After some initial hesitation Chiquito explored for about a half hour, encouraged by Paul. I took photos and videos until my camera was full. It was an exhilarating experience for all of us except Lolita...who looked overwhelmed and clung to my ankle as though her life depended on it. Chiquito approached her twice, but I didn't feel the time was right for them to interact so I covered her with my hands and he was easily distracted by the myriad of new sights and sounds surrounding him.
One of the fundamental rules of animal training - be it a dog, a bird, or a child, all of which I had experience with - is to end with success, so I called it a day when everyone (with the exception of Lolita) still wanted more. As we headed back up the trail Chiquito hitched a ride on Paul, who is his preferred mode of transportation.
1. Never restrain a monkey unless you want to get bitten. In the wild, nothing holds onto a monkey unless it's eating it.
2. Never take anything away from a monkey unless you want to get bitten. Monkeys ascribe to the philosophy "What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine."
3. Never touch or reach for a person holding a monkey or that person will get bitten. (see Rule # 2)
Nobody got bitten.
The workers are busy walling off Chiquito's access to the garage, and thereby the house, as I type...and welding the second of the metal "double escape doors" for the hallway outside his cage.