:1-18, 1973.<br /> 3. Foster SO, et al: Human monkeypox. Bull WHO 46:569-576, 1972.<br /> 4. Jezek Z, Gromyko AI, Szczeniowski MV: Human monkeypox. J Hyg Epidemiol<br /> Microbiol Immunol 27:13--28, 1983.<br /> 5. Leone L, Leona S: Human infection with monkeypox. Centers for Disease<br /> Control Veterinary Public Health Notes. US Department of Health, Education<br /> and Welfare, Public Health Service. Atlanta, Georgia, Centers for Disease<br /> Control, 1971.<br /> 6. Mayr A, Danner K: Vaccination against pox diseases under<br /> immunosuppressive conditions. Dev Biol Stand 41:225-234, 1978.<br /> 7. McConnell SJ, et al: Protection of rhesus monkeys against monkeypox by<br /> vaccinia virus immunization. Am J Vet Res 25:192-195, 1964.<br /> 8. Mutombo M, Arita I, Jezek Z: Human monkeypox transmitted by a chimpanzee<br /> in a tropical rain-forest area of Zaire. Lancet 1(8327):735-737, 1983.<br /> 9. Prier JE, Sauer RM, Malsberger RG, et al: Studies on a pox disease of<br /> monkeys. II. Isolation of the etiologic agent. Am J Vet Res 21:381-384,<br /> 1960.<br /> 10. Sauer RM, et al: Studies on a pox disease of monkeys. I. Pathology. Am<br /> J Vet Res 21:377-380, 1960.<br /> 11. Von Magnus P, Anderson EK, Peterson KB, et al: A pox-like disease in<br /> cynomolgus monkeys. Acta Path Micr Scand 46:156-176, 1959.<br /> <br /> Benign Epidermal Monkey Pox (BEMP)<br /> <br /> 1. Casey HW, Woodruff JM, Butcher WI: Electron microscopy of a benign<br /> epidermal pox disease of rhesus monkeys. Am J Pathol 51:431-446, 1967.<br /> 2. Crandell RA, Casey HW, Brumlow WB: Shldies of newly recognized poxvirus<br /> of monkeys. J Infect Dis 119:80-88, 1969.<br /> 3. Downie AW, et al: Tanapox: A new disease caused by a poxvirus. Br Med J<br /> 1(5745):363-368 1971.<br /> 4. Downie AW, Espana C: Comparisons of tanapox and Yaba-like viruses<br /> causing epidemic disease in monkeys. J Hyg 70:23-32, 1972.<br /> 5. Hall AS, McNulty WP Jr: A contagious pox disease in monkeys. J Am Vet<br /> Med Assoc 151:833-838, 1967.<br /> 6. McNulty WP Jr, et al: A pox disease in monkeys transmitted to man.<br /> Clinical and histological feahlres Arch Dermatol 97:286-293, 1968.<br /> <br /> Caliciviruses<br /> <br /> 1. Smith AW, Prato C, Skillins DE: Caliciviruses infecting monkeys and<br /> possibly man. Am J Vet Res 39:287-289, 1978.<br /> <br /> Yaba Virus Disease<br /> <br /> 1. Bearcroft WGC, Jamiesen MF: An outbreak of subcutaneous tumors in rhesus<br /> monkeys. Nature 182:195-196, 1958.<br /> 2. Grace T Jr, Mirand EA: Human susceptibility to a simian tumor virus. Ann<br /> NY Acad Sci 108:1123-1128, 1963.<br /> 3. Kupper JL, Casey HW, Johnson DK: Experimental Yaba and benign epidermal<br /> monkey pox in rhesus monkeys. Lab Anim Care 20:979-988, 1970.<br /> 4. Neven JSF, et al: Subcutaneous "growths" in monkeys produced by a<br /> poxvirus. J Pathol Bacteriol 81:1-14, 1961.<br /> 5. Wolfe LG, Griesemer RA, Farrell RL: Experimental aerosol transmission of<br /> Yaba virus in monkeys. J Natl Cancer Inst 41:1175-1195, 1968.<br /> <br /> Molluscum contagiosum<br /> <br /> 1. Douglas JE, et al: Molluscum contagiosum in chimpanzees. J Am Vet Med<br /> Assoc 151:901-904, 1967.<br /> 2. Schmidt RE, Butler TM: Molluscum contagiosum in a colony born<br /> chimpanzee. Lab Prim Newsletter 10:17, 1971<br /> <br /> Measles<br /> <br /> 1. Blake FG, Trask JD: Studies on measles. lI. Symptomatology and pathology<br /> in monkeys experimentally infected. J Exp Med 33:413-422, 1921.<br /> 2. Hall WC, et al: Pathology of measles in rhesus monkeys. Vet Pathol<br /> 8:397-419, 1971.<br /> 3. Levy BM: An acute epizootic of measles in marmosets. Lab Anim Sci<br /> 21:33-39, 1971.<br /> 4. Meyer HM, et al: Ecology of measles in monkeys. Am J Dis Child<br /> 102:307-313, 1966.<br /> 5. Potkav S, Ganaway JR, Rogers NG, et al: An epizootic of measles in<br /> colony of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Am J Vet Res 27:33-39, 1971.<br /> <br /> Viral Hepatitis<br /> <br /> 1. Davenport RM, Hennessy AV, Christopher N, et al: A common source<br /> multi-household outbreak of chimpanzee-associated hepatitis in humans. Am J<br /> Epidemiol 83:146-151, 1966.<br /> 2. Deinhardt F: Hepatitis in subhuman primates and the hazards to man. In<br /> Balner H, Beveridge WIB (eds): Infections and Immunosuppression in Subhuman<br /> Primates. Copenhagen, Munksgaard, 1970, pp 55-63.<br /> 3. Friedman CTH, et al: Chimpanzee-associated infectious hepatitis among<br /> personnel at an animal hospital. J Am Vet Med Assoc 159:541-545, 1971.<br /> 4. Hillis WD: Viral hepatitis associated with subhuman primates.<br /> Transfusion 3:445-454, 1963.<br /> 5. Kessler H, Tsiquaye KN, Smith H, et al: Hepatitis A and B at the London<br /> Zoo. J Infect Dis 33:63-67, 1982.<br /> 6. London WT et al: Serial transmission in rhesus monkeys of an agent<br /> related to hepatitis associated antigen. J Infect Dis 125:382-389, 1972.<br /> 7. Mosley JW, Reinhart HP, Hassler FR: Chimpanzee-associated hepatitis. J<br /> Am Vet Med Assoc 199:695-697, 1967.<br /> 8. Sly DL, London WT, Purcell RH: Illness in a chimpanzee inoculated with<br /> hepatitis B virus. J Am Vet Med Assoc 175:987-988, 1979.<br /> <br /> Yellow Fever<br /> <br /> 1. Birch CL: Jungle yellow fever. In Hull TG (ed): Diseases Transmitted<br /> from Animal to Man. Edition 5. Springfield, Illinois Charles C Thomas,<br /> 1963, pp 792-811.<br /> 2. Kalter SS, Jeffried-Klitch H: Yellow fever vaccination of primates. Am J<br /> Trop Med Hyg 18:466-469, 1969.<br /> <br /> Simian Hemorrhagic Feoer<br /> <br /> 1. Allen AM, et al: Simian hemorrhagic fever. II. Studies on pathology. Am<br /> J Trop Med Hyg 17:413-421 1968.<br /> 2. Espana C: Review of some outbreaks of viral disease in captive nonhuman<br /> primates. Lab Anim Sci 21:1023-1031, 1971.<br /> 3. London WT: Simian hemorrhagic fever. In Goodwin WJ, Palmer A (eds):<br /> Proceedings of the Workshop in the Clinical Care of Nonhuman Primates,<br /> National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland, 1973, pp 21-24.<br /> 4. Palmer AE, et al: Simian hemorrhagic fever. I. Clinical and epizootic<br /> aspects of an outbreak among quarantined monkeys. Am J Trop Med Hyg<br /> 17:404-412, 1968.<br /> 5. Tauraso NM, et al: Simian hemorrhagic fever. II. Isolation and<br /> characterization of a viral agent. Am J Trop Med Hyg 17:422-431, 1968.<br /> <br /> SV 40 and Other Latent Viruses<br /> <br /> 1. Hsiung GD: Latent virus infections in primate tissues with special<br /> reference to simian viruses. Bacteriol Rev 32:185-205, 1968.<br /> 2. Kalter SS, Heberling RL: Viral flora of tissue sources simian and human.<br /> In NCI Monographs 29, Bethesda, Maryland, National Cancer Institute, 1968,<br /> pp 149-160.<br /> 3. Kalter SS, Heberling RL: Comparative virology of primates. Bacteriol Rev<br /> 35:310-365, 1971.<br /> 4. Kissling RE, Murphy FA, Henderson BE: Marburg virus. Ann NY Acad Sci<br /> 174:932-915, 1970.<br /> 5. Levy JA, et al: Presence of EBV antibodies in sera from wild<br /> chimpanzees. Nature 233 (5231):559-560, 1971.<br /> <br /> Poliomyelitis<br /> <br /> 1. Allmond BW Jr, Froeschle JE, Guilloud NB: Paralytic poliomyelitis in<br /> larger laboratory primates: Virologic investigations and report on the use<br /> of oral poliomyelitis virus (OPV) vaccine. Am J Epidemiol 85:229-239, 1967.<br /> 2. Guilloud NB, et al: Paralytic poliomyelitis in laboratory primates. J Am<br /> Vet Med Assoc 155:1190-1193, 1969.<br /> <br /> Rabies<br /> <br /> 1. Diaz AMO: Pre-exposure rabies immunization of man with suckling mouse<br /> brain vaccine. Am J Epidemiol 115:274-277, 1982.<br /> 2. Kaplan C: Rabies in nonhuman primates. Lab Anim Handbook, 4:117-118,<br /> 1969.<br /> 3. Richardson JH: Rabies in nonhuman primates. CDC Prim Zoon Surv Rep<br /> 5:18-20, 1970.<br /> 4. Richardson JH: Rabies in nonhllman primates. CDC Prim Zoon Surv Rep<br /> 5:14, 1971.<br /> <br /> Marburg Virus<br /> <br /> 1. Gordon-Smith CE, et al: Fatal human disease from vervet monkeys. Lancet<br /> 2(7526):1119-1121, 1967.<br /> 2. Hennessen W: Epidemiology of Marburg virus disease. Lab Anim Handbook<br /> 4:137-142, 1970.<br /> 3. Marburg Virus Disease--South Africa. Morbid Mortal Weekly Rep 24:89-90,<br /> 1975.<br /> 4. Siegert R: Marburg virus. In Virology Monographs 11. New York,<br /> Springer-Verlag, 1972, pp 97-153.<br /> <br /> Tuberculosis<br /> <br /> 1. Allen AM, Kinard RF: Primary cutaneous inoculation tuberculosis in the<br /> Macaca mulatta monkey. Am J Pathol 34:337-347, 1958.<br /> 2. Bellson RE, Femming BD, Young RJ: A tuberculosis outbreak in a Macaca<br /> mulatta colony. Am Rev Tuberc Pulmon Dis 72:204-209, 1955.<br /> 3. Cappucci DT Jr, O Shea JL, Smith GD: An epidemiologic account of<br /> tuberculosis transmitted from man to monkey. Am Rev Respir Dis 106:819-823,<br /> 1972.<br /> 4. Chaparas SD, et al: Comparison of the lymphocyte formation test with the<br /> tuberculin test in rhesus monkeys and chimpanzees. Am J Vet Res<br /> 31:1437-1411, 1970.<br /> 5. Chrisp CE, et al: Tuberculosis in a squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus).<br /> J Am Vet Med Assoc 153:918-922, 1968.<br /> 6. Christensen LR, et al: Suggested standard procedures for detection of<br /> tuberculosis. ILAR News 10:3-5, 1967.<br /> 7. Clarke GL, Schmidt JP: Effect of prophylactic isoniazid on early<br /> developing experimental tuberculosis in Macaca mulatta. Am Rev Respir Dis<br /> 100:224-227, 1967.<br /> 8. Fife EH, et al: Serodiagnosis of simian tuberculosis by soluble antigen<br /> fluorescent antibody (SAFA) tests. Lab Anim Care 20:969-978, 1970.<br /> 9. Gibson JP, Rohovsky MW, Newberne JW: Modification of the tuberculin<br /> response of rhesus monkeys by isoniazid therapy. Lah Anim Sci 21:62-66,<br /> 1971.<br /> 10. Hessler JR, Moreland AF: Pulmonary tuberculosis in a squirrel monkey<br /> (Saimiri sciureus). J Am Vet Med Assoc 153:923-927, 1968.<br /> 11. Keeling ME, Froehlick RE, Ediger RD: An epizootic of tuberculosis in a<br /> rhesus monkey conditioning colony. Lab Anim Care 19:629-634, 1969.<br /> 12. Kehoe M, Phin CS, Chu CL: Tuberculosis in an orangutan. Aust Vet J<br /> 61:128, 1984.<br /> 13. Martin JE, Cole WC, Whitney RA: Tuberculosis of the spine (Pott's<br /> disease) in a rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). J Am Vet Med Assoc<br /> 153:914-917, 1968.<br /> 14. Middlebrook G: The mycobacteria. In Dubos RJ, Hirsch JG (eds):<br /> Bacterial and Mycotic Infections of Man. Edition 4. Philadelphia, JB<br /> Lippincott Co, 1965, pp 510-511.