We decided to take Chiquito down to the river for his next outing so he would be too far from the house to run home. Our property borders the river, and hundreds of hectares of secondary rainforest, where we often see or hear wild capuchin (white faced) and howler monkeys. Sadly, nobody has seen spider monkeys for perhaps twenty years (one of our young Tica neighbors said her grandfather used to shoot all three species of monkeys), and our dream is to reintroduce them.
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.
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.
 I encourage both monkeys. |  Chiquito surveys his surroundings. |  Chiquito blends with the jungle. |
Unfortunately, trying to get Chiquito back in his cage was a harrowing experience. He decided he'd rather be in the house. And since none of the doors were locked, he soon was. He helped himself to a banana and some peanuts in the shell while we tried to adhere to our growing list of Monkey Rules:
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.
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.
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