Cristina Valsera | Mona UK

31 05, 2016

Fantastic II Edition of “La Cursa de las Monas” thanks to you!

On May 29th we organized the second edition of the “La Cursa de las Monas”, a day of sport, joy and solidarity. Everyone there ran for the primates of MONA Foundation.

But this event would not have been possible without all the volunteers who decided to work with us. Thank you guys, thanks for wanting to be part of our family!

Thank you to all the support companies: Frit Ravich, Bellsolá, EPIDOR Radicalmente Moritz, Restaurant les Oliveres, Forn de Llenya Cresell, COFFEE Cafeteria, Patronat de Turisme de Girona, Catalunya Caixa, Audax Energía, Ajuntament de Riudellots de la Selva, Consell Comarcal del Gironès i Diputació de Girona.

And to the participants : it would not have been possible without you all. No matter if you were walking or running, all of you were incredibly enthusiastic, and you did it for them and only for them: our rescued chimpanzees and macaques. Thanks for that! And thanks for the constant support in every step we take.

In our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/FundacioMONA/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1173846709321779) you will find a small compilation of the great day lived. Thanks again for participating and being part of this great event for primates.

We hope to see you again during future editions of “La Cursa de las Monas”!

30 05, 2016

A 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe is dead

A youngster managed to crawl through a fence before falling into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Harambe, the gorilla, reportedly picked up the boy and moved him around. Even though the zoo’s director acknowledged that he was not attacking the boy, it was believed that a tranquilizer wouldn’t work fast enough.

What do you think about it? Is it justified? Would it have been another alternative to avoid the death of the gorilla? Give us your opinion:

https://www.facebook.com/FundacioMONA/

25 05, 2016

Art month in June, join in on the fun!

It is with great excitement that we are organizing the first ever Art month at Mona! This month of June, the world of art and that of primates will merge into one. Every weekend Mona will organize a different activity during which art and primatology will come together.

What are the activities?

Saturday June 4th:

The prizes of the 1st drawing and painting contest ‘PRIMATES MONA MONTANA’, organized with the help of Montana Colors, will be awarded to the winners.

Who can participate? Children 6 years old and up. Children will enter in different categories depending on their age.

Contest rules available here […]

15 04, 2016

Gorilla. Learn how to count!

One gorilla, two orangutans, three chimpanzees… and you! Learn how to count with this fantastic illustrated children’s book about primates.

Anthony Browne

To order this book visit our book section on xindria.cat

4 04, 2016

The Orangutan, the voice of the endangered primates

The Orangutan is the voice of the endangered primates. Even with all the conservation campaigns and available information about illegal palm oil plantation, this specie is still a part of the 2016 Red list.

The Orangutan is semi solitary and arboricole, adult individuals live alone once mature enough, but the mothers spend 8 years with their offspring to teach them the rules and dangers of the forest.

They eat more than 500 species of plant! They spend almost all their life in the trees, and have high cognitive abilities comparable to the other great apes; they make tools in the wild and have their own culture! Some techniques have been seen only in Borneo for example, passing their knowledge from one generation to the other. For many reasons, Orangutans remain a mysterious species; they are called the gardeners of the forest, playing a vital role for biodiversity.

With an estimated decline of 50% of the global population during the last 60 years, a loss of 15.5 million hectares of forest (24% of total forest area) was recorded between 1985 and 1997 in Sumatra and Kalimantan…

But helping them is simple: Boycott palm oil products. Look at the ingredients in your food, shampoo, beverage… And make the right choice!

2 04, 2016

KIPLING, new support company

We are extremely proud to present you our new support company: KIPLING!

Fashion and fun go together with Kipling products! Handbags, totes, backpacks, laptop bags & more, all with a funky monkey keychain!

Founded in 1987, Kipling, drew inspiration from Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” and adopted the monkey as the Kipling icon because it is a symbol of adventure and youth. Kipling products allow you to live all your adventures to the fullest!