<br /> 15. Moreland AF: Tuberculosis in New World primates. Lab Anim Care<br /> 20:262-264, 1970.<br /> 16. Peters JH, Gordon GR: Susceptibility of squirrel monkeys to the<br /> convulsant action of isoniazid. Lab Prim Newsletter 10:1-3, 1971.<br /> 17. Rao AT, Acharjyo LN, Nayak BC: Tuberculosis in some ungulates and<br /> primates at Nandankanan Biological Park. Indian J Pathol Microbiol<br /> 25:199-202, 1982.<br /> 18. Renquist DM, Potkay S: Mycobacterium scrofulaceum infection in E. patas<br /> monkeys. Lab Anim Sci 29:97-101, 1979.<br /> 19. Riordan JT: Rectal tuberculosis in monkeys from the use of contaminated<br /> thermometers. J Infect Dis 73:93-94, 1943.<br /> 20. Sedgewick CS, Parher J, Durham R: Atypical mycobacterial infection in<br /> the pig-tailed macaque. J Am Vet Med Assoc 157:724-725, 1970.<br /> 21. Sibinovic S: Tuberculin testing in monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with<br /> naturally occurring tuberculosis. Lab Anim Care 19:621-632, 1969.<br /> 22. Smith AW, Wolochow H: Comparison of old tuberculin and purified protein<br /> derivative in Macaca mulatta. Lab Anim Sci 23:3, 1973.<br /> 23. Smith EK, et al: Avian tuberculosis in monkeys. Am Rev Respir Dis<br /> 107:469-471, 1973.<br /> 24. Snyder S, Peace R, Soave O: Tuberculosis in an owl monkey (Aotus<br /> triuirgatus). J Am Vet Med Assoc 1 i7:712-713, 1970.<br /> 25. Thorel MF: Isolation of Mycobacterium africanum from monkeys. Tubercle<br /> 61:101-104, 1980.<br /> <br /> Mycobacterium leprae<br /> <br /> 1. Hasstad HV: Leprosy in sub-human primates: Potential risk for transfer<br /> of M. leprae to humans. Int J Zoonoses 10:127-131, 1983.<br /> 2. Walsh GP, Meyers WM, Binford CH, et al: Leprosy: A zoonosis. Lepr Rev<br /> 52(suppl 1):77-83, 1981.<br /> 3. Walsh GP, Meyers WM, Brown HL, Binford CH, Gerone PJ, Wolfe RH:<br /> Naturally acquired leprosy in a mangabey monkey Cercocebus-Sp. (abstract).<br /> Annual Meeting of the American Society of Microbiologists, 1981, p 34.<br /> <br /> <br /> Mycobacterium simiae<br /> <br /> 1. Boisvert H, Truffot C: Mycobacterium simiae in Africa (summary). Ann<br /> Microbiol 131A:98, 1980.<br /> <br /> Shigellosis and Salmonellosis<br /> <br /> 1. Surveillance of Enteric Disease. CDC Prim Zoon Surv Rep 4:1-5, 1971.<br /> 2. Good RC, May BD, Kawatomari T: Enteric pathogens in monkeys. J Bacteriol<br /> 97:1048-1055, 1969.<br /> 3. Mulder JB: Shigellosis in nonhuman primates: A review. Lab Anim Sci<br /> 21:734-738, 1971.<br /> 4. Schneider NJ: Enteric bacteriological studies in a large colony of<br /> primates. Ann NY Acad Sci 85:935-941, 1980.<br /> 5. Weil JD, Ward MK, Spertzel RO: Incidence of Shigella in conditioned<br /> rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Lab Anim Sci 21:4, 1971.<br /> 6. Yeary RA: Furazolidone: The therapeutic use of furazolidone to control<br /> an epidemic of shigellosis in monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Proc Care Panel<br /> 10:83-84, 1960.<br /> <br /> Other Bacterial Infections<br /> <br /> 1. Benjamin SA, Lang CM: Acute pasteurellosis in owl monkeys (Aotus<br /> trivirgatus). Lab Anim Sci 21:258-262, 1971.<br /> 2. Anusz Z: Brucellosis and other zoonoses. Przegl Epidemiol (Warsaw)<br /> 34:111-117, 1980.<br /> 3. Good RC, May BD: Respiratory pathogens in monkeys. Infect Immun 3:87-93,<br /> 1971.<br /> 4. Greenstein ET, Doty RW, Lowy K: An outbreak of fulminate infectious<br /> disease in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus). Lab Anim 15:74-79, 1965.<br /> 5. Fear FA, et al: Leptospirosis in a baboon (Papio sp.) colony. Lab Anim<br /> Care 18:22-28, 1968.<br /> 6. Krushak DH, Zimmerman RA, Murphy BL: Induced group A hemolytic<br /> streptococci infection in chimpanzees. J Am Vet Med Assoc 157:742-744,<br /> 1970.<br /> 7. Lott Stolz G: Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection in pets. Publication<br /> no D-6300. German Federal Republic, Ciessen-Lahn, 1978, pp 205-208.<br /> 8. McClure HM, Weaver RE, Kaufman AF: Pseudotuberculosis in nonhuman<br /> primates: Infection with organisms of the Yersinia enterocolis group. Lab<br /> Anim Sci 21:376-382, 1971.<br /> 9. Respiratory diseases. CDC Prim Zoon Surv Rep 4:5-6, 1971.<br /> 10. Selbitz HJ, Elze K, Seifert S: Detection and clinical importance of<br /> human- and animal-pathogenic serotypes of Escherichia coli in monkeys.<br /> Berlin, German Democratic Republic, Akademie-Verlag, 1983, pp 275-279.<br /> 11. Shewen PE: Chlamydial infection in animals: A review. Can Vet J<br /> 21:2-11, 1980. <br /> 12. Shive RJ, et al: Leptospirosis in Barbary apes (Macaca syltana). J Am<br /> Vet Med Assoc 155:1176-1178, 1969.<br /> 13. Siebold HR, Perrin EA, Garner AC: Pneumonia associated with Bordatella<br /> bronchiseptica in Callicebus spp. primates. Lab Anim 20:456-461, 1970.<br /> 14. Strauss JM, et al: Melioidosis with spontaneous remission of<br /> osteomyelitis in a macaque. J Am Vet Med Assoc 155:1190-1193 1969.<br /> 15. Shane SM, Montrose MS: The occurrence and significance of Campylobacter<br /> jejuni in man and animals. Vet Res Comm 9:67-198 1985.<br /> 16. Tribe GW, Mackenzie PS, Flemins MP: Incidence of thermophilic<br /> Campylobacter species in newly imported simian primates with enteritis<br /> (correspondence). Vet Rec 105:333, 1979.<br /> 17. Tribe GW, Flemins MP: Biphasic enteritis in imported cynomolgus (Macaca<br /> fascicularis) monkeys infected with Shigella, Salmonella and Campylobacter<br /> species. Lab Anim 17:65-69, 1983.<br /> 18. Wilson CD, Salt GF: Streptococci in animal disease. Soc Appl Bacteriol<br /> Symp Ser 7:143-156, 1978.<br /> <br /> Fungal Diseases<br /> <br /> 1. Al-Doory T, et al: Pulmonary nocardiosis in a vervet monkey. J Am Vet<br /> Assoc 155:1179-1180, 1969.<br /> 2. Gerner FM, Ford DF, Ross MA: Systemic cryptococcosis in two monkeys. J<br /> Am Vet Med Assoc 155:1163-1169 1969.<br /> 3. Hironaga M, Fujigaki T, Watanabe S: Trichophyton mentagrophytes skin<br /> infections in laboratory animals as a cause of zoonosis. Mycopathologia<br /> 73:101-104, 1981.<br /> 4. Kaplan W: Dermatophilosis in primates. In Lloyd DH, Sellers KC (eds):<br /> Dermatophilus Infection in Animals and Man. New York, Academic Press, 1976,<br /> pp 128-138.<br /> 5. King NW, et al: Cutaneous streptothricosis (dermatophiliasis) in owl<br /> monkeys. Lab Anim Sci 21:67-74, 1971.<br /> 6. Martin JE, et al: Rhino-orbital phycomycosis in a rhesus monkey (Macaca<br /> mulatta). J Am Vet Med Assoc 155:1253-1257, 1969.<br /> 7. McKenney FD, Traum J, Bonestall AE: Acute coccidioidomycoses in a<br /> mountain gorilla. J Am Vet Med Assoc 112:244, 1948.<br /> 8. Schmidt RE: Dermatomycosis. In Garner FM, Stookey JL (eds): AFIP<br /> Syllabus: Diseases of Nonhuman Primates. Washington, DC, American Registry<br /> of Pathology, AFIP, 1968, pp 20-21.<br /> 9. Takos MJ, Elton NW: Spontaneous cryptococcosis of marmoset monkeys in<br /> Panama. AMA Arch Pathol 55:403-407, 1953.<br /> 10. Wikse SE, Fox JC, Kovatch RM: Candidiasis in simian primates. Lab Anim<br /> Care 20:957-963, 1970.<br /> <br /> Parasites: General<br /> <br /> 1. Flynn RJ: Parasites of laboratory animals. Ames, lowa State University<br /> Press, 1973.<br /> 2. Goldsmith JM: The intestinal helminthzoonoses of primates (abstract). In<br /> The 9th International Congress on Tropical Medicine and Malaria. Volume 1.<br /> Athens, Greece, 1973, pp 157-158.<br /> 3. Goldsmith JM: Intestinal helminthzoonoses of primates in Rhodesia. Ann<br /> Soc Belse Med Trop 54:87-101, 1974.<br /> 4. Hira PR: Some helminthozoonotic infections in Zambia. African J Med Sci<br /> 7:1-7, 1978.<br /> 5. Kunz RE (ed): Nonhuman primate parasites. Lah Anim Care 20(2):1970.<br /> <br /> Malaria<br /> <br /> 1. Chin W, et al: A naturally acquired quotidian-type malaria in man<br /> transferable to monkeys. Science 149:865, 1965.<br /> 2. Coatney RG, et al: The primate malarias. Washington, DC, Department of<br /> Health, Education and Welfare, US Government Printing Office, 1971.<br /> 3. Contacos P, et al: Quartan-type malaria parasite of New World monkeys<br /> transmissible to man. Science, 142:676, 1963.<br /> 4. Collins WE: Simian malaria. In Jacobs L, Arambulo P (eds): CRC Handbook<br /> Series in Zoonoses. Section C: Parasitic Zoonoses. Volume I. Boca Raton,<br /> Florida, CRC Press, Inc, 1982, pp 141-150.<br /> 4. Druilhe P, Trape JF, Gentilini M: Accidental human infections by<br /> Plasmodium-Cynomolgi-Bastianellii: A serological and clinical study of 2<br /> recent cases. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 12:444, 1981.<br /> 5. Mak JW, Cheons WH, Yen PKF, et al: Studies on the epidemiology of<br /> subperiodic Brusia malayi in Malaysia: Problems in its control. Acta<br /> Tropica 39:237-245, 1982.<br /> 6. Kalra NL: Emergence of malaria zoonosis of simian origin as natural<br /> phenomenon in Greater Nicobars, Andaman & Nicobar Islands: A preliminary<br /> note. J Comm Dis 12:49-54, 1980.<br /> 7. Tsukamoto M: Simian malarias as zoonoses: A review of cases of human<br /> infection. J Uoeh (Japan) 1:515-534, 1979.<br /> 8. Warren M: Simian and anthropoid malarias: Their role in human disease.<br /> Lab Anim Care 20:368-376, 1970.<br /> 9. Young MD: Natural and induced malarias in Western Hemisphere monkeys.<br /> Lab Anim Care 20:361-367. 1970.<br /> <br /> Other Protozoa<br /> <br /> 1. Bullock BC, Wolf RH, Clarkson TB: Myocarditis associated with<br /> trypanosomiasis in a cebus monkey (Cebus albifrons). J Am Vet Med Assoc<br /> 151:920-922, 1967.<br /> 2. Hiepe F, Hiepe T: Experimental infection of man and monkeys<br /> (Cercopithecus callithrichus) with sarcosporidian cysts from cattle and<br /> pigs. Arch Exp Veterinarmed 33:819-830, 1979.<br /> 3. Jueco NL: Bertiella infection. In Jacobs L, Arambulo P (eds): CRC<br /> Handbook Series in Zoonoses. Section C: Parasitic Zoonoses. Volume I. Boca<br /> Raton, Florida, CRC Press, Inc, 1982, pp 215-216.<br /> 4. Levine ND: Protozoan parasites of nonhuman primates as zoonotic agents.<br /> Lab Anim Care 20:377-382, 1970.<br /> 5. Lushbaush WB, Pittman FE: Amebiasis. In Jacobs L, Arambulo P (eds): CRC<br /> Handbook Series in Zoonoses. Section C: Parasitic Zoonoses. Volume I. Boca<br /> Raton, Florida, CRC Press, Inc, 1982, pp 5-13.<br /> 6. Siebold HR, Wolf RH: Toxoplasmosis in Aotus trivirgatus and Callicebus<br /> moloch. Lab Anim Sci 21:118-120. 1971.<br /> <br /> Helminth Parasites<br /> <br /> 1. Asrawal MC, Shah HL: Stephanofilarial dermatitis in India. Vet Res<br /> Commun 8:93-102, 1984.<br /> 2. Bingham GA, Rabstein MM: A study of thiabendazole in the rhesus monkey.