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[carrie mclaren <brooklynite282 AT gmail.com>]

September 28, 2009

Monkey see, monkey do

: Sammy leaves local family to attend college
http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090928/FON0101/90927025&template=printart


By Heather Stanek
The Reporter
After 14 memorable years, Margo Gahagan had to do “the hardest thing” she’s
ever done — send her 20-year-old foster child off to Monkey College.

Sammy, a capuchin monkey, left his Fond du Lac home Sunday to attend special
training at Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled, a non-profit
organization based in Boston, Mass. He’ll spend the next six to nine months
learning how to assist quadriplegic patients.

When he graduates, Helping
Hands will assign Sammy to a household where he will likely spend the
remainder of his days.

Knowing that Sammy will probably never return stings
the most for Gahagan.

“I need to let him go and fulfill his purpose,” she
said through sobs. “I hope that it actually works out. He’s calm and very
smart.”

Sammy seemed to sense that the time had come. A few days before his
departure, his behavior changed, she said.

“He jumped into my arms and
hugged me like he’s never hugged before,” she said. “I thought, ‘Please
don’t do this at the airport. I’ll die.’”

Gahagan took some comfort in knowing that capuchins adapt well to changes in
environment and ownership. That’s one of the reasons why they work well as
assistants for the disabled, said Megan Talbert, chief operating officer of
Helping Hands. 

Besides their versatility, capuchins possess an
awe-inspiring intelligence and nimble fingers. They can learn numerous
skills, like retrieving food and beverages from a refrigerator or microwave,
putting CDs in a stereo, pushing buttons, hitting light switches and
adjusting a person’s glasses.

They live 30 to 40 years, giving them plenty
of time to spend with their patient, Talbert said.

‘Monkey fanatic’

Before they attend school, young monkeys stay in foster homes for two to
four years to adjust to life with people. Since Sammy fared so well with the
Gahagans, he stayed longer than usual.

Gahagan said that if not for a
mountain of books, she might never have known the foster program existed.
She’s been a “monkey fanatic” her whole life and always dreamed of owning
one, but she couldn’t afford the $5,000 price. She added that monkeys can be
very difficult to raise, so she had to do her homework if she really wanted
a primate. 

She said she read about Helping Hands in one of the texts and
contacted the organization. After undergoing an application process and
background check, she was approved as a foster parent.

Sammy arrived at General Mitchell Field in Milwaukee, and Gahagan brought
him to the place he’d call home for almost 15 years.

Growth

Sammy spent
the first few days in his cage, adjusting to his surroundings and listening
to his caregiver’s voice. When Gahagan mustered the courage to open the
metal door, Sammy bounded onto her lap and waited for one of his favorite
pastimes — having his nails filed, she said.

He quickly became part of the
Gahagan family, which included Margo’s husband and children. He would ride
in the car or bike basket, eat oatmeal for breakfast and play with baby
toys. He learned to love the kitchen sink, a/k/a his bathtub, and hate the
vacuum cleaner, which he promptly unplugged anytime someone used it.

Sammy
also liked watching television, especially scenes with people talking. He
often “flirted” with news anchors, smacking his lips, tilting his head or
rubbing his belly. Gahagan said he loathed violence. During a grisly scene,
he would try to slap the actors. When that didn’t work, he turned the TV
off.

In the monkey-see, monkey-do attitude, he mimicked the Gahagans. He
peeled potatoes with the peeler, matched screws with the screwdriver and
used pliers. He scribbled on paper, not walls or countertops. Once, he
poured a whole bottle of bowl cleaner in the toilet and grabbed the brush,
Gahagan said.



“I have said, ‘Oh, my God, look at him!’ about 50 times a day for the last
14 years,” she said.

Farewell

Gahagan said her human family, not Sammy’s behavior, fueled her decision to
let him go. She said she’s a grandmother now and wants to spend more time
with the youngsters. But they live out of state and it’s almost impossible
to travel with a monkey.

She said she had several changes of heart but
finally decided it was for the best.

Before he left, Sammy had a farewell party at Touchstone Living Center, 300
Winnebago St., North Fond du Lac, on Sept. 11. About 25 residents gathered
to meet Sammy and watch him play with tools, write and open food and water,
said Nancy Steinke, Touchstone co-owner and Gahagan’s friend.

“The
residents were really interested in him,” she said. “They were talking about
him for weeks.”

Steinke said she found out why Gahagan loved Sammy when she
touched his tiny hand.

“It was just like holding a baby’s hand,” she said.



HOW TO HELP
Helping Hands: Monkey Helpers for the Disabled, a Boston-based nonprofit,
has trained and provided monkeys for those in need for 30 years.

Megan
Talbert, chief operating officer, said the group trains anywhere from 30 to
40 capuchin monkeys at a time and places 10 to 12 a year. Operations cost
about $1.5 million.

Since Helping Hands doesn’t charge patients for
receiving a monkey assistant, it depends on donors to provide funding and
caregivers to house young monkeys. Foster terms vary from two to four years,
though some go longer.

For more information on how to assist Helping Hands, visit
www.monkeyhelpers.org.