From number1chicken at hotmail.com Mon Dec 4 16:24:55 2000 From: number1chicken at hotmail.com (Lulu Bates) Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 16:24:55 Subject: TV Listings 12/4-12/10 Message-ID: I'm writing to give all you monkey fans a heads up to this weeks small screen monkey attractions. If you hear of any upcoming monkey movies, monkey movie marathons or anything with Lancelot Link, please email me, Lulu Bates, at number1chicken at hotmail.com. Program your VCRs or plan your week accordingly! 12/5 on Animal Planet at 9:30 am, "The Empire Strikes Bark" promises to have an entire segment dedicated to exploring monkey thumbs. Do you have anything better to do on a Tuesday night? I didn't think so. Also on 12/5 on Animal Planet at 5 pm, "Wild Rescues" shows a chimpanzee rescued from the clutches of death by some stalwart zoo keepers. Like "ER," but with a monkey. 12/6 on UPN at 2 am, "Monkey Trouble," everyone's favorite UPN show, except, maybe, "Moesha," introduces us to a nine-year-old girl who's aiding and abetting her pet monkey who is a fugitive after working in cahoots with a Gypsy hustler. Also airs on 12/10. This week's absolute Must See: 12/7 on TBS at 8:05 pm, "Any Which Way You Can," the 1980 not-quite-classic, but certainly genre-making trucker/monkey movie starring Clint Eastwood as a trucker with a brawling Orangutan sidekick. Dirty Harry's nothing compared to this guy. If you miss the Wednesday night showing, don't worry, it's on Thursday night, too. 12/8 on Animal Planet at 5:30, "Animal Encounters with Jim Fowler," Jim Fowler continues his African Animals series by staging an intervention for a St. Elsewhere-addicted Colobus monkey. I mean, except for that St.Elsewhere intervention part. Also on 12/8, but on USA at 10 am, catch reruns of Christina Applegate's failed comeback vehicle, "Jesse," with an episode called "Students get Flu, Carrie at Zoo, Monkey Throws Poo." With such witty writing, it really makes you wonder why the show got canceled. 12/9 on Fox at 9 am, "Awesome Adventures" goes to Malaysia and the island of Borneo to see Orangutans in native costume performing local dances. Or something like that. 12/10 on Animal Planet at 9:30 am, "Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files' Monkey Around" continues the tour of primate life including chimps, baboons, gorillas and macaques. No poo throwing here. Er, maybe. Also on 12/10 on Animal Planet at 2:30 pm, "Jim Henson's Animal Show" featuring Colobus monkeys. I'm not sure if they are puppets or real, though. And our runner up for this week's Must see: 12/10 on Comedy Central at 10 pm, "The Man Show" has Jimmy marrying a Chimpanzee. Instead of throwing rice do you think they'll throw...Nah. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com From GDUCLAYAN at popcouncil.org Tue Dec 5 12:12:32 2000 From: GDUCLAYAN at popcouncil.org (DUCLAYAN, GINA) Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2000 12:12:32 -0500 Subject: For Monkeys, a Millipede a Day Keeps Mosquitoes Away Message-ID: <0DA67C3A2F62D111813A00805FBBDCAD0285F03F@smtp.popcouncil.org> December 5, 2000, New York Times For Monkeys, a Millipede a Day Keeps Mosquitoes Away By NATALIE ANGIER Upcoming titles from that little- known publishing house, Capuchin Press: "Don't Swat the Small Stuff," "Who Moved My Millipede?" and "Bananas from Heaven: A True Story of Monkeys, Mosquitoes and Miracles." Researchers studying a group of wedge-capped capuchin monkeys that live in tropical forests of central Venezuela have discovered that the monkeys protect themselves against the annual merciless onslaught of mosquitoes exactly as humans do: by rubbing themselves with mosquito repellent. But while humans may reach desperately for spritzers or bottles or laughably overhyped "protective" skin-so-softeners, the capuchins have learned to poke around in tree bark or termite mounds to extract a wriggling specimen of Orthoporus dorsovittatus, a millipede rich with powerful defensive chemicals called benzoquinones. The triumphant monkey will then proceed to anoint itself head to foot with the repellent secretions by massaging the four-inch-long millipede into its fur. And just as the benzoquinones discourage virtually all insects from harassing the millipedes, so the transferred chemicals appear to protect capuchins against the mosquitoes that otherwise would descend on them during the rainy season in sopranic clouds of misery. The new work offers the most persuasive evidence yet that nonhuman primates are industrious chemical prospectors, putting organic materials to good medicinal use. Other researchers have suggested that primates use plant products as antibiotics, analgesics, even hallucinogenics. But because most of the plant materials that primates have been observed to dabble with are chemically complex, composed of hundreds if not thousands of compounds, it has been difficult for scientists to demonstrate that the animals were seeking a specific ingredient from any given sample. In the new study, the researchers were able to demonstrate that the millipede secretion consists of only two