<br /> Lab Anim Care 14:357, 1964.<br /> 3. Brown RJ: Acanthocephalin myositis in a bushbaby. J Am Vet Med Assoc<br /> 155:1141-1143, 1969.<br /> 4. Eberhard ML: Intestinal parasitism in an outdoor breeding colony of<br /> Macaca mulatta. Lab Anim Sci 31:282-285, 1981.<br /> 5. Clark JD: Coenuris in a gelada baboon. J Am Vet Med Assoc 155:1258-1263,<br /> 1969.<br /> 6. Cosgrove GE: The trematodes of laboratory primates. Lab Anim Care<br /> 16:23-29, 1966.<br /> 7. Deinhardt F, et al: Marmosets as laboratory animals. IV. The<br /> microbiology of laboratory kept marmosets. Lab Anim Care 17:48-70, 1967.<br /> 8. Else JG, Satzger M, Sturrock RF: Natural infections of Schistosoma<br /> Mansoni and S. Haematobium in Cercopithecus monkeys in Kenya. Ann Trop Med<br /> Parasitol 76:111-112, 1982.<br /> 9. Fauran P, Lacoste J, Combes D, et al: Wuchereria bancrofti human<br /> aperiodic filariasis in French territory of Wallis and Futuna. Med Trop<br /> (Marseille) 41:665-669, 1981.<br /> 10. Fox JG, Hall WC: Fluke (Gastrodiscoides hominis) in a rhesus monkey<br /> with related intussusception of the colon. J Am Vet Med Assoc 157:714-716,<br /> 1970.<br /> 11. Graham GL: Parasitism in monkeys from care and diseases of the research<br /> monkey. Ann NY Acad Sci 85:842-860, 1960.<br /> 12. Hira PR: Some helminth zoonotic infections in Zambia. Afr J Med Sci<br /> 7:1-8, 1978.<br /> 13. Kazacos KR, Vestre WA, Kazacos EA: Experimental ocular larva migrans<br /> and cerebrospinal nematodiasis due to Baylisascaris-Procyonis in subhuman<br /> primates. In Parasites: Their World and Ours. Amsterdam, Elsevier, 1982, pp<br /> 261-262.<br /> 14. Kazacos KR, Wirtz WL, Burger PP, et al: Raccoon ascarid larvae as a<br /> cause of fatal central nervous system disease in subhuman primates. J Am<br /> Vet Med Assoc 179:1089-1094, 1981.<br /> 15. Middleton CC: Acanthocephala (Prosthenorchus elegans) infection in<br /> squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). Lab Anim Dis 2:16-17, 1966.<br /> 16. Moore JC: Epizootic of acanthocephaliasis among primates. J Am Vet Med<br /> Assoc 157:699-705, 1970.<br /> 17. Nelson B, Cosgrove C, Gengozian N: Diseases of an imported primate,<br /> Tarnarinus nigricollis. Lab Anim Care 16:255-275, 1966.<br /> 18. Nelson GS: Wild animals as reservoir hosts of parasitic diseases of man<br /> in Kenya. In Dunsmore JDJ (ed): Tropical Parasitoses and Parasitic<br /> Zoonoses. Perth, Australia, World Association for the Advancement of<br /> Veterinary Parasitology, 1983, pp 59-72.<br /> 19. Orihel TC: The helminth parasites of nonhuman primates and man. Lab<br /> Anim Care 20:395-401, 1970.<br /> 20. Simmons CF Jr, Winter HS, Berde C, et al: Zoonotic filariasis with<br /> Iymphedema in an immunodeficient infant. N Engl J Med 310:1243-1245, 1984.<br /> 21. Van Riper D, et al: Intestinal parasites of recently imported<br /> chimpanzees. Lab Anim Care 16:360-363, 1966.<br /> 22. Varela-Diaz VM, Coltorti EA, Zavaleta O de, et al: Immunodiagnosis of<br /> human hydatid disease: Applications and contributions to a control program<br /> in Argentina. Am J Trop Med Hyg 32: 1079-1087, 1983.<br /> 23. Vickers JH, Penner LR: Cysticercosis in four rhesus brains. J Am Vet<br /> Med Assoc 153:868-871, 1968.<br /> <br /> Arthropod Parasites<br /> <br /> 1. Flatt RE, Patton NM: A mite infestation in squirrel monkeys. J Am Vet<br /> Med Assoc 155:1233-1235, 1969.<br /> 2. Hull WB: Respiratory mite parasites in nonhuman primates. Lab Anim Care<br /> 20:354-360, 1970.<br /> 3. Peddle JG, Larson EJ: Demodectic acariasis in a woolly monkey. Vet Med<br /> Small Anim Clin 66:485-488, 1971.<br /> 4. Schwartz LW: Pulmonary acariasis. In Garner FM, Stookey JL (eds): AFIP<br /> Syllabus: Diseases of Nonhuman Primates. Washington, DC, American Registry<br /> of Pathology, AFIP, 1968, pp 51-52.<br /> <br /> Human Disease and Its Treatment<br /> <br /> 1. Berkow R (ed): The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Edition 14.<br /> Rahway, New Jersey, Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories, 1982.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-21763058355315093182007-07-28T04:10:00.000-07:002007-07-28T04:21:32.368-07:00Three million procedures were carried out.United Kingdom Review ordered on lab test labels <br /><br /><br /> The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (Buav) claimed that the licences underplayed the severity of suffering that the animals experienced. <br /> <br />Buav complained about experiments on marmosets <br />The licences given to scientists that allow them to carry out experiments on animals are being mislabelled, according to a High Court ruling. <br /><br /><br />The High Court found for Buav on this ground, but rejected three other claims brought by the campaign group. <br /><br />The Home Office has been granted leave to appeal against the decision. <br /><br />If it is unsuccessful, the government will have to re-examine the way it classifies the severity of lab animal tests. <br /><br /> We have proven that the government misleads the public and parliament about the severity of animal experiments licensed in the UK <br /><br />Michelle Thew, Buav <br /><br />The ruling followed a judicial review that took place earlier this week. <br /><br />It was prompted by a 10-month investigation carried out by Buav at Cambridge University in 2000-2001. <br /><br />Lost grounds <br /><br />The campaigning group said that experiments that had been taking place on marmosets were causing far more suffering than their licence implied. <br /><br />The Home Office grants licences for all experiments carried out in the UK that involve animals. <br /><br /> <br />The Home Office issues licences for animal research <br />Each licence is categorised as "mild", "moderate", "substantial" or "unclassified" (meaning the animal is under anaesthetic). This is based on the likely experience of the "average" animal in the experiment. <br /><br />The licence for the marmoset research was classified as moderate, but Buav argued that the experiments should have been classed as severe, leading the group to call for a judicial review, stating that the Home Office was failing to ensure animal suffering was kept to a minimum. <br /><br />The High Court ruled that Buav was correct in stating that the government was failing to correctly determine the severity limits for animal experiments. <br /><br />However, it rejected three other grounds the campaigning group put forward: on the fact that animal death should be labelled as an "adverse effect", a technical notice that failed to follow correct legislative procedure, and failings on post-operative care. <br /><br />'Misleading the public' <br /><br />Buav chief executive Michelle Thew said: "We have proven that the government misleads the public and Parliament about the severity of animal experiments licensed in the UK. <br /><br /> The Home Office is obviously disappointed not to have successfully defended all of the grounds of claim <br /><br />A Home Office spokesperson <br />"The government can no longer pretend it has the strictest regulation of animal experiments in the world. This case demonstrates it has ridden roughshod over the public's trust in this matter." <br /><br />A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Home Office is obviously disappointed not to have successfully defended all of the grounds of claim, and has been granted leave to appeal against the decisions in the instances where the judge had found in favour of Buav. <br /><br />"The Home Office believes it has been rigorous in applying the strict criteria of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 with a view to making proper provision for the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes." <br /><br />Rising statistics <br /><br />This week, the Home Office announced its official figures on animal tests. <br /><br />A total of three million procedures were carried out on animals in 2006, a rise of 4% on the previous year. <br /><br />Scientists said tests were necessary to help cure life-threatening diseases; however antivivisectionists said the rise was too high. <br /><br />In 2003, the Chief Inspector of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate rejected the notion that Cambridge University had breached its licence when it considered Buav's complaints. <br /><br />The inspector's inquiry found that the severity levels of the procedures had been correctly assigned; and concluded that "nothing seriously untoward has been discovered about the licensing and running of these projects".Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-79567644584418259862007-07-05T11:53:00.000-07:002007-07-05T11:54:35.015-07:00Orang-utans are cleverOrang-utans are clever enough to use water as a problem-solving tool, an experiment inspired by Aesop's fables has demonstrated.<br /><br />When presented with a peanut floating deep down inside a transparent tube, the animals spat their drinking water into the tube to raise the treat to the top, where they could grab it. Researchers say that the study is novel because it shows the insightful use of a liquid tool by a non-human primate.<br /><br />Natacha Mendes at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, recalls that the idea for the study came out of a discussion with her colleagues about Aesop's fables.<br /><br />The team focused on one particular story, in which a clever crow throws stones into a pitcher to elevate the water to a level where the bird can access it for drinking. Mendes and her fellow researchers wondered whether the orang-utans they worked with could have a similarly smart insight.<br /><br />Speedy learning<br />To test this out, the scientists presented five orang-utans (Pongo abelii) with clear plastic tubes, each containing a small amount of water along with a peanut. But, to the orang-utans' great dismay, the peanuts floated too far down the tube for them to reach.<br /><br />The frustrated apes tried everything they could to get to the peanuts – including biting, hitting, and kicking the tube.<br /><br />It only took them about nine minutes on average, though, to figure out that a little bit of extra water could do the trick. At this point the orang-utans began taking mouthfuls of water from their drink dispenser and spitting the liquid into the tube, a trick that elevated the peanuts to an accessible point.<br /><br />"This seems to be insightful behaviour because they haven't seen this test before," Mendes explains. "And as soon as they got the idea they continued to do it."