The clocks have sprung forward. The days are warmer and longer. Birds are singing. Crickets are chirping and the trees and plants around the sanctuary are bursting into flower.
Yes, Spring is here; it has brought to Mona long, green grass, trees full of leaves, blue skies, and lots of fresh new growth in the outdoor enclosures. The rescued Primates and their keepers are very happy the good weather has finally arrived!
From the middle of March we started spotting more birds, butterflies and bees flying around and more lizards coming out to sunbathe. Now we’re fully into springtime, trees are starting to blossom and the grass is really starting to grow. This has created a naturally enriching environment for the primates to enjoy.
Spring for the Barbary Macaques
In the wild, Barbary Macaques spend the majority of their day foraging for plants, seeds and insects. The Spring helps us to bring the wild to them, