The orphan enclosure is progressing, allbeit slowly as volunteers are low, but we do hope to have it finished by the end of the year so that the orphans can experience a natural environment. We are looking for someone to name the new orphan enclosure on completion. We will be opening up a bidding system whereby the highest bidder will be able to name the enclosure (providing the name is appropriate). Please e-mail josie@vervet.za.org with your chosen name and proposed amount and we can start the bidding which will continue until the enclosure is complete. The amount will go towards completing our next enclosure for 16 monkeys we currently have in holding cages in quarantine that urgently need to be re-grouped into a large enclosure.

Abbie Morris returned to do a project for university which involved feeding enrichment for the orphans in Disneyland, coconut shells were hollowed out and filled with various food items to enable the orphans to explore, eat more slowly and to keep them entertained! All the babies and juveniles got the hang of it after a few days - even our mentally challenged Forest Gump!

This month, we had a few visitors to help promote our volunteering including new Regional co-ordinator Nikki Lynas from Global Vision International and Lee Billinghurst from livevolunteer.com. We hope to be able to increase our numbers of volunteers with their help. You can also help by displaying posters for us, please e-mail josie@vervet.za.org if you can assist.

We welcome back Hilde (co-ordinator / management team) who has been away in Belgium for a couple of months. A big thank you must go to all our staff and volunteers who have been running round like headless chickens trying to cover everything during times of staff shortages.

Hollie Vercoe from New Zealand has returned as a staff member for a year to supervise quarantine and help in sickbay area. More to come from Hollie next month. We also welcome vet Lydia Tong and vet nurse Shakira Miles who are here for a month helping finish the last of the vasectomies for Robert & Camelot Troops.

We say goodbye and thank you to Mhairi Fleming (vet from Scotland) and researcher Sarah Fordham who has written an article about her research work below.

Caitlin Winterfield, Maggie Calkins, Faye Barker, Dianne Hall, Lydia Tong, Shakira Miles, Randal Yates, Kim Nielson.

Welcome back:
Hollie Vercoe

• Gerrard (a wild male) named by Abbie Morris was brought to us after having been hit by a car, he came in with blood from his ear and nose, semi-conscious and difficulty breathing. After just over 3 weeks of continuous care, he made a full recovery so we took him back to where he was found and returned him to the wild by a beautiful river - he was one very happy monkey!

• Lola - (Thandi's adopted 6 month old baby) was bitten on her elbow and spent some time alone in sickbay but she is now back with her foster mum Thandi. Thanks to volunteer vets Iratxe & Mhairi & our vet nurse Claire for helping her recovery.

• Frenchie - spent many days out in her new enclosure making friends but she fell ill and therefore had to spent a short time in sickbay. We can happily say she is now back in her introduction cage and will hopefully return to the troop shortly. Sickbay is empty once again except for Sad Eyes from Camelot and our vasectomy males who stay in there 3 days before returning to their enclosures.
  
  
• Shasta - is becoming more and more confident during troop integrations, her closest friends are little Joey (a male juvenile and Marshall his friend) who are seen playing with her each day along with her boyfriend James (an adult male). An adult female from the troop has also befriended her.
  
  
• Wilma (Walter's mum) has now returned to Goliath troop and integrations have started with Shortie which are going well so far.
  
  
• Robert (an adult male) who only has one testicle due to complications with a vasectomy, is now currently residing next to Brian in cage 2 by sickbay as Attie bit his other testicle quite badly recently. He has made a full recovery so luckily this one looks like it might be saved! Robert was moved in with Attie in Nov 2009 and they never really hit it off although tolerated each other with Robert being the boss. Needless to say Robert won't be returning back with Attie and we will have to find him another friend or troop. Attie at 15yrs old is currently preferring the solitary life on the edge of the troop.

Sarah came out to the VMF to undertake behvavioural research as part of her BSc in Zoology that she's studying at Roehampton University and has written a short summary of what she did below:

Over the past 5 weeks I have been lucky enough to spend my days at the VMF, collecting behavioural data on the the monkeys in Goliath troop, Robert troop, and a few other characters such as handsome Goose, wee Skinnie, and the very cheeky little Mini over at Camelot. The focus of my study has been self-directed behaviours (scratching, yawning etc) and stereotypical behaviours (pacing, masturbation etc). I have been able to collect around 70 hours of data (a big thank you to the dedicated Gaby, and to the very patient Laura for giving up their time to help!).
 