<br /><br />And do it faster, Mendes adds. She presented each orang-utan with the peanut-containing tube 10 times. By the tenth attempt, it took the animals only 30 seconds before they started spitting water into the tube.<br /><br />Intelligent spitting<br />Researchers also conducted control experiments, including one in which they taped the peanut to the top of the tube. The orang-utans did not spit into the tube, but instead simply grabbed the treat with their hands.<br /><br />Mendes notes that archer fish (Toxotes jaculatrix) can spit water at flies to knock them into the water for eating (see Fast food for fish with perfect aim). But she says the orang-utans' use of water represents a more sophisticated behaviour.<br /><br />"There's no comparison," she says, pointing out that the apes have a conscious idea of what they are doing and consider other options, such as kicking the tube. "With orang-utans we are talking about a flexible strategy – that's the big difference."<br /><br />Journal reference: Biology Letters (DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2007.0198)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-53826594722484640102007-06-20T20:33:00.000-07:002007-06-20T20:38:32.430-07:00A little of what you fancy does you good?Photos to follow<br /><br /><br />I have included this item as I know that some of my readers do keep small animals as pets. This obviously includes dogs, monkeys and parrots of various kinds.<br /><br />Unfortunately this old adage about a little of what you fancy is NOT true of your pets. A small piece of chocolate can be seriously toxic to a small animal. <br /><br />Chocolate contains theobromine, a compound that is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. <br /><br />When affected by an overdose of chocolate, a small animal can become excited and hyperactive. Due to the diuretic effect, it may pass large volumes of urine and it will be unusually thirsty. Vomiting and diarrhoea are also common. The effect of theobromine on the heart is the most dangerous effect. Theobromine will either increase the animal’s heart rate or may cause the heart to beat irregularly. Death is quite possible, especially with exercise.<br /><br />After their pet has eaten a large quantity of chocolate, many pet owners assume their pet is unaffected. However, the signs of sickness may not be seen for several hours, with death following within twenty-four hours.<br /><br />Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. A 10-kilogram dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of a 250gm packet of cocoa powder or half of a 250gm block of cooking chocolate. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Thus, a chocolate mud cake could be a real health risk for a small dog. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make an animal unwell. <br /><br />Semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate are the next most dangerous forms, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate to be affected. Obviously, the smaller the animal, the less it needs to eat.<br /><br />Onion and garlic poisoning <br /> Onions and garlic are other dangerous food ingredients that cause sickness in dogs, cats and also livestock. Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger.<br /><br />Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body. <br /><br />At first, pets affected by onion poisoning show gastroenteritis with vomiting and diarrhoea. They will show no interest in food and will be dull and weak. The red pigment from the burst blood cells appears in an affected animal’s urine and it becomes breathless. The breathlessness occurs because the red blood cells that carry oxygen through the body are reduced in number.<br /><br />The poisoning occurs a few days after the pet has eaten the onion. All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.<br /><br />Onion poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of large quantities or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion. A single meal of 600 to 800 grams of raw onion can be dangerous whereas a ten-kilogram dog, fed 150 grams of onion for several days, is also likely to develop anaemia. The condition improves once the dog is prevented from eating any further onion<br /><br />While garlic also contains the toxic ingredient thiosulphate, it seems that garlic is less toxic and large amounts would need to be eaten to cause illness.<br /><br />The danger of macadamia nuts <br />Macadamia nuts are another concern. A recent paper written by Dr. Ross McKenzie, a Veterinary Pathologist with the Department of Primary Industries, points to the danger of raw and roasted macadamia nuts for pets. <br /><br />The toxic compound is unknown but the affect of macadamia nuts is to cause locomotory difficulties. Dogs develop a tremor of the skeletal muscles, and weakness or paralysis of the hindquarters. Affected dogs are often unable to rise and are distressed, usually panting. Some affected dogs have swollen limbs and show pain when the limbs are manipulated. <br /><br />Dogs have been affected by eating as few as six macadamia kernels (nuts without the shell) while others had eaten approximately forty kernels. Some dogs had also been given macadamia butter.<br /><br />Luckily, the muscle weakness, while painful, seems to be of short duration and all dogs recovered from the toxicity. <br /><br />Pets owners should not assume that human food is always safe for pets. When it comes to chocolate, onions, garlic and macadamia nuts, such foods should be given in only small quantities, or not at all. Be sure that your pets can’t get into your stash of chocolates, that food scraps are disposed of carefully to prevent onion and garlic toxicity and that your dog is prevented from picking up macadamia nuts if you have a tree in your garden.<br /><br />Other potential dangers <br />• Pear pips, the kernels of plums, peaches and apricots, apple core pips (contain cyanogenic glycosides resulting in cyanide posioning) <br />• Potato peelings and green looking potatoes <br />• Rhubarb leaves <br />• Mouldy/spoiled foods <br />• Alcohol <br />• Yeast dough <br />• Coffee grounds, beans & tea (caffeine) <br />• Hops (used in home brewing) <br />• Tomato leaves & stems (green parts) <br />• Broccoli (in large amounts) <br />• Raisins and grapes <br />• Cigarettes, tobacco, cigarsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-48936550312122183722007-06-02T02:56:00.001-07:002007-06-02T02:59:58.362-07:00Do you really want a monkey?Can monkey care be a positive experience? Yes, but only if you are committed, well-prepared, and well-informed ahead of time. To what degree is this possible? What if monkey care is harder than you though it would be? Are you flexible in your expectations? Will you remain committed in the face of all difficulties? The "Caretaker Rating Chart", on the following page, should help you answer these questions. <br />Is it possible for monkeys to receive excellent quality care and enjoy a fulfilling lives as pets? Yes, but realize first that monkeys are complex social/emotional animals that can best be termed as "high-care/high-need", "difficult" pets. Difficulty levels vary between species and individuals, larger monkeys generally being more problematic in some respects and smaller ones in others. In reality, it is unlikely that most people will be the highly motivated, committed caretakers required to provide for a monkey's lifetime needs. <br />The Caretaker Rating Chart lists 50 questions for the would-be monkey owner. --Why all the questions? The job of caretaking a monkey should not be taken lightly. It is very traumatic for the highly intelligent and sensitive monkey to receive poor care or to be rejected, given up and bounced to new, unfamiliar homes. <br />The chart will help you become aware of your own possible shortcomings as a caretaker. For example, monkeys spend most of their life-span in their adult years, so if you don't like adult behavior (prefer infants) another type of animal would be better for you. A chart cannot be all inclusive. Use the Caretaker Rating Chart simply to help you determine your possible aptitude and ability to set up coping strategies for dealing with complex monkey care and behavior. <br />BUT FIRST--Here is a long, hard look at some of the concerns monkey owners find themselves face to face with. Take a close look. If you are serious about monkeys, you'll be glad you did! <br />The Quality, Committed Caretaker--Are You Suited For the Job?<br />Taking care of a monkey is not a simple task. Monkeys have complex social/emotional needs that change with their different life-stages. Monkeys do best with patient, well-educated, mature caretakers who have creative problem solving skills--ones who are committed for the long haul and want to give monkeys a permanent and satisfying home. Caretakers best suited for the job tend to be people who have had positive results (1) parenting children, or (2) working with other intelligent social creatures such as dogs or parrots, or other exotic animals. Monkeys do best with "foreground", not "background" attention to their needs. Still, in terms of potential difficulty, no other animal can equal a monkey. A monkey's greater intelligence brings with it a greater capacity for unexpected or difficult behavior and also a greater capacity to suffer when relegated to a poor or inappropriate life-style. <br />Monkeys As Part of the Family?<br />Monkeys complicate family life. Often dealing with a growing monkey has the same effect as dealing with a difficult child. This is especially true of capuchin sized monkeys and larger. Monkeys may divide up the family buy having different relationships with each member--liking one member above all others--usually the most dominant adult or by scapegoating or picking on the least favorite person--usually the weakest or youngest family member. Maturing monkeys may become aggressive more easily in the presence of two or more people and may have to be handled by allowing only one person in the room at a time. <br />Can You Meet A Monkeys Complex Social/Emotional Needs?