chemicals, both in the benzoquinone family and both known to be potent insect repellents. Moreover, they demonstrated that the use of millipedes for fur anointment corresponds closely with the annual peak in mosquito populations. "We think this is the clearest case yet" of an animal's using organic material for medicinal purposes, said Ximena Valderrama of Columbia University. "We're fortunate that the chemical analysis leaves very little room for doubt." Ms. Valderrama, a graduate student in anthropology, is the principal author of the new report, which appears in the December issue of the journal Chemical Ecology. Her co-authors are Dr. John G. Robinson of the Wildlife Conservation Society, located at the Bronx Zoo, and Dr. Thomas Eisner and Dr. Athula B. Attygalle of Cornell, who performed the chemical analysis of the secretions. Nicknamed the "chimpanzees" of the New World for their high intelligence, capuchins are the famed organ-grinder monkeys, their fur a mottled grayish brown, their faces expressive and distinctively marked. They live in forests throughout Central and South America, congregating in hierarchically structured groups of maybe 25 to 35 individuals. Dr. Robinson first observed the odd millipede massage behavior when he began studying a capuchin group at the Fundo Pecuario Masaguaral reserve in Venezuela in 1977, but it was not until Ms. Valderrama devoted herself to studying it full time that the precise nature of the ritual became clear. As it happens, the monkeys have a real need of insect repellent. Beyond the obvious annoyance factor, mosquitoes also serve as vectors of the parasitic bot fly, delivering fly eggs beneath a monkey's skin that then form debilitating, festering cysts in which maggots develop until they are mature enough to burst free. Given the bot fly risk, it seems, the capuchins are willing to take risks of their own: the benzoquinones that they apply to their fur, Dr. Eisner said, are many times stronger and more toxic than the most powerful "deep woods" mosquito repellent the United States Army can supply. Nevertheless, a capuchin will often pop a millipede into its mouth before anointment, presumably to help release the secretions. When Dr. Eisner tried the same feat, Ms. Valderrama said, "He immediately fell to his knees, it was so painful and irritating." Yet, while a monkey may drool and its eyes glaze over from the millipede mouthing, it sets to work anointing itself forthwith. In addition to its medicinal value, millipede rubbing also serves as a social lubricant. The monkeys engage in rubdowns practically en masse, passing a single millipede from one to another. "You'll see one or more monkeys looking frenzied and agitated, their bodies contorted as they're patting themselves all over," said Ms. Valderrama. And should a monkey insist on bogarting its millipede, the other monkey simply rubs its body against the anointed one's fur to pick up some stray secretions. Of interest to the researchers is the egalitarian nature of the millipede ritual. Whereas the monkeys normally hew to strict hierarchies when it comes to who gets the best food and who grooms whom, there are no obvious top or rotten bananas in the sharing of millipede secretions. The researchers have yet to demonstrate that the use of millipedes prevents bot fly infestation among monkey participants. They also do not yet know if the use of insect repellent is common among capuchins, or is limited to the intensively studied group at the Venezuelan reserve. There, at least, the custom is entrenched, and for all the demonstrated carcinogenicity of benzoquinone, the capuchins do not appear to have suffered long-term consequences from exposure to it, many of them living more than 30 years. As the infant monkeys learn early on, the family that sprays together, stays together. Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company From jack at royaljournal.com Wed Dec 6 01:46:26 2000 From: jack at royaljournal.com (Jack Szwergold) Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2000 01:46:26 -0500 Subject: A talking orangutan with attitude! Message-ID: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001112/en/television-crocodile_1.html Sunday November 12 10:13 PM ET ''Hill'' producers go ape over new project By Josef Adalian and Michael Schneider HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Two of the masterminds behind Fox's animated comedy ``King of the Hill'' have signed a deal to create a new sitcom for the network. The offbeat project is about a crocodile hunter who's tapped to host a TV show in Los Angeles. The host is forced to adapt to the big city while getting to know his on-air sidekick: a talking orangutan with attitude. ``He's a product of Hollywood, like Charlie Sheen with fur,'' said Alan Cohen, who is developing the project with Alan Freedland. ``One of the ways we're pitching it is, it's a buddy comedy about a human who knows more about animals and an orangutan who knows more about humans.'' Cohen and Freedland plan to use computer imagery to bring the show's ape to life. The duo serve as co-executive producers of ``King