Boy meets Girl - Black Handed Spider Monkeys

Hi there, if you click the link below you can see a video of our 1st. meeting. I knew that something exciting was going to happen today because they hung Christmas decorations in the primate house..... As you may notice I was a bit excited at the beginning - if this link does not work just go to our website at

www.cherrybrookzoo.com and click on the FaceBook logo and it will take you to the animals FaceBook Page and you can see the video there..... Is it a beginning of a beautiful romance, you'll have to wait to find out

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150952823720327%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fvideo%2Fvideo.php

Today we introduced our male and female Black Handed Spider Monkeys to each other for the first time, it seems all went well. Maggie (named after our sponsor Maggie Zed) our female almost had to take the first step after a lot of posturing by the male (newly named Spartan after our sponsor Spartan
Sports Ltd. in California). Now we will wait and watch to make sure they are getting along and if all goes well we can hope for babies in the future. We are so excited by the arrival of new animals and these two beautiful species are the last to be introduced. Having breeding animals back in the zoo brings us new vigor and enthusiasm and we hope that you feel the same. Working in a registered nonprofit charitable organization can be difficult and it is through the generosity of donors and sponsors that we can continue to carry out our work to educate the public, do behavioural studies, work in conservation and create a learning recreational experience for all. So if you would like to make a donation just give me an email and make Christmas a happy one for these two wonderful animals and make a difference in all the lives of the animals that call Cherry Brook Zoo home.

A short video of the Spider Monkey

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150950296160327

I can hear the zookeepers working away over there but I just can't seem to see what they are doing. I hear them saying that my girl Maggie will be joining me very soon so I really hope that's what is going on. In the meantime I am checking out my new digs at the Cherry Brook Zoo. I hope we're together soon so we can cuddle together when the snow comes.

Animals In The News

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/1454361

Another news article about our new arrivals. I hope this link works for you. Not only do these news articles give you updates on the happenings of the animals at the Cherry Brook Zoo they also talk

about how important the breeding of highly endangered species is to their future. I can't tell you how

important these international Species Survival Programs are and how proud I am that your zoo takes

part in several of them. With the arrival of new animals I look forward to seeing these important babies  born here as we again take our place on the global stage.  

I can't tell you how nice it is to once again look out my window and see Rory and Rosa the two Damara Zebra outside in their area. They have gotten use to my being on the back deck at night and look up to see what I am up to. It's a great way to do a little research on their movements and how they are getting along and at the same time gives me great pleasure to be able to watch them without any interference. I am happy to say they are very good at going into their building  on their own at night and seem very comfortable with being in their building. That is a major first step as it is imperative that they know enough to go in to shelter (where there is radiant heat as well) to their being able to cope with different weather in our area. Rosa, though the youngest and so much smaller than Rory, sure has a mind of her own and it may take some time and perhaps maturity for her to settle into being an adult female. I think right now we have a teenager that is prone to want things her own way whether it is best for her or not. I think Rory will have his hands full with this feisty girl.

We are hoping to put the Black Spider Monkeys together as early as tomorrow. The two can see each other right now and are very aware that each is there so it should be interesting to see how their introductions work out. Work on expanding their area to include two enclosures is going well and is being done by the zoo staff. I hope to have pictures of introducing them for my next blog so watch for them. This is an exciting time and you never know how these introductions will go but I have the feeling that these two are going to get along just fine. There may be a few bumps along the way but I can almost see them together in my mind and if all goes well perhaps babies in the near future.

In the meantime please come out and visit us and welcome the new arrivals, we are having some great weather but as we all know that can quickly change. Hope everyone enjoys a safe and enjoyable long weekend and please think of our veterans.

This is the end of my blog from the zoo for today, I will be back to update you on how things are progressing.