<br />Monkeys thrive only when their social needs are met. Companionship may come in the form of another compatible social animal, a full social circle of people or another compatible monkey. Monkeys have the emotional needs for love and security, the need to be touched and to have body contact. A monkey's emotional needs are human-like, but monkeys will still exhibit their own species specific "wild animal" behaviors, especially as adults. Monkeys need to be recognized as the emotional creatures that they are. Learn to recognize your monkey's needs, wants and feelings. Monkeys may become emotionally disturbed or aggressive when treated like "objects", or when attempts are made to treat them strictly like human children or to over-handle or control them. <br />Can You Afford Proper Housing?<br />Proper housing allows for large motor exercise, running and leaping. Cages which simply put monkeys on display are not usually large enough. Kennel crates, cat cages, and bird cages are not recommended as even temporary housing, since temporary housing often becomes permanent. <br />Are You Ready to Deal With Temperament?<br />It is not reasonable to expect that you will never be bitten by any monkey. The relatively docile youngster eventually turns from play-aggression to the serious aggression of an adult. Proper management techniques go a long ways in coping. The larger the monkey, generally speaking, the bigger the problem. Yet it is hard to prepare someone for the onslaught of mature aggression in a monkey. Have you ever seen a rabid dog in the throes of an attack--the pursuit of an angry bull in a bull ring, the vicious ripping power of a lion's canine teeth? A mature monkey, even one who was hand-raised, can attack a friend or stranger with equal vengeance. An angry monkey has the cunning and dexterity to leap into the air and accurately take a swipe an the human eye, or to bite the human body in the most vulnerable places, the jugular vein, the veins of the wrists, the nerve-filled fingers of the hand. It almost takes the discipline of a professional trainer to deal with the personalities of some individual monkeys in a constructive way as they mature. It takes love, forgiveness and stick-to-it-iveness to remain a committed caretaker. <br />Loose In The House?<br />Greater intelligence in monkeys does not equal greater mindfulness. Most monkeys remain mischievous, and are not trainable as dogs, birds or other animals. At their worst, when capuchin sized or larger monkeys are loose in the house, they often seek out coveted personal items, i.e., the most meaningful objects to a monkey are often forbidden ones. At their worst, growing monkeys may pull down drapes, shred cloth, chew wood, spill drinks, steal food, take possession of articles and refuse to return them, damage house plants, torment other household pets, soil or stain furniture, tip chairs, break knickknacks, ink pens or dishes, tear books and papers, get into cleaning fluids or baking ingredients, open drawers, cabinets, unlock or open inside and outside house doors, open refrigerators and windows, remove window screens, open baby proof latches and lids, break glass, push large pieces of furniture over, urinate into television sets or other electronic equipment ect. Monkeys are escape artists and may unfasten their belts, their leashes, wiggle the bolts from their kennel carriers, find ways to escape cages or other housing. Such behaviors are not only damaging to your home and property but can be dangerous to the monkey as well. <br />Monkey Messes<br />Monkeys do not have an instinct for keeping their housing area clean. In nature, all excess food and waste fall downward away from the monkey. Monkeys in cages have a natural tendency to drop food. In the worst case, they may smear food, shred and remove diapers, shred cage papers, smear feces, splatter urine. Several species also have the innate behaviors of urine washing or urine scenting. Properly fed monkeys have a regular flow of urine and feces which need to be cleaned daily. Monkey feces have odor, especially when closed in indoor cages. Mature monkeys may become possessive of dirty cage items and resist cleanup. They may behave aggressively toward their cleanup crew, so a cage must be setup with easy, hands-off cleaning in mind. Monkey cleanup and sanitizing can be difficult and time-consuming. Shelves and toys may need to be soaked. Cage wire eventually becomes "grungy", requiring extra scrub-down. <br />Do You Have Time?<br />Monkey do not remain status quo. An interactive relationship with a monkey takes a continued daily investment of time. Time is needed for cleaning and food preparation. Sick monkeys may need constant care and attention. <br />Can You Do The Work?<br />Do you have the stamina for daily cleanup, care and food preparation? Monkeys require the purchase, washing and preparation of fresh produce, the ordering of fresh monkey chow, often need vitamins added to their food and need a source of vitamin D3. <br />Can You Afford The Cost of Ongoing Care for Monkeys?<br />Monkeys naturally waste food, can become picky in their appetite, refusing once staple or favorite foods. Spilled or dropped food will usually be wasted. The cost of vet care can be high. One emergency can incur a bill of several hundred dollars. Regular health checks are costly, anesthetic gas is expensive as is diagnostic blood work. The ongoing cost of housing includes heating, enrichment and repairs. <br />Are You Tolerant, Flexible, Prepared?<br />Can you tolerate monkey behaviors that are out of your control? Can you make plans around your monkey if you can't find a vacation sitter? Would you be willing to cut a vacation short if when you are gone, your monkey refuses to eat, or gets sick?--Monkeys have a life-span of 20-40 years. Are you prepared to make suitable provisions for you monkey(s), in case of your death?--Can you handle the premature death of a beloved monkey, especially more likely in the tiny monkeys such as marmosets? Other behaviors which can require tolerance include male and female masturbating, same sex mounting, scratching of genital areas, displaying erections or monkeys copulating in front of an audience. <br /><br />How Do You Rate Yourself?<br />Complete the following 50 questions by writing down the number that best describes you on a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest) in each category. When finished, add up your total score to find out where you rank (Make sure to be honest with yourself, there is no one looking over your shoulder) <br />1) Love of animals <br />2) Love of monkeys <br />3) Patience to deal with personality traits <br />4) Patience to deal with refusal to eat or take medications <br />5) Patience to deal with monkey's natural tendency to "get into things" <br />6) You are sensitive <br />7) Empathetic <br />8) Generally tolerant <br />9) Consistent <br />10) Forgiving <br />11) Understanding <br />12) Calm and mature temperament <br />13) Stable life-style <br />14) Supportive family <br />15) Able to manage family care and needs around monkey care <br />16) Can cope if monkey doesn't like one or more family members <br />17) Aptitude for understanding behavior <br />18) Willing to learn humane animal training techniques <br />19) Flexible in expectations <br />--(My favorite age for an animal is--rate each below)-- <br />20) Infant--cute, docile, round-eyed, dependent, obedient <br />21) Adolescent--boisterous, rebellious, into things, destructive <br />22) Adult--more set in ways, less playful, potential for serious aggression, facial features have lost that "baby" look <br />23) You are financially secure <br />24) Able to budget for extra monkey expenses <br />25) Able to work hard to get cleanups done <br />26) Tolerant of food waste <br />27) Tolerant of noncompliant behaviors <br />28) Tolerant of messiness, dirtiness, urine, feces <br />29) Tolerant of biting or other aggressive behaviors <br />30) Tolerant of a monkey's sexual behaviors <br />31) Tolerant of feces or urine odor <br />32) Have creative problem solving skills <br />33) Willingness to compromise to accommodate monkey behaviors and needs <br />34) Have keen observation skills <br />35) Able to stay interested, emotionally committed <br />36) Able to devote daily blocks of time to play and grooming <br />37) Consistent in feeding and cleanup <br />38) Good at carrying out repetitive daily care <br />39) Committed for the long haul, a monkey's 20-40 year life span <br />40) Time to shop for and prepare fresh produce <br />41) Good at meeting repetitive feeding requirements <br />42) Willing to monkey-proof house (put breakables away, ect.) <br />43) Willing to buy toys for enrichment <br />44) Willingness to provide a social companion <br />45) Willing to buy vitamins and special food needs <br />46) Have time and $ for well-checks and vet visits <br />47) Willing to provide house space for indoor monkey cage, toys <br />48) Willingness to spend extra $ on proper sized exercise cage <br />49) Willing to seek further education on monkey care/behavior <br />50) Willing to check on permit requirements, to comply to state/city regulations, to pay fees & have inspections if required <br />What is your Total Score? Use the Rating Chart below to assess your aptitude......... <br />50-199=low aptitude <br />200-350=medium aptitude <br />351-500=high aptitude <br />Put yourself in the monkey's place....