of the Hill.'' They snagged Emmys last year when the show won the outstanding animated program (one hour or less) category. Their deal to create a pilot for the crocodile hunter project is part of a multiyear, overall development deal with producer 20th Century Fox Television. The pact is pegged in the low seven figures. Cohen and Freedland are also developing a comedy revolving around a BBC documentary filmmaker who moves in with an all-American family in Kenosha, Wis. Reuters/Variety REUTERS -- Jack Szwergold | jack at royaljournal.com | AIM: RoyalJack2001 Royal Journal | http://www.royaljournal.com/ "Remember, when you're searching for that special someone to help you or a close friend buy or sell Real Estate, call ALWAYS ACCESSIBLE BILL." From jathree at panix.com Wed Dec 6 17:17:51 2000 From: jathree at panix.com (John Aboud) Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 17:17:51 -0500 Subject: India: Monkeywire go to country In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: In the current Yahoo news photo section, one can find a white car covered by macaques: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/p/nm/20001206/wl/imdf60942.html A man feeds macaques on a street in New Delhi December 6, 2000. Looking for food from cars that have stopped at busy intersections, these monkeys sometimes threaten motorists in central Delhi, and there are many cases of the primates biting and scratching passersby. REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski From jathree at panix.com Wed Dec 6 17:21:49 2000 From: jathree at panix.com (John Aboud) Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 17:21:49 -0500 Subject: Monkey product placement In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: From the archives, a monkey swilling Pepsi in Thailand. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/p/ap/20001126/en/thailand_monkey_festival.html A monkey enjoys a drink during an annual monkey feast in Lopburi province, north of Bangkok, Sunday Nov. 26, 2000. The feast is held every year by local hoteliers and residents to promote tourism.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) I can not think of a better way to promote tourism. Not one. -ja3 From Loutish at aol.com Wed Dec 6 17:31:05 2000 From: Loutish at aol.com (Loutish at aol.com) Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 17:31:05 EST Subject: Koko On AOL, 11/29/2000 Message-ID: <5a.dff6084.27601829@aol.com> FROM NOVEMBER 29, 2000 AOL LIVE CHAT AOL Live, in cooperation with the Gorilla Foundation, presented a truly unique interspecies chat with Koko the Gorilla, who speaks in sign language. Koko's caregiver, Dr. Penny Patterson, read members' questions to Koko and relayed Koko's signed responses. Scroll down to read the full transcript... ***************************************************** Dr. Penny Patterson: Koko, we want to know about you and your friends and your interests. She wants to look at some new things we brought her. I don't know if she's in the mood for questions. Sometimes she answers nicely. Sometimes she waits a little while. Let's see how it goes! Koko: (getting a surprise box out of the other room) Dr. Penny Patterson: I have some fun things in here -- a funny nose on your gorilla doll! You can look at your new brush. There are some papers in your box, and a book and a hat! Nice! What does Koko like to do? She likes to play with new toys! And she also likes to get clothing. She likes to look at books, and we'll be doing some of that. She's kind of tossing her toys cavalierly aside. Koko: (looking at a new book) Dr. Penny Patterson: We'll be looking at books about Christmas presents. Koko likes to help me to design our catalog each year, and we're getting ideas right now from various catalogs, including the Target catalog. Koko: (finding a food surprise) Koko: Gorilla eat good! Dr. Penny Patterson: You're being silly, tossing all your things aside! I think we've gotten to the end of the box! Let's take a look at what you've got. A bag with animals on it. Koko: (Koko is looking at all of her new goodies) Dr. Penny Patterson: Let's ask what Koko wants for Christmas. Koko, you want to tell me some things you'd like for Christmas? Koko: (Koko points at a videotape) Dr. Penny Patterson: Hah! She got out a videotape. That's one thing in our catalog. Also she told me she wants a camera for Christmas! Want to tell us what you want for Christmas? Koko: That! Dr. Penny Patterson: She pointed to the word "glitter.? LOL. Koko: (flipping through the magazine) Dr. Penny Patterson: She pointed to her brush. Koko: That! Dr. Penny Patterson: The brush is actually in our catalog too. OK. Koko, someone wants to ask, "Do you like people?" Do you like people, gorillas, dogs, cats? Which do you like? Dr. Penny Patterson: Koko is thinking about it. Koko: (pointing to catalog) Dr. Penny Patterson: Koko is pointing to the catalog. You like reading! I was asking you about living things, like people or gorillas or cats, or maybe even elephants! Or birds! She's looking at her empty nut bag. Do you like people? No? Well, what do you like? Koko is brushing