Surrogate monkey mom Brenda Bombard
Surrogate monkey moms Brenda Sue Bombard at Refugio de Animales de Nosasa, and Vicki Coan of SIBU Sanctuary, graciously allowed me to spend time with them and their orphaned howler monkeys on two separate trips to Nosara. I wanted to do what they were doing, and two years of preparation and planning later, orphaned spider monkeys Chiquito and Lolita made me a surrogate monkey mom.
Wildlife rehabilitation of most species is done with minimal human contact or "habituation," and takes weeks or, at most, months. But that's not possible with primates. The famous experiments that psychologist Harry Harlow conducted in the 1950s on maternal deprivation in rhesus monkeys were landmarks in both primatology and the evolving science of human attachment.
“Harlow’s most famous experiment involved giving young rhesus monkeys a choice between two different ‘mothers.’ One was made of soft terrycloth, but provided no food. The other was made of wire, but provided food from an attached baby bottle. Harlow removed young monkeys from their natural mothers a few hours after birth and left them to be ‘raised’ by these mother surrogates. The experiment demonstrated that the baby monkeys spent significantly more time with their cloth mother than with their wire mother.
Wildlife rehabilitation of most species is done with minimal human contact or "habituation," and takes weeks or, at most, months. But that's not possible with primates. The famous experiments that psychologist Harry Harlow conducted in the 1950s on maternal deprivation in rhesus monkeys were landmarks in both primatology and the evolving science of human attachment.
“Harlow’s most famous experiment involved giving young rhesus monkeys a choice between two different ‘mothers.’ One was made of soft terrycloth, but provided no food. The other was made of wire, but provided food from an attached baby bottle. Harlow removed young monkeys from their natural mothers a few hours after birth and left them to be ‘raised’ by these mother surrogates. The experiment demonstrated that the baby monkeys spent significantly more time with their cloth mother than with their wire mother.
 Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin "These data make it obvious that contact comfort is a variable of overwhelming importance in the development of affectional response." Harlow (1958). | In one of his later experiments, Harlow demonstrated that young monkeys would also turn to their cloth surrogate mother for comfort and security. Using a strange situation, Harlow allowed the young monkeys to explore a room either in the presence of their surrogate mother or in her absence. Monkeys in the presence of their mother would use her as a secure base to explore the room. When the surrogate mothers were removed from the room, the effects were dramatic. The young monkeys no longer had their secure base to explore the room and would often freeze up, crouch, rock, scream, and cry.” Wikipedia |  Lolita and Chiquito want physical or visual contact with me. |
Harlow’s work helped influence key changes in how orphanages, adoption agencies, and social services approached the care of children. Today his work is applicable to the rearing of orphaned monkeys for successful rehabilitation and release.
I love being a surrogate monkey mom, but I can't wait to be a non-surrogate monkey grandmother.
I love being a surrogate monkey mom, but I can't wait to be a non-surrogate monkey grandmother.
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