<br />When you reflect on your caretaker rating, you will see that it takes more than love to carry out the task of proper monkey care. In short, monkeys require special understanding and sacrifice, are expensive to own and need a daily investment of time spent on feeding, cleaning, socializing and care. <br />Most people buy monkeys of 3-4 months old or younger. The appearance of an infant can be quite deceiving. Infant monkeys differ greatly in behavior and appearance from mature monkeys. <br />The Six Most Common Reasons People Buy Pet Monkeys:<br />"They're so cute!!" (I love the way they look!!) <br />"They're so cool!!" (Different), (Attention Getting) <br />"I wanted an unusual pet." (Wanted an unusual pet for the kids) <br />"They're so adorable dressed up like people!" <br />"I've always wanted a monkey!" (Wanted to know what it would be like) <br />"They have to be the most special pet you can get. <br />The 12 Most Common Reasons People Give Up Pet Monkey:<br />An incident involving one or more of the behaviors below: <br />A serious bite or other aggressive behavior -- usually toward a child or other family member, sometimes a friend or stranger. <br />Monkey is "disobedient", won't mind, gets into things or tears off diapers or clothes. <br />Monkey has gotten loose and caused household damage. <br />Interference with family unity -- monkey likes some family members and dislikes/attacks others. <br />Messiness-with food, droppings, cage mess or while loose in the house <br />Other "problem behavior." -- such as loud vocalizations, urine scenting, male erections, male or female masturbating. <br />A legal case involving a bite or scratch or disease <br />Other Common Reasons: <br />Not enough time to spend with monkey--to busy to take care of. <br />Not enough space to house monkey. <br />Monkey is illegal <br />One or more family members dislike the monkey <br />The family is moving <br />A Few Thoughts About Displaced Monkeys<br />Be clear about what a monkey is before you get one so that you will not be disappointed later. If you want a monkey as a novelty item, an attention gettter or a cross between a doll and a child, you may be very happy with an infant--but not with a growing or full-grown, monkey. <br />Remember, monkeys are different than dogs and cats in that they do not retain "tameness" or "docility", without a continued significant investment of time. Even with an investment of time, monkeys naturally progress to behaviors of adolescence and maturity that make them less compatible with most humans and their human households. <br />The caretaker skills required for successfully working with the behavior of a growing monkey are close to the skills of a professional animal trainer or animal behaviorist. In short, offering a fair, fulfilling life to a monkey is much more difficult, truly, than anyone can first imagine. <br />As they grow into adolescents, all monkeys are less manageable in terms of human expectations, harder to control as "pets". At this time, if the owner cannot begin to make appropriate compromises, monkeys are then sold to new owners. <br />Studies show that children who are passed from unfamiliar home to home suffer psychological trauma which is permanently damaging. Also, moving is a major stressor for people and animals alike. <br />Monkeys who become "second hand monkeys" suffer greatly when they are sold and resold: Extreme psychological distress, often internalized--plus despondency, detachment, severe depression, aggressive behaviors, self aberrant or mutilating behaviors can be the long or short term emotional result for monkeys who are bounced from home to home. <br />A Call For Higher Standards<br />Honesty from Breeders, Dealers, and Brokers: Let the new monkey owner know what they are getting into, the complex caretaking skills required, the cost of proper cage setups, diet and vet care, zoonotic disease, licensing information and public health concerns. Ask to see a photograph of proper sized housing in which the monkey you are selling will live. <br />Accountability In New Monkey Owners: Make an educated choice. Learn as much as you can about the care of monkeys before you buy. Have the proper sized housing setups from day one, that is, build the proper cage before you buy the monkey. Also have veterinary care lined up, provisions for social companionship, knowledge of health and diet, toys and other enrichment and a fund budgeted aside for possible extra monkey costs. Make sure you understand permit requirements and public health concerns. <br />Commitment In New and Old Monkey Caretakers: Stay committed to ongoing, supportive education, to upgrade housing, vet care, enrichment, social or other conditions when necessary. Stay up-to-date on legislation and public health concerns. <br />So Now You Know--<br />You have the message. Maybe you are wondering how or why anyone would want a monkey. Regardless of the pitfalls, some people remain steadfast in their special love and commitment to the nonhuman primates. Some people are very talented in understanding monkeys and their behavior, enjoy working with them and may even love them more than their human counterparts. If after reviewing all this information, you believe you can join the ranks of the dedicated.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-15880375219854654642007-05-31T06:26:00.000-07:002007-05-31T06:30:02.941-07:00Primates and Climate change.We are about Howler monkeys but we cannot ignore the impact of climate change on other primates. Scientist are telling us that the orangutan will be wiped out by the year 2025. This peril faces all primates. This article published today on BBC is an important warning that we MUST all heed.<br /><br />Great apes 'facing climate peril' <br />Great apes are facing an "inevitable crisis" arising from climate change, a leading conservationist has warned. <br />Dr Richard Leakey said that growing pressure to switch from fossil fuels to biofuels could result in further destruction of the animals' habitats. <br />The chair of WildlifeDirect called for immediate action and proposed financial incentives to save forests from destruction as one possible solution. <br />He said: "Climate change will undoubtedly impact everything we know." <br /> The implications for biodiversity are there for all to see <br />Dr Robert Leakey <br />The great apes - gorillas, chimps, bonobos and orangutans - are already under threat from habitat destruction, poaching, logging and disease. <br />The Great Apes Survival Project (Grasp), a United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) initiative, has warned that great apes are at risk of imminent extinction unless drastic action is taken. <br />Palm oils <br />In advance of a talk at the UK's Royal Geographical Society, Dr Leakey told journalists that climate threats now had to be added to the mix. <br />The former director of the Kenyan Wildlife Service said: "I am concerned about the pressures on the land as a result of changes to the climate, but also the pressures on the land in terms of people's reaction to climate change and the shift away from fossil fuels to biofuels." <br />He said that "great swathes" of forest had already been destroyed in South Asia to make way for palm oil plantations, and this had had a dramatic impact on orangutans, which currently number 50,000. <br />Palm oil is used in vegetable oil, soaps, shampoos, industrial substances, but it has also been proposed as an alternative to fossil fuel. <br />Dr Leakey said the growing pressure to turn to biofuels such as palm oil could place the great apes' habitat in further peril. <br />He added: "People shrug their shoulders and say what are poor countries to do if they cannot exploit their natural resources, and I can understand this, but it is not sustainable the way it is going." <br />There is also evidence that deforestation would further drive climate change itself by raising the amount of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, Dr Leakey said. <br />New incentives <br />Dr Leakey suggested "biodiversity credits" could be a possible solution. <br />"Being paid for not cutting down indigenous forests and getting credit for that is a further step that builds on the idea of getting paid for planting new forests," he explained. <br />"It does seem that we cannot stop development, but it does also seem that perhaps we can stop development where critical species are threatened, and perhaps there could be a price added to that." <br />He said that there could be creative ways to solve the problems that climate change could bring, but added that it was crucial that action was taken now. <br />Dr Leakey told journalists: "Could the great apes go because of climate change? Yes. Possibly not within our lifetime, but what about in 100 or 200 years? <br />"Climate change is measurable and is happening at rate that is almost unprecedented from what we know in previous history, and the implications for biodiversity are there for all to see." <br />Richard Leakey is a palaeo-anthropologist, responsible for extensive fossil finds related to human evolution, and renowned Kenyan conservationist. His parents, Louis and Mary Leakey, were prominent palaeontologists, finding and excavating key sites around Africa. <br />Story from BBC NEWS:Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-86000363909205189962007-05-18T18:48:00.000-07:002008-12-09T09:16:57.303-08:00Expressions<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rk7JHsxNtoI/AAAAAAAAAI4/J5lZFX0pOPQ/s1600-h/P1000436.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rk7JHsxNtoI/AAAAAAAAAI4/J5lZFX0pOPQ/s320/P1000436.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066207764952233602" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rk7HwMxNtnI/AAAAAAAAAIw/kRPFgL7scCk/s1600-h/HPIM3018.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rk7HwMxNtnI/AAAAAAAAAIw/kRPFgL7scCk/s320/HPIM3018.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066206261713679986" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rk7HE8xNtmI/AAAAAAAAAIo/jJeGanwysyw/s1600-h/HPIM2374.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rk7HE8xNtmI/AAAAAAAAAIo/jJeGanwysyw/s320/HPIM2374.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066205518684337762" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rk7FWcxNtlI/AAAAAAAAAIg/_g-mnE4sUtg/s1600-h/P1000443-1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rk7FWcxNtlI/AAAAAAAAAIg/_g-mnE4sUtg/s320/P1000443-1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066203620308792914" /></a><br />I have read many reports about the expressionless faces of Howler Monkeys. I intend to upload a number of photographs which I think give the lie to those comments. Tell me what you think. The comment facility is there for you to use. This is a fun piece not to be taken too seriously. You could try to put a meaning to the expressions. This last picture shows Manina in a playful mood. He has stolen my hat and won't give it back.<br />Above that picture is Schatov at supper; he really enjoys his late night nosh.<br />Second from the top Sussy has just been introduced to an official from the Mayors office. She is not a bit impressed by 'Roja Rojita'.<br />And for the time being our last picture, the one at the top, is Totto and Sophie (left), enjoying a plate of peanuts.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-6503867662024899642007-05-02T02:31:00.000-07:002008-12-09T09:16:57.639-08:00The Howlers monkeys digestive needs..<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rjhb4tkZ0II/AAAAAAAAAHw/QgQYb5e9XMU/s1600-h/Stomach+Human.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/Rjhb4tkZ0II/AAAAAAAAAHw/QgQYb5e9XMU/s320/Stomach+Human.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059895211213836418" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/RjhbltkZ0HI/AAAAAAAAAHo/zEFNpfCDHnY/s1600-h/Stomach+Howler+Monkey.