herself. You do you like scratching. Like when I scratch your back? Or brushing? What do you like? Koko has picked up the videotape. I think she likes watching tapes. We do that a lot in the morning! So, you like watching movies, huh? Koko: (asking Penny to put in the video) Dr. Penny Patterson: We'll watch this one in a few minutes, OK? Koko: (looking at clothing) Dr. Penny Patterson: You got some clothing there! Koko: (pointing at herself) Dr. Penny Patterson: Now she's pointing to her own picture! Do you like yourself? I like you, Koko. Koko: (going over to the mirror) Dr. Penny Patterson: Koko is going to the mirror with my brush to brush her hair. She's purring. She's happy. Looking in the mirror and brushing her hair makes her happy. Koko: Toilet. Dr. Penny Patterson: Honey? What? How about another question? What's your favorite color? Koko: Lips, fake hair. Dr. Penny Patterson: Oh, you're being funny! Koko: Polite nipple. Polite. Dr. Penny Patterson: Nipple means people. That's right. Koko: Gum, candy. Dr. Penny Patterson: That's your favorite food! Koko: Sip, sip, sip, sip, sip! Dr. Penny Patterson: Koko loves a special drink, and it will be in your Christmas catalog. Koko's special drink. She's is kissing the picture. What is your favorite food to eat, Koko? Like -- do you like corn, apples, bananas, nuts? Koko: Drinks! Dr. Penny Patterson: I know, we were just talking about drinks. But which food do you like? Koko: Mail and apples! Dr. Penny Patterson: The reason she says mail is because she loves to lick envelopes, so the taste of mail is delicious to Koko. She's going to brush my hair. Thank you, sweetie! I speak a lot of English to Koko, because she processes English just as well as she processes sign language. Thank you for combing! You are doing a great job. Maybe you could pick a question, Koko. But I'll let you finish up my hair first! Thank you, Koko. Koko: (combing hair) Dr. Penny Patterson: Now she's going to do her own hair with her beautiful comb. Gorgeous! Koko: Pink. Dr. Penny Patterson: That's close to your favorite color. Koko: Red! Red, red, red that! Dr. Penny Patterson: Red. Yes. Red is your favorite color. And here is a VERY red blouse in the catalog. Do you like soft things? Koko: Soft. Dr. Penny Patterson: She signed soft with the red shirt on her cheek. Koko: Hungry there eat! Dr. Penny Patterson: She is hungry. What food are you hungry for? Koko: Orange. Apple. Dr. Penny Patterson: I don't have apples and oranges. I only have one thing in my pocket. Do you know what it is? We have another interesting question, Koko. We know that sometimes you are silly. Do you like to make jokes and be silly? Koko: (making kissing noises) Dr. Penny Patterson: She's kissing her orange kitten in the picture. Would you like to see your kitty? Koko: Cat tiger there. Dr. Penny Patterson: Here's Mo! Is this kitty your baby, Koko? Your baby kitty? Is your kitty your baby? Koko: Candy. Hurry! Dr. Penny Patterson: I was asking about your kitty! What do you think about your kitty? Koko: (looking at Penny's earpiece) Dr. Penny Patterson: That's my earphone! We're talking about your cat. The earphone helps me hear. You've seen them before. Koko: (listening) Dr. Penny Patterson: She is listening to it! Koko: Good! Dr. Penny Patterson: You are so good. You are a very good gorilla. Are you a little bit upset today? What have you got there? She picked up her gorilla doll. It has a gorilla nose mask, which Koko is putting on. There you go! That's very charming! Koko: Drink. Dr. Penny Patterson: She wants me to get her another drink. Do you like it when the weather is hot or cold? Koko: Hot! Dr. Penny Patterson: Gorillas like hot! Me too. When it's cold, we can't got out. OK, let's get a glass. Got it! Oh, Koko! Someone asks, "Do you like to tickle?" LOL. Honey, do you like to tickle? Koko: Tickle. Tickle on me. Dr. Penny Patterson: You like different games, huh? What games would you invent, Koko? Koko: Secret. Tickle foot! Dr. Penny Patterson: She likes to tickle feet. Foot has a double meaning. It can mean the body part or a "boy." Koko: Tickle nipple. Dr. Penny Patterson: She likes to tickle people too. Koko: Tickle Ndume. He's sweet! Dr. Penny Patterson: That was a nice thing to say. Ndume is your boyfriend! Speaking of sweet Ndume, do you want to have a baby? Would you like a baby? Koko: Drink. Dr. Penny Patterson: Do you want to have a baby? Koko: (drinking) Dr. Penny Patterson: All these questions are making you thirsty! Koko: More. Dr. Penny Patterson: I'm thirsty too. Koko: Time to go. Dr. Penny Patterson: Do you like babies? Koko: Koko love, love, good, hurry! Dr. Penny Patterson: Oh, honey. We want you to have a baby. She wants a drink too! We're very much in the immediate moment here! I bet you would talk with your baby. You would talk with your baby with hands, right? Koko: Speak with hands. Dr. Penny Patterson: The hand is the way a gorilla speaks. Humans speak with a microphone. Koko: Love baby. Dr. Penny Patterson: I think you're an extremely hungry gorilla! I think I'm going to give you the rest of these nuts in my pocket. Why don't we do something different? Hey! A question for me! Do I get to answer a question, or do you want to answer all the questions, Koko? Koko: (picking up a phone in the room) Dr. Penny Patterson: Will visitors be allowed at the new Maui sanctuary? Gorillas are very, very private, so we will have virtual visitors. Male gorillas especially feel the need to protect their families. But the virtual visits will allow people to experience what it is like at the center. The visitor center will likely be in a nearby town, and some visitors may even get to chat with Koko in real time. And they'll get to see Koko's paintings. She is a very good painter. Koko: (reading) Dr. Penny Patterson: It is a way for the public to visit with Koko while still respecting her privacy. Koko is reading now, having a little private time! Where did that page go that I gave you? Maybe you'd like to do a little writing. You're very much into microphones today! She's using her brush as a microphone. She's clearly aware of the fact that we are communicating right now. What have you got there? Oh! Koko actually has some of her paintings. Another question for me! Oh, boy, Koko! It's about whether you sign to your animal friends. Do you ever sign to your kitty? Koko: Kitty, yes. Dr. Penny Patterson: I've seen you sign to your kitty. Sometimes she signs "tickle," and sometimes "chase" to the dog. Am I right about that? Koko: Yes. Dr. Penny Patterson: Koko is coming over to visit her kitty. Mo has been eating and resting. Come out and visit us, Mo. I think Mo is tired today. Koko is looking at the book about her kitty. How is your Smoky cat, Koko? She just found the picture of Smoky in the catalog, on a T-shirt. Yes, Koko, that's Smoky cat! Koko: That! Dr. Penny Patterson: She's going to wear it! How nice! She's pointing to Smoky and then to herself. She pointed to her nose and then Smoky's nose. Yes! You both have noses! I think you love Smoky. Koko: Hungry. Dr. Penny Patterson: Koko? Do YOU have any questions for the people? Koko: No! Dr. Penny Patterson: Do you like people? Koko: Nipple. Dr. Penny Patterson: Yes, people. She's going to reach under my shirt! Oh, my! Koko: (pinching) Dr. Penny Patterson: That was a pinch, Koko! Koko: Go chase! Dr. Penny Patterson: OK, we're going to go play and chase around the room for a minute. LOL. What? Koko: Break. Dr. Penny Patterson: Koko needs to take a break. Here's a good one, Koko! You'll like this one! It's a question about questions! Koko likes to read sometimes, when she takes a bathroom break. Koko: That do. Dr. Penny Patterson: Here's the question. It's funny. Do you like questions, Koko? Koko: (thinking) Dr. Penny Patterson: Another question for me! Does Penny like questions? Koko: (pointing at Penny's earphone) Dr. Penny Patterson: ?How can we help Koko?? they ask. How can we help YOU, Koko? People want to help you, sweetie, help you to have a hot home in Hawaii. And also to save your friends and family in Africa. They can donate at helping.org or gorilla.org and help us to create the first gorilla preserve outside Africa, and to help change peoples' perception of gorillas all around the world. Koko is helping with her book about her kitty. Where did your pen go, sweetie? Ndume is at the door! Knock! Knock! Koko: (writing an "N") Dr. Penny Patterson: She is writing an "N" for Ndume. Sometimes she does write letters, and she makes a pretty decent signature, too. Koko: Gorilla. Koko: Gorilla gorilla that! Dr. Penny Patterson: She just wrote Ndume's name. Koko: Good! Dr. Penny Patterson: You are good, Koko! It's about time for you to have a treat. You've been good. Dr. Penny Patterson: How do you know when you're good, Koko? Koko: (purring) Koko: Good. Dr. Penny Patterson: She purred and signed "good." Koko: Happy! Dr. Penny Patterson: She likes to talk about her feelings. Koko: Polite gorilla feels sorry and nice. Come on, it's time! Dr. Penny Patterson: She says "it's time" to have a snack. Koko: (blowing kiss) Dr. Penny Patterson: We're going to say "bye." She is blowing a kiss to everyone. You are a good gorilla! Koko: Good! Dr. Penny Patterson: Thank you to all the folks at AOL and Target and our staff here. Koko: Lips! Dr. Penny Patterson: Yes, Koko, we will thank all the women especially! Copyright 2000 America Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Portions of this transcript may be edited by AOL to correct spelling, punctuation and/or remove any material that violates AOL's Terms of Service. From jack at royaljournal.com Wed Dec 6 19:33:44 2000 From: jack at royaljournal.com (Jack Szwergold) Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2000 19:33:44 -0500 Subject: Monkey Siezed After He Nips Boy Message-ID: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/koco/20001206/lo/264974_1.html Wednesday December 06 07:15 PM EST Monkey Siezed After He Nips Boy Woman Questions Animal Control Guidelines A woman is raising questions about Oklahoma City's procedures for picking up vicious animals after her monkey seized after he nipped a 12-year-old boy. The monkey, Winston, was with a caregiver at the time at a local Home Depot, said Winston's owner, Mary Myrick. "The boy was bitten ?