Vernon is a male Vervet Monkey who came to live at the Primate Rescue Center in 2004. We estimate his birth year to be 1999. Vernon lived for years in the home of an animal hoarder in New York. He was housed in a small dog crate that was rarely cleaned. At the time he was confiscated, authorities found seven other primates living in the house, all in the same conditions as Vernon.
Because of his traumatic past, Vernon is very nervous around other monkeys and humans. Although he is currently housed alone, Vernon is still able to see and interact with the monkeys around him; however, he prefers to sit and groom by himself. He enjoys playing with his enrichment, whether it be scraping peanut butter out of a Kong toy or tossing and chasing plastic balls around his enclosure. Vernon loves to eat almost anything we serve him, but he is especially fond of corn, bananas, and peanuts.
Secrets of gorilla communication laid bare
The bigger a male gorilla, the better he is at beating his chest to signal to friends and foe just how powerful he is, scientists have confirmed.
How rafts helped primates rule the world
Millions of years ago, the oceans presented a formidable barrier to the spread of primates – but were ultimately no match. Did rafts of vegetation help them conquer the globe?
Chimpanzee moms are like us: They mourn, dote, and take ‘me’ time.
New research is revealing more about chimp motherhood, vital knowledge that can help conserve the endangered species.
Meet the Other Social Influencers of the Animal Kingdom
Culture, once considered exclusive to humans, turns out to be widespread in nature.
‘We have to do right by them’ Rescue center misses fundraising during pandemic, but offers Primate Pal Program for those who want to help
As most nonprofits will attest to, the Primate Rescue Center in Jessamine County has been hit hard by the global health pandemic. It wasn’t able to have fundraisers last year, nor offer any of its outreach programs to educate the public.
These are a Few of Their Favorite Things
We are always looking for exciting enrichment items and encouraging our staff, volunteers, and interns to get creative when enriching the primates’ homes, but there are a few tried and true things that will never get old and can be used in various enrichment projects.
Saving Endangered Bonobos Teaches A Lesson In Empathy
At an animal sanctuary in the Congo, several dozen Congolese schoolchildren are getting a crash course in bonobos. These gentle, endangered apes, who resemble chimpanzees, are "our closest cousins," educator Blaise Mbwaki tells the students in French. "They have a human character, and they are Congolese."
We’re Not the Only Animals Who Feel Grief and Spirituality
It's clear that humans are not the only animals who experience grief and loss and it's narrowly and anthropocentrically arrogant to think we are.1 Along these lines, a new and wide-ranging transdisciplinary book titled Enter the Animal: Cross-species perspectives on grief and spirituality by Dr. Teya Brooks Pribac, an independent scholar and multidisciplinary artist who lives in the Australian Blue Mountains with sheep and other animals, convincingly argues that nonhumans experience loss and embodied experiences, and so do we because we're also animals.
US plan to breed 10,000 monkeys a year for medical experiments means industrial farming of primates, say critics
A plan to build a center breeding 10,000 monkeys a year for medical research will mean the “industrial-scale farming” of non-human primates, animal-protectionists are warning.
First great apes at U.S. zoo receive COVID-19 vaccine made for animals
Orangutans and bonobos at the San Diego Zoo have received a coronavirus vaccine, Nat Geo has learned, after some zoo gorillas tested positive in January.