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/RjhbltkZ0HI/AAAAAAAAAHo/zEFNpfCDHnY/s320/Stomach+Howler+Monkey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059894884796321906" /></a><br /><br />The drawings you see are a comparison between the stomach of a howler monkey (left) and a human.<br />Food is vital for life. It provides nutrients for development, maintenance, and reproduction, and is the source of energy that drives the chemical reactions occurring in every cell. However, most food, as it is initially procured, is not in a form suitable for use; it must first be broken down so that it can be transported through cell membranes. <br />The processes of breaking down food molecules via a system of both mechanical and chemical, is called digestion. <br /><br />The processes involved in digestion, include, for example, food maceration and enzymatic activity, are common across all vertebrate animals. However, other features of a species gastrointestinal anatomy and digestive system are the result of adaptation to chemical, physical, and nutritional properties of the diet. <br />The interaction of anatomy, physiology, and ecology are extraordinarily. <br />complex. Indeed, ‘‘there is a complex interplay between physiology and ecology, <br />Regardless of this complexity, there is an obvious and apparent relationship between digestion and diet, so that one can be little understood without reference to the other. <br /><br />Primate species display a diverse array of adaptations in the gut, including anatomical specializations in the stomach, caecum, and colon, as well <br />as an associated capacity to consume diets that are high in structural carbohydrates (fiber) and to detoxify plant secondary compounds to various degrees.<br />As a result, we can now evaluate why a primate consumes what it does and why it <br />might entirely avoid other foods. <br /><br />SOME BASICS <br /><br />The gastrointestinal tract, or alimentary canal, is essentially a continuous <br />tube running through the ventral body cavity and extending from the mouth <br />to the anus. The gastrointestinal system processes food via four major <br />activities: Ingestion, in which food is first procured and taken into the body; <br />digestion, in which food is broken down by both chemical and mechanical processes (including mastication);absorption, in which digested food is <br />passed to the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems for distribution to cells; <br />and defecation, in which indigestible products are eliminated from the <br />body. <br />The lumen, or hollow core of the alimentary canal, is lined by a <br />layer of absorptive cells (mucosa), supported on the outside by smooth <br />muscle and connective tissue containing blood vessels. Differences in the <br />tissue structure of the wall result in the differentiation of the tract into its major recognizable components, including the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine (cecum and colon).<br /><br />Primate foods are composed of three major groups of nutrients: Proteins, <br />lipids (fats), and carbohydrates. In general, the primary chemical role of the <br />stomach is protein digestion, in which proteins are fragmented by the action <br />of pepsin, trypsin, and chymotrypsin. <br /><br /><br /><br />Many plants defend themselves from animal feeding by arming their leaves and other parts with an array of chemical compounds. Because these compounds are the result of secondary processes involved in defense rather than in the primary metabolism that is important for basic processes such as reproduction and growth, they are collectively known as secondary metabolites.96 To date, approximately 12,000 secondary metabolites involved in plant-animal interactions have been identified. These compounds fall roughly into two broad categories: digestion inhibitors, which interfere with the efficiency with which an animal obtains nutrients and toxins; which are harmful to the animal in that they interfere with normal physiology. <br /><br />Toxic compounds such as alkaloids and cyanogenic glycosides are typically absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and have a specific toxic <br />effect on the consumer. There are two major ways by which mammals <br />deal with toxic secondary metabolites, these being microbial activity and microsomal enzymes. In many herbivorous mammals with specialized stomachs (e.g., Colobinae), some toxic secondary metabolites—although certainly not all—can be broken down via a diverse bacterial and protozoan microflora supported in the anaerobic, alkaline stomach environment. Essentially, plant secondary compounds are degraded during fermentation before they are absorbed by the animal. <br /><br />However, most primates have a fairly simple, acid stomach, and there is no <br />evidence to suggest that microbial detoxification can take place in an acid <br />stomach. <br /><br />Digestion of lipids occurs almost entirely in the small intestine.1 It is in the <br />digestion of carbohydrates, particularly complex carbohydrates, where <br />we see gastrointestinal specializations in primates and other mammals, especially in the stomach and large intestine. <br /><br />In primates, as in other plant-eating vertebrates, digestion of structural carbohydrates is carried out by symbiotic microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts of their hosts. In a process known as fermentation, cellulolytic bacteria degrade the structural components of plant cell walls. As a byproduct of this activity, the bacteria release volatile fatty acids, (VFAs) also known as short-chain fatty acids. The host animal uses these acids, among them acetic, propionic, and butyric acid, as readily available energy in the bloodstream or, ultimately, glucose storage in the liver.9,24 Other end products of While some invertebrates are known to contain the cellulose-digesting enzyme cellulase in their intestinal tracts, no vertebrate produces this enzyme. This is an intriguing fact, given that so many vertebrates, including primates, rely heavily on plant material as their main energy source.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-90248455320579626312007-04-22T14:14:00.000-07:002008-12-09T09:16:57.815-08:00Monkeys are part of a grander design<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/RiyHm1U4fcI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/0Dbf4o1sjrc/s1600-h/HPIM2735.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/RiyHm1U4fcI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/0Dbf4o1sjrc/s320/HPIM2735.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056565582849670594" /></a><br /><br />A small piece of red fur is offered for sale at the roadside. Where does he come from and where is he going?<br />Our photograph shows the tools of the pirate’s trade, shotguns and catapults. They scavenge the forest for young monkeys here in Venezuela. The mother carrying child is shot and the baby falls to the ground. Frequently the child is also killed but there is always another in the next tree. We have found baby monkeys that were barely alive and with horrible wounds on the forest floor. This note was inspired by a surfing session about Howler Monkeys. I came across a letter by a woman who had obtained a howler monkey. The substance of her complaint was that the monkey cried continuously. This lady has tried to put all kinds of interpretation on the loud crying and asks her readers if they have any suggestions on how to quieten it. He/she is not crying because he is hungry and probably at this stage he/she will not eat. He is not crying because of the new surroundings although because of our great relative size, he finds us quite threatening. Young howlers challenge their fears and hardly know cowardice. He is crying because he wants his mother. There is no going back. He cannot be returned to the wild because his mother is dead. He may cry almost continuously for two weeks. This can be more or less. With patience he will accept you and even bond to you. The crying will ultimately stop. The question remains, what reason did the woman have for selecting a howler monkey in the first place?<br />Even when very young the howler’s teeth are very sharp. He will bite first and ask questions later. He will always be a threat to women and young children. All monkeys bite and even when their teeth have been removed they can still inflict serious wounds. The older they become the more aggressive they are. They are just following the forest law which determines their survival in the wild.<br />We have a monkey here in our shelter whose canine teeth were removed as well as his testicles, by the loving owner. He is rejected by the females in the group and we have to give him extra care and support.<br />Purchasing an infant primate is always consumerism supporting an unscrupulous illegal trade.<br />Raised by humans, the baby monkeys never have the chance to develop as they should, so often they become psychologically maladjusted. They have little or no chance of leading life in accordance with their instincts as nature intended. The logic is flawed; they never become a safe companion. Howler monkeys are a poor choice of pet. They are part of a much grander design that includes humans but only as a element of their evolution. I wonder how many people realize that when they ‘adopt’ a howler that they are taking on a responsibility for at least twenty years.<br />Leave them where they belong and do not disturb them or their habitat.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-66477630110776642152007-04-20T17:41:00.000-07:002007-04-20T17:58:20.657-07:00Don't panicI am working on something special for you. Publish tomorrow or Sunday<br /><br />PhilipUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-29485265211174335282007-04-11T23:48:00.000-07:002008-12-09T09:16:57.986-08:00Alouatta seniculus<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/RiG3RhqYg0I/AAAAAAAAAGw/cqgX00bLZ7g/s1600-h/marco+1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kVQRZOX9zM8/RiG3RhqYg0I/AAAAAAAAAGw/cqgX00bLZ7g/s320/marco+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053521768608203586" /></a><br />Alouatta seniculus<br />(red howler monkey)<br />Alouatta seniculus have the widest geographical distribution of all the New World primates. Red howler monkeys range throughout the northern half of South America, from Colombia to Bolivia.<br />Physical Description<br />Alouatta seniculus are slightly sexually dimorphic. Females have a body length of 46-57 centimeters; males, which are larger, have a body length of 49-72 cm. Both sexes have a long, prehensile tail of approximately 49-75 cm. The coat color of males and females is a deep reddish-brown, although the shade varies slightly with age. Red howlers have a large neck with tremendous lower jaw and hyroid bones, giving them a forbidding expression.