- it did break the skin -? so it counts as a bite for our purposes," Jeff Allen with Oklahoma City Animal Control said. On Monday, Animal Control tracked down Winston through the Exotic Animals Registry to Myrick's place of business. Officers tried to seize the monkey for observation, and then things got ugly. Office workers were outraged. One woman was arrested for assaulting an animal control worker. "It was a pretty uncontrollable atmosphere and it was very frightening," Myrick said. Eventually, police and animal welfare took Winston for observation. He has since been returned to Myrick, who was hoping for a better result. "By the standards that they were dealing with, it appears to me that if you had a pet hamster, and you went next door and he bit someone, he could be classified as a vicious animal." The 12-year-old boy that Winston nipped is doing fine. The monkey is now under a 30-day home quarantine to make sure he does not have any diseases. -- Jack Szwergold | jack at royaljournal.com | AIM: RoyalJack2001 Royal Journal | http://www.royaljournal.com/ "Remember, when you're searching for that special someone to help you or a close friend buy or sell Real Estate, call ALWAYS ACCESSIBLE BILL." From alexs19 at hotmail.com Mon Dec 11 12:31:04 2000 From: alexs19 at hotmail.com (alex stevenson) Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 12:31:04 Subject: National treasure becomes national nuisance Message-ID: Hello Monkeywire (just a quick bit of monkey news from Japan), National Treasure Becomes National Nuisance. A couple weeks ago there was a lovely television program about the Japanese Macaque Monkey (Snow Monkey). They are the monkeys with red faces that you often see covered with snow, or in hotsprings on postcards from Japan. Adorable aren't they? They may be, but the television program painted a different picture of them. They have become the nuisance of northern Japan. Among the worst of their crimes they are breaking into houses and helping themselves to the food in the kitchens. Town residents have been forced to change the locks on both their front doors and add them to their refrigerators, and not even that helps all of the time. "The monkeys think they are people," according to an old woman who experienced monkey trouble first hand. Of course the entire reason they are a problem at all is the snow monkeys are a national treasure of Japan, and thus they can't be shot and served with a cold beer at the local yakitori bar. How Japan will solve this problem is anyone's guess, but we're sure it won't be quite like other monkey solutions in the rest of the world. Our guess is Japan may become the front line of the robot - monkey war. Naoko Kitabatake, and Alex Stevenson. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com From number1chicken at hotmail.com Mon Dec 11 19:21:42 2000 From: number1chicken at hotmail.com (Lulu Bates) Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2000 19:21:42 Subject: TV Listings 12/11-12/17 Message-ID: Monkeys in general appear to be enjoying a certain cache as they are rapidly becoming some of the most hotly pursued "co-stars" in Hollywood! Word on the street is that Sarah Michelle Gellar has turned out the cute and cuddly Freddie Prinze, Jr. in favor of a cuter and cuddlier capuchin monkey! And Jennifer Love Hewitt (after ditching the un-cute and un-cuddly Carson Daly) has found true companionship with a golden lion tamarind! Did anyone else catch their matching ensembles at the American Billboard Awards? Monkeys are definitely in Vogue! Watch their meteoric rise to super stardom this week: 12/11 TNT at 7 am. Start the day with "ChiPs" as oh-so-sexy Ponch and tighty-whitey John crack down on a monkey crime family. Definitely this week's Must See. Also on 12/11 on Cartoon Network at 10 pm, "The Flintstones" will be featuring some prehistoric monkey pranks as Fred trades in Pebbles for a monkey. And, Nickolodeon at 8, "The Wild Thornberries" shows silverback gorillas invading a campsite and stealing picnic baskets. Hey, Boo Boo, they're stealing your schtick! 12/12 on Nickolodeon at 9 am, We get to meet Mitzi the Flying Monkey! I don't know the name of the show, because I forgot to write it down! Direct hate mail to number1chicken at hotmail.com! on Animal Planet at 4 pm, Light a yule log, grab a glass of eggnog and gather the family around the tele for an inspirational story of a capuchin monkey who, uh, inspires people. On "Pet Story." 12/13 on Animal Planet at 5, grab a box of kleenex and watch "Wild Rescues" as they release a captive gorilla back into the wild. So it can invade campsites and steal picnic baskets, eh Boo Boo? Discovery at 6pm, "Three Monkeys" a documentary focusing on White-faced capuchins, spider monkeys and howler monkeys. Edu-Cay-shun. 12/14 Nickolodeon at 2:30. "Monkey Business." The show is all about monkeys. Every week. Every episode. Just watch it. 12/15 Animal Planet at 1:30 "Amazing Tails" is all about trained monkey companions. Hey Monkey! Get me a beer! Or it's out on the streets and back to stealing picnic baskets! also, Lifetime (Television for Women) at 6 am. "Golden Girls" I was lucky enough to never have seen this show in the 80s, and I'm certainly not going to start watching now, but, if you insist, the episode features Dorothy, Stan and a Fake Monkey. Really. You couldn't pay me to watch that. 12/16 on the WB, "Sheena" (yes, that is a Xena knock-off) features gorillas in revealing metallic armor battling evil and slipping into comprising positions at least once an episode. 