When I analyse the data later this year I will be looking to see if there are any significant trends within the focal animals in introduction cages, such as whether the sex/rank/age/proximity to the troop has any significant affects on their behaviour. I hope that this kind of study can (even in a tiny way) help the fantastic team at the VMF, and other rescue centres to continue to rehabilitate these wonderful little primates. A special mention has to go to Pervie, for performing perfectly every time and vastly increasing the data on masturbation!! Also a special mention to Josie, Dave and the team for being incredibly helpful and tolerant (bet you will miss the chairs strategically hanging around Goliath and Robert cages every day!).

We are open to other non-invasive researchers applying to study behaviour or anything that would benefit the vervets. Please contact info@vervet.za.org to discuss.

Podcast interview with Josie Du Toit on the Voluntary Traveler:

Click here to listen to interview

Click on the pod on the website above, save file and open in i-tunes or similar to listen to the interview.

Fruit of the loom / Gildan crew neck unisex T-shirts are now available in UK with the VMF logo on the front.

Colours available: Classic olive, Burgundy, Black, Navy.

Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, XL, XXL

Price: £13 plus P&P (UK), $20 plus P&P US, 15.50 Euros plus P&P to Europe

Please contact josie@vervet.za.org if you with to purchase one. All profits go directly towards helping the monkeys.

Thanks to previous volunteer Heather Pearce and her mum for storing the t-shirts at their house in the UK and for modelling them below! Thank you also to volunteer Shakira for bringing some to SA this month.

During the past two months Eoin and I have had the chance to see everyone in the Skunkey troop meet Honeybear in her cage.  Cabbage was one of the first moneys to fall in love with her, and is always the first one that comes in the cage for lots of grooming, playing and mating.  The two of them seem to have such a strong connection that Eoin and I started to believe they will get married soon!

Besides Cabbage, the ones that Honeybear feels completely confident with are Lee and baby Morris.  She absolutely loves Morris, she looks for him from the top of her tree and as soon as he comes by her door she runs, welcoming him with hugs, talking and grooming.

Big Charlie always enters her cage, sure that he can relax with his belly up, grooming himself on the chest, looking a bit more like a big baby than an alpha male…
Sometimes Honeybear is brave enough to groom him and whenever Hawk, Paradise and Reggae are in the cage he gets treated like a king.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take Honeybear long to get used to having Paradise (alpha female) in her cage.  The queen of the Skunkeys can be quite intimidating, often walking around with a stick or leaf hanging from her mouth, making sure everything is in order among her team of females.  When Honeybear met Paradise for the first time she was so nervous that she couldn’t even stay close to her, but after a couple of days she finally started to groom her. Since then Honeybear seems to be more confident with the rest of the troop, one day we even had Paradise, Hawk, Jose, Ringo and Big Charlie all together in her cage.

Apart from a couple of arguments, mainly with Hawk who occasionally needs to make it clear she’s 2nd in charge, her interactions are getting more and more intense everyday and hopefully she will be confident enough with everyone to become one of them.

Thanks Eoin & Hellen for helping with integrations of Honeybear we hope to continue until she is fully accepted by the Skunkey troop.

Volunteer Caitlin is helping to look after bottom section until our new staff member Lorraine arrives this month and Josie is continuing with Honeybear integrations into Skunkey Troop.

Donations & Thank you's August / September 2010

• Sarah Fordham & Dianne Hall  – donated some baby bottles

• Ecotax - a company specialising in electric fencing, based in Pulderbos (Belgium) donated 100 electric fence signs which means we now have now European Union regulated signs at the VMF.

• Lewis Bradish – donated some medical supplies for the monkeys

• Alicia Marsden – Vitamin C, latex gloves and items for schools

• Mhairi Fleming – panacur granules, milbemax, ivermectin injection

• Emma Lloyd - ran the Perth, Australia City to Surf Half Marathon 21k in 2hours 13mins. She raised $330 which calculated is R2168.

• Clare Humes - raised £622 (R6890) by running the Robin Hood half marathon 13 miles in UK in 2hrs, 24mins (whilst also stopping to help others who had collapsed)

• Hygrotech - have offered to donate leftover vegetables
  

• Ellies donated 17 magnetic door alarms and 17 vibration alarms for the volunteer cabins

Madeline Thaler, Michelle Palumbo, Mathias Brassoe, Helene Tjell, Lee Billinghurst, Iratxe Herrero Gutierrez, Emily Elmer, Alana Andrews, Abbie Morris (return), Eoin McDowell (return), Sarah Fordham, Laura Edwardson, Lewis Bradish, Alicia Marsden, Anne Schmidt, Christine Griffin, Mhairi Fleming, Theo Spyrou, Anne-Sophie, Gabrielle Bertrand, Hellen Bersacola (return)