<br /><br />Reproduction<br />Due to such an unbalanced sex ratio, fierce sexual competition exists between and within red howler troops. Red howler males, which are expelled from their natal troop upon reaching sexual maturity, are forced to invade an outside group and gain admittance. Once they have accomplished this, they violently kill any infants present in the group. By killing infants in a newly invaded troop, a male can mate quickly and ensure that the new offspring of the group are his own. Mothers do try to protect their offspring against assaulting males. Unfortunately for the female, this is not particularly successful; less than 25% of offspring survive a male howler invasion.<br />The mating behavior of red howlers is another interesting aspect of their social interactions. Males and females often form consortships, an unusually close spatial relationship, before any sexual exchange has begun. Once these associations are established, sexual solicitations begin. Although seductive behaviors can be performed by both sexes, the female most often takes on the aggressive role. When attempting to attract a male, the female approaches him and moves her torque rhythmically. The male may respond the same way, but if he does not, the female may simply try to entice another male.<br />Alouatta seniculus appears to breed throughout the year. However, in two habitats in Venezuela, the birth frequency is reduced during the early wet season, May through July. The estrous cycle ranges from 16-20 days, with the female being receptive for 2-4 days. Red howler females give birth for the first time around 5 years of age, while males usually do not father an offspring until approximately 7 years. Therefore, a female reaches sexual maturity a couple of years before a male.<br /><br />Newborn A. seniculus are at first quite helpless and are carried around at the mother's belly. Young red howlers begin using their prehensile tails before they are one month old. An infant uses its tail to secure itself to its mother, for in this stage of its life the mother pays little or no attention to her offspring, and fails to give the baby any assistance!<br />Parental investment: <br />pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (provisioning: female, protecting: female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: female); extended period of juvenile learning.<br />Behavior<br />Red howler monkeys live in relatively large social groups, consisting of approximately 10 individuals, with only one or perhaps two of the individuals being males. Alouatta seniculus exhibit many interesting behaviors. They are most famous for their "dawn chorus", a deafening roar that can be heard up to 5 kilometers away! These resonating howls, performed primarily by the males of a group, are answered by all other howler troops within ear shot. This way, one troop can constantly inform another of its precise location, thus avoiding an energetically costly squabble over resources.<br />During parturition, a newborn usually becomes the focus of attention of several other females. Typically, it is females without infants of their own that are attracted to these infants. In these instances, the females are extremely gentle with the little ones, touching them with their muzzles and hands. They may even occasionally encourage the infant to crawl on them. Males also are known to tolerate the activities of infant howlers in their troop. Similar to the adult females, the male red howlers also allow the infants to climb all over them. This of course takes place long after the male has killed all offspring that are not his own.<br />Food Habits<br />Alouatta seniculus are primarily folivorous. Leaves are low in nutrients and sugars in comparison with other food choices, and red howler monkeys have two large sections in their hindgut which contain the bacteria needed to digest the cellulose in leaves. This change in anatomy results in a large gut that occupies one-third of their total body volume. In addition, their extremely deep lower jaw bones aid red howlers in chewing. Alouatta seniculus also improve their digestive efficiency by feeding primarily on tender young leaves and on some species of leaves that are unusually nutritious. In addition, they eat sugary fruits and flowers when these are available, but can sustain themselves for weeks at a time on only leaves, providing these are high in quality. Alouatta seniculus spend almost their entire lives near the top canopy of the forest, where such leaves are most abundant .<br />Economic Importance for Humans: Positive<br />Due to their relatively large size, A. seniculus, along with other howler species, are hunted for food and are subject to commercial export.<br />Conservation Status<br />Although several other Alouatta species are endangered, A. seniculus has no special conservation status. However, red howlers have become rarer in some areas, most likely due to the destruction of their habitat. Fortunately, they are still abundant in Brazil.<br />Other Comments<br />Red howlers have an amusing reaction to rainy days during the tropical wet season. In response to heavy rains, they howl, either at the onset, or often at the sound of approaching rain, and sit hunched over until the rain ends!<br />Red howler monkeys have overcome problems that are usually associated with having leaves as a principle food source, including their specialized jaw and stomach structures. Behaviorally, they (along with the other species in their genus) are unique in that they have developed the loudest vocalization of any animal in the New World. These adaptations have aided them in becoming an extremely successful primate--and yet they are still able to sleep for more than 15 hours a day!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-16165842273870643442007-04-07T14:01:00.000-07:002007-04-07T14:23:31.722-07:00Blessing animalsIf you scan the web, you will find that many churches now are holding blessing services for pets. The usual date for this is the Sunday nearest the fourth of October, which is St. Francis of Assisi’s day. Some sites on the web give a complete liturgy and order of service for the blessing. One site describes the progress to the altar, of horses and dogs, parrots, pigs, and well why not, monkeys. This is of course controversial. Are we just blessing as we would bless the corn, or the harvest? Or are we going much further than that and saying that we recognize that animals have an immortal soul and that one day we will be together again in another place? I have read the work of some very learned theologians that define what is meant by a soul. They argue that the bible makes it clear that God created man in his own image and therefore he has an immortal soul. I am of course making the point very briefly. They argue from this that animals cannot have a soul because they were not created in the likeness of God. I consider this to be a very spacious argument. Well of course a couple of points arise. One is that I don’t find anywhere in the scriptures where it tells us that you must be created in the likeness of God to have a soul. The argument becomes even more tenuous when you realize that we, the human race are descended from Monkeys. Now there is no doubt about that one. If we have an immortal soul we inherited from our beloved friend the Ape. I say go with confidence to a service of blessing for our pets, monkeys in particular, in the sure knowledge that we will meet again in the kingdom of the hereafter. <br />I love the reasoning in the Fitzgerald translation of the Omar Khayyam Paragraphs 61 and 62. Where it says and I quote:<br /><br />There said another, surely not in vain<br />My substance from the common earth was ta’en<br />That he who subtly wrought me into shape<br />Should stamp me back to common earth again.<br /><br />Another said, why ne’er a peevish boy<br />Would break the bowl from which he’d drank in joy<br />Shall he that made the vessel in pure love<br />And fansy, in an after rage destroy?<br /><br />Wonderful and profound those lines. Try downloading the whole poem.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-72934338744141692202007-04-06T15:08:00.000-07:002007-04-06T15:32:55.168-07:00Howler Monkey receives cataract operationI found the following story on Primatology.org<br /><br />It left me with a couple of questions. Were the cataracts bilateral? Were interocular lenses applied during the surgery? If so how was the sight measured for the selection of the lenses? If interocular lenses were not used, it would be difficult to understand how there could be an improvement in sight. Extended wear contact leneses would be a possibility in the event that interoculars were not applied.I have asked them these questions. I will pass the answers to you if I receive them.<br /><br />Tuesday, February 13th, 2007...10:07 pm<br />A new baby for Tolkein: Howler monkey with restored sight gives birth<br />Jump to Comments <br />We’ve heard of modern medicine helping zoo animals in many ways (including Salome, a western lowland gorilla at the Bristol Zoo reproducing with the help of fertility drugs) and the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park adds another success to the list: cataract surgery. A howler monkey named Tolkein relied on the help of her caregivers in daily activities since she developed cataracts as a juvenile.<br /><br />The surgery restoring her eye sight was a success and after her recovery, Tolkein was introduced to a new arrival at the Wild Animal Park, Clyde. About a week ago, the two became parents of baby who is yet to be named…. a baby that Tolkein can care for with the help of all of her senses.<br /><br />Simon Jeffery, a headkeeper at the Wild Animal Park reports that,<br /><br />“At just a week old the baby seems strong and healthy and is very interested in its surroundings and so far Tolkein is being a perfect mum.”Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8491483582004106293.post-69859594740098843352007-04-05T17:09:00.000-07:002007-04-05T17:12:41.386-07:00We are new tonightWe are new tonight. April 5 2007. We will make our first posting tomorrow. Thank you for your interest. Please come back. We usually post every day, often with Howler Monkey pictures.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com