12/16 and 12/17 Animal Planet various times, "Untamed Amazonia" will be having a howler monkey salsa contest. Ok, no. Not really. 12/17 on ARTS at noon, Did you know one of the "Top 10 Animal Adventures" involves Orangutans in Borneo raiding campsites and stealing picnic baskets? Watch and learn. That's it for this week! _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com From carrie at stayfreemagazine.org Mon Dec 18 21:23:45 2000 From: carrie at stayfreemagazine.org (Carrie McLaren) Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 22:23:45 -0400 Subject: Popular Ape Who Liked to Escape Dies at San Diego Message-ID: Popular Ape Who Liked to Escape Dies at San Diego San Francisco Chronicle; Dec 2, 2000 An orangutan that endeared himself to San Diego Zoo workers and visitors with his penchant for escapes and mischief died yesterday after battling cancer. The 29-year-old ape known as Ken Allen was euthanized at 11:05 a.m., said Doug Myers, executive director of the San Diego Zoological Society. Zoo officials had announced this week that Ken Allen was dying of lymphoma, which had been diagnosed in October. The ape was born at the zoo to Borneo orangutans Bob and Maggie. In the 1980s, Ken Allen made three escapes from the orangutan enclosure, briefly enjoying freedom before he was caught by zoo workers. Other orangutans followed his lead. Zoo workers attempted to go undercover, dressing as tourists, to see how the apes climbed over the wall, but the orangutans were not fooled. They waited until the surveillance ended before trying again. From carrie at stayfreemagazine.org Tue Dec 19 10:59:36 2000 From: carrie at stayfreemagazine.org (Carrie McLaren) Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 11:59:36 -0400 Subject: Ultrasound to the Rescue for Debbie Message-ID: Chicago Tribune, December 8, 2000 ULTRASOUND TO RESCUE FOR GORILLA; LINCOLN PARK ZOO HELPED WITH APE'S WEIGHTY PROBLEM By William Mullen When Debbie, Lincoln Park Zoo's beloved but aging and decidedly butterball gorilla began showing signs of deteriorating health, keepers were faced with a significant problem in examining her. At 34 years old, 240-pound Debbie has, as do most adult female gorillas, a significant potbelly. About six months ago, she showed signs of suffering severe cramping during her monthly cycle. That can be an indication of tumor growths, but zoo veterinarians didn't know how they might penetrate her girth to take a look. Thursday morning, Acuson, a company that makes hospital diagnostic ultrasound machines, came to the zoo to solve the problem. Acuson employees came to the Great Ape House wheeling a $500,000 device they call the Sequoia, the deepest penetrating sonogram--or ultrasound--machine made. The company designed the machine, said Acuson executive David Amidei, because of the alarming trend of increasing obesity in America. Doctors have complained that earlier ultrasound machines, devices that use sound waves to make diagnostic images of internal organs and fetuses, cannot penetrate increasingly thick layers of fat on their patients. About four years ago, the company came up with the Sequoia. "We've used it [the Sequoia] on whales, and it works," Amidei said as he and sonographer David Schmitarrived with the machine. "We've used it on really big people, and it works. Today we're going to see if it works on a gorilla." Born in Cameroon in 1966, Debbie came to the zoo as an infant with a group of other wild-born gorillas purchased to begin a breeding colony. All of the other gorillas proved successful sires and mothers, but Debbie, though sexually active, never got pregnant. Instead, she became one of the few stepmother gorillas anywhere. Zoo-born babies occasionally have to be taken from their mothers because of maternal rejection or ill health to be raised by humans for their first 18 months or so. Debbie has taken 10 human-reared toddler gorillas and raised them as her own, making her invaluable. "Debbie is getting to be pretty old for a gorilla," said Ann Manharth, Lincoln Park's veterinarian who watches over the zoo's great apes. "She's at an age where we aren't surprised to see serious health problems cropping up. Zoo staffers became worried about the pain Debbie seemed to be suffering each month. The zoo called in Dr. Marc Feldstein, a Northwestern Memorial Hospital obstetrician/gynecologist who has donated his expertise examining other apes and monkeys at Lincoln Park. On Thursday, the volunteer medical personnel set up their equipment in the ape house kitchen at the core of the circular building. Keepers, who have been training all their apes and chimps to cooperate in medical