Thank you KIPLING for the donation of your products and for wanting to be part of our project!

Follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or visit their website.

13 03, 2016

International Macaque Day

This Wednesday the 16th of March we celebrate the first International Macaque’s Day, a great oportunity for them to stop being, once for all, the one forgoten primate.

Did you know that the Barbary macaque is the only primate, except from humans, that can be found in the wild in Europe?

The Barbary macaque populations are decreesing by vast amounts every year… The destruction of their habitat and illegal pet trade are leading this unique species to extinction.

About 300 babies are captured every year, snatched away from their habitat, their home, their family… to be sold illegaly as pets in Europe. However the day will arrive when this baby, obtained on a whim to be a pet, becomes an animal far different from the exemplary pet that they were suposed to be… What are the options now? Abandoning it, or locking it away in a little cage, depriving it from the little social contact you could offer so far, leaving it to a life in solitude with little or no stimulation. This situation forbides them developing the social abilities which are essencial for their physical and mental wellbeing , this can causes some abnormal behaviours to appear as repetitive movements or, in more severe cases, self inflicted agression.

In Fundació MONA we fight daily to rise awareness of the terrible situation the Barbary macaque is facing, and we work tirelessly to offer them the worthy life they were taken from.

Nevertherless, and despite the extreme situation of the specie, the Barbary macaque illegal traffic is increassing.
But you can now help us! Join us on this day and give voice to those who dont have it. We have a commitment to them, and every single act no matter […]

4 03, 2016

“La mona” most MONA

During the days before Easter, bakeries take part in a delicious and original show: “La Mona de Pascua”, cakes and chocolate figures, some with much complexity and detail they can be considered works of art.

But this year “La mona” will be even more “mona” than ever because Jordi Roca, the best pastry chef in the world, has created a ”mona” inspired by MONA Foundation.

It’s a large artwork, a sculpture made of 72% chocolate, with a surprise inside made up of 40% cacao and 100% solidarity because the profits of “la mona” will go towards the Primate Rescue Center.

The best “mona” in the world will be sold in Rocambolesc stores (Girona and Madrid) from March 15th. Price: 30 €.

Or you can also order one (to pick up from store) from March 15th to 18th, calling at +34 972 416 667 (Rocambolesc Girona) or +34 915 76 52 34 (Rocambolesc Madrid).

We hope you enjoy this very especial mona!!

4 03, 2016

The Hainan gibbon

Hainan gibbons live only on Hainan island, in the south of China. At first their were considered a subspecie of the Eastern black crested gibbons, but their fur and vocalisations make them unique.

The Hainan gibbon is active during the day, eats almost only fruits, like figues for example. This specie is arboreal and the females give birth to only one offspring every two years!

In the past 45 years, almost 80% of the population has disappeared, due to hunting, habitat lost and also due to the fact that they only live on one island in particular. Curently only 20 mature individuals are still alive. The Hainan Gibbon is the most critically endangered primate of the world with only 25 individuals left living in a 16km² territory ...

When it first was discovered, Hainan gibbons lived throughout the whole of the island, but now the entire population is gathered in a reserve, the Bawangling Nature Reserve. This creates problems of mating, food ressources, impossibility to face a possible natural disaster and so on.

If this specie ceases to exist, it would be the first primate specie to disappear since 1700…

15 02, 2016

‘We are all completely besides ourselves’ Karen Joy Fowler’s new novel

What is being a human? What makes us human? Have you ever wondered?

Karen Joy Fowler tries to answer these questions for us in her novel “We are all completely besides ourselves“. A book in which the writer comments on our relationship with other species on the planet. A history about pain, love and loyalty between parents and children, between brothers and between different species. Do you want to delve into the world of our closet kin, the ape?

You can now buy your copy at our center and join a worthy cause!

Acquire yours and know the history of Fern, a chimpanzee member of a family of human whose cohabitation becomes untenable and the separation, unbearable. A read that will not leave you indifferent…

Mona Uk

About Cristina Valsera