Training and Trust: A Labor of Love for Lisa

This is what trust and love looks like.

American Diabetes Alert Day is coming up on Tuesday, and resident Lion-Tailed macaque, Lisa, would like you to know a few things. Lion-tailed macaques are endangered, and we feel extremely privileged to be able to care for our girl. She requires an extra level of care because she suffers from diabetes.

Surrendered by her original owner when she was unable to provide her with proper medical care, Lisa had to undergo lots of testing when she arrived, and it was determined Lisa was diabetic. This was probably due to the diet she had received when kept as a pet. Even an owner attempting to provide their “pet” primate with an appropriate diet may not know that fruits we purchase at our local grocery stores contain 2-3x the amount of sugar as wild fruits. This mistake results in the animal’s poor health and often death if their diabetes can’t be managed. So, how do you give insulin to an animal you can’t touch?

3 things: training, trust and love. In this video you can see our keeper, Lydia, providing Lisa with her insulin for the day. The trust built between these two is special, and if you’re not careful it will bring you to tears. Lydia and other primate keepers spend time grooming Lisa through her meshing to build the trust needed to be allowed to inject her with a needle. A high-value reward immediately follows the poke: Lisa’s favorite snackie, toddler puffs! (Now you know why we have those on our Wishlist.) Keepers monitor Lisa very closely, and docents and tour guides know to keep an eye out for behaviors that may indicate she needs help. At 20 years old, we aren’t sure how much time we have with Lisa, but we know one thing for sure… Our girl deserves the very best, and that’s what she will continue to receive with your generous support. It costs about $6000 a year to provide our little Diva with the care she needs. Daily meds and supplements (currently around 10,) her preferred sugar-free strawberry jam and roasted red pepper hummus, and the time it takes her keepers to provide her with care and enrichment all add up.

If you can spare a few bucks, we know a little monkey who would really appreciate it.

THANK YOU for all you do to help us continue our mission of providing our animal residents with the REST of their lives.