How the New Animals Came to Cherry Brook Zoo




Meet Rosa

 

and here's Rory

 







There is always a story behind a story so I thought I would tell you how the new animals finally came home to Cherry Brook Zoo in Saint John, NB. We always have an animal wants list and try to find the right ones to bring to our zoo. To be quite truthful if not for the kindness and support of many people we would not have been able to bring this about. The Damara Zebra (one of the rarer of the zebra species)were sponsored by a donation through lawyer Michael McCluskey through the estate of Rosa London so of course the female is named Rosa; then Rory Grant stepped in and added his donation, so of course the male is named Rory and we think Rory and Rosa are wonderful names for them. The Nilgai were sponsored by two bequests one from the Rev. Royden Ferris and another from Marie Annette Barton so their names are Ferris and Marie (we call her Sweet Marie). Another donation from Maggie Zed and along came a female Black Spider Monkey and a trade with another zoo brought in her mate who has not been named yet. These are the most costly of the animals we brought in so if there is a sponsor or corporation out there who would like their names on one of the remaining animals: the male Black Spider Monkey, a male Mouflon Sheep and his two female companions just let us know. The two  male Callimico goldhi monkeys (sent to us from Granby Zoo in Quebec) are a part of an international Species Survival Program and are the rarest of the rare in primates, they are so highly endangered that Jack Hannah said that they are rarer than a Rembrandt. These two males selected by an international commission to come to our zoo to become mates to our own April who was born here and will be a second generation of breeding of these beautiful little black primates. Naming rights are available for them as well.

Leaving us were Lucas the Black Handed Spider Monkey who went to Jungle Cat World to be placed with two females and from all accounts is settled in and very happy with his new situation. Charlie the male Callimico goeldi monkey born at our zoo, April's brother, was also sent to Jungle Cat World and is now with a female. Last but not least Outlaw our male DeBrazza has gone on to Elmvale Zoo where he will be found a mate which we had not been able to do. So as you can see there was a lot of moving animals around, getting all their records and information sent out even what their favourite treats are and, what enclosure furniture they like best (including their favourite play things).

The zoo had to cover costs of all the transport of these animals from three different zoos both ones that we sent animals to and zoos that the animals came from as well as any shortfall on purchases but we brought in eleven animals to add to our family and breeding animals which is very exciting for us. Without the support of all those people named above we would not have been able to make all these changes and are extremely grateful for their part in bringing these animals to your zoo.

Will keep you updated on how they are doing soon, that's all for now.

New Animals Are Out and About!

Black Handed Spider Monkey left top, below Male and Female Mouflon Sheep and a male Nilgai below... these

pictures do not capture the beauty of these animals!



What a crazy day it was yesterday but today for the first time in a long time I look out my window and see zebra out in the field calmly eating grass and wandering around their new home, yes Rosa and Rory are here and getting settled, I am sure that the people they are named after will be proud. The little female has some small cuts and scratches on her face from kicking and pushing her way to our zoo and last night she broke down the door between her and the male. We decided we had better let them outside this morning and the fear is that they will run like crazy and break their necks, but thankfully everything went fine. Rory is quite a bit bigger than Rosa but he is a pretty calm guy, Rosa on the other hand has a mind of her own. Who would have thought it would be the small female to cause all the uproar.
The Nilgai are only a year old but very calm and easy going (so far) and seem quite content out in their area, the pictures we had seen do not do them justice, they are beautiful and a wonderful addition to the zoo, I think Ferris and Marie are a great tribute to those who supported the zoo with their bequests. We introduced the two male Callimico to April and she has accepted them without any problem, last night they were huddled together with their arms around each other. We let the female Mouflon out first and they were running together with our older female and today the male joined them and they are all running around the enclosure together, we were concerned that the older female may be picked on by the new ones but they are all getting along just fine. The male and female Spider Monkeys are still separated and it will take some time to enlarge one of the smaller and larger enclosures for them and get them together. The male went into the chute area with no problem and that is big issue as we have to be able to get them into the chute so that their area can be cleaned. It won’t take long before the female is doing the same, I think Maggie you will be happy when you see your namesake.
Arranging and transporting all these animals and then transferring out Outlaw the DeBrazza, Lucas the Spider Monkey and Charlie the Callimico made for a difficult journey for the transporter. he had to go to three different zoos to collect the animals coming to us and then transfer the three outgoing animals as well. Add to that he was dropping off other animals to other zoos and picking up animals on his way back means it depends on all those other zoos to be ready and able to unload and load their animals with safety. Time is also of the essence as all of us are waiting for him to arrive and trying to stick to a schedule for him depends on all those zoos and the cooperation of the animals. Brian is one of the few who not only delivers but helps with the unloading and loading and I can tell you that our little female zebra did not want to cooperate.
Breeding animals at the Cherry Brook Zoo, it has been a long time coming and who know what next spring will bring, we no longer have empty enclosures, we have young animals that will produce babies in the future and it brings a sense of newness to our zoo. The staff are excited and motivated and I am sure that the public will get a new sense of a zoo that is progressing instead of one that has empty areas and old animals.
Will keep you updated on how things are going...