procedures by presenting their arms for injections, put Debbie under with powerful anesthetics in a nearby holding cage. Debbie was wheeled into the kitchen on a gurney. Keepers stood by her sleeping Debbie's head, monitoring her vital signs, while another zoo veterinarian, Natalie Mylkniczenko, used the opportunity to clean the gorilla's teeth. "This is the only real hands-on chance we get with our animals, so we try to do everything we can, from dental cleaning to blood samples," said Manharth. She and other zoo officials closely watched a computer monitor on the ultrasound machine as the doctor and sonographers brought up images of Debbie's uterus, ovaries, pelvis, abdomen and kidneys, gallbladder and heart. Amidei said he wasn't surprised at how well the machine was working. His company's machine can make images of soft tissue up to 14 inches below the skin surface, he said, an improvement of older machines that can penetrate up to 9.5 inches. Within two hours, the exam was over. The whole thing was recorded digitally, so researchers can delve into the mystery of Debbie's reproductive problems. The most pressing issue, however, is Debbie's health. Feldstein was able to allay at least the worst fears of her keepers before he left the ape house. "There is no indication of anything seriously being wrong with her health," he said. "The lining of her uterus is normal, but there is a small, fibroid cyst under her right ovary. It's benign, nothing dangerous." "She should do the same thing I tell my human patients who I see with the same problem. The next time she cycles, her keepers should give her some ibuprofen." PHOTO: Although Debbie, a 240-pound ape, has never reproduced, she has raised 10 gorillas, including Mumbali, a female born in December 1997. From carrie at stayfreemagazine.org Sun Dec 24 16:05:12 2000 From: carrie at stayfreemagazine.org (Carrie McLaren) Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 16:05:12 -0500 Subject: "Reluctant Romeo" Ramar to be a Dad Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20001224160512.007f0b80@mail.metalab.unc.edu> News & Record (Greensboro, NC) December 20, 2000, Wednesday, ALL EDITIONS RAMAR TRIUMPHS: HE CAN BEAT HIS HAIRY CHEST NOW Ramar the gorilla was popular - but didn't sire a baby - at the N.C. Zoo. the gorilla dubbed the "reluctant Romeo" for his inability to sire a baby at the North Carolina Zoo and others across the country - is finally going to be a dad. Since 1978, zoo keepers in Asheboro, Philadelphia and Miami had hoped that Ramar, a 365-pound male Western lowland gorilla, would sire a baby. But Ramar was unsuccessful until he was moved to Chicago's Brookfield Zoo and placed with six females. Though Brookfield officials never actually saw him monkey around, they don't need a paternity test. Baraka, a 10-year-old female, is pregnant with her first baby, due in March, and Ramar, 32, is the only male gorilla at the zoo. "Maybe now he'll be known as Ramar the Triumphant," said Rod Hackney, spokesman for the N.C. Zoological Park. Ramar was born in the wild in Africa and brought to the United States as a nightclub act. He made at least one appearance on "The Merv Griffin Show" before getting so large his trainer couldn't handle him. He tried out for the classic American Tourister luggage commercial, but lost the gig when he manhandled the baggage, Hackney said. Ramar became the star attraction at the N.C. Zoo in the mid-1970s and again in the 1980s and '90s when he was brought back to the permanent African exhibit at the zoo. He spent years with a female gorilla named Hope, who was later paired with another male gorilla in a zoo-made love triangle that eventually made Hope a mother. Ramar was popular, and many people criticized N.C. Zoo officials for sending him away. But Hackney said it was important to place Ramar in an environment where he could breed. "We made the right decision," he said. From carrie at stayfreemagazine.org Fri Dec 29 20:07:45 2000 From: carrie at stayfreemagazine.org (Carrie McLaren) Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2000 20:07:45 -0500 Subject: Delhi Rambo Ends Shenanigans Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.20001229200745.0084b880@mail.metalab.unc.edu> THE DAILY TELEGRAPH(LONDON) December 28, 2000, Thursday By Rahul Bedi in New Delhi BODY: A TRAINED monkey hired by the authorities in New Delhi has cleared an army of destructive rhesus monkeys out of the Ministries of Health and Urban Development. Officials said that in two months four-year-old Raju had dispatched scores of monkeys from Nirman Bhawan, in the city centre. For the first time in years employees could now move around without being set upon. Nicknamed Rambo for his aggressive tactics, Raju growled menacingly at the marauding monkeys, charged at them and, at times, fought them. His keeper, Shyam Kumar, is being paid Rs5,000 ( pounds 67) a month for Raju's services. The rhesus monkeys had been biting people, smashing windows, tearing up files and stealing lunch boxes. Shooting them was ruled out as Hindus associate monkeys with Hanuman, the monkey god who helped Lord Rama.