NEW ANIMALS AT THE CHERRY BROOK ZOO

(the female zebra who gave us such a hard time, she may be small but she has a mind of her own)

The new animals arrived late last night and were left in the trailer until this morning in the upper parking lot beside where we live. Len lent Brian (the transporter) his truck to go to a hotel for the night. What a racket all night long with those animals kicking and banging the sides
of the metal trailer in the upper parking lot, like babies as soon as the movement stops they do't like it. So not much sleep was gotten here LOL. Poor Bane (our Boxer) kept running to the window and to the door thinking he had to protect us against what he didn’t know.

The animals were unloaded this morning and all went fairly well, the female zebra (she’s only two years old) really did not want to leave the trailer and after a battle she finally went into the building, the male (who is five)just went right in without too much trouble. We will have to keep a close eye on them until the female is her full size. We thought the Nilgai would be the ones to give us a problem but they were no trouble at all and you really have to see them
to see how beautiful they really are. They are both only 1 year old so we will have to be careful of the cold with them. Right now they are out in their enclosure but the zebra are locked in their building to settle down. The Mouflon Sheep were carried up to their enclosure and are also in their building so that they can settle down for today. The new Spider Monkeys are gorgeous and until we can fix their enclosure they are separate , the female is fairly quiet but the male was not happy at all with alarm calls ringing all around the zoo. The two Callimico males have been taken down to the primate house but have not been introduced to April yet, that will take time.
It was an interesting time switching animals around but Lucas the Spider Monkey and Charlie the Callimico are now on their way to Jungle Cat World in Orono, Ontario and Outlaw the DeBrazza is on his way to Elmvale Zoo in Ontario.

One of our Zookeepers said "It is just like Christmas" and it really is!
Now we begin the work of changing the primate house to enlarge the Spider Monkey area and start introducing the animals to each other. Time and patience and with luck maybe some babies in the spring. As hard as it is to say goodbye to those who move on to new lives in other zoos it is exciting to have new animals at the zoo. I hope tomorrow we can let the media know about the new arrivals – they are just too stressed today. Will keep you updated on how things are progressing

Zoo People in the Mountains

Well we are just finishing up at the CAZA (Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums) Conference here in Kicking Horse just outside of Golden, BC. What an amazing venue high in the Rocky Mountains so close to nature. On the door of our building there is a sign saying
Beware! Grizzly and Black Bears have been spotted around the area so please let us know if you see one. You don't see that everyday at your hotel. We are in one of the best known winter resorts and ski area with beautiful mountains surrounding us and Alpine green lakes and rivers abound. The people are friendly, and while not a large metropolis with Golden having a populations base of 4,000 the beauty and the people make up for any lack of emenities. You will find Boo the Grizzly Bear at Kicking Horse Resort high up in on of the plateaus of the mountians. He is the resident Grizzly who stays in a 20 acre preserve on the mountainside. The other ones posted about at the beginning of my blog are his wild counterparts. I cannot say enough about this conference and yes the long days and meetings but in this intimate setting you really got to talk with your zoo peers and friends from the zoos that make up CAZA from coast to coast. A learning experience with great presenters and papers, but more important is making contact with everyone and talking animal care and zoos which is what our lives are about. Last night even gave us a thrilling thunder storm on the mountain and wild rain, it was spectacular. Today is rain and fog which I am hoping will clear up so we can explore more of this beautiful country side. I also have to say how grateful I am that our friend Lena Locke from California made it here to spend some time with us. She is an avid supporter of our zoo and a friend to us that we greatly miss seeing; having her here to share this zoo adventure makes it all that richer. Will post more soon and hopefully have some pictures. In the meantime please visit my home at the Cherry Brook Zoo and if you do tell them I said hi, I'll be home soon and I miss being there. As much as this is an amazing place I miss Saint John, NB and the Bay of Fundy but most of all my family and my other family the animals at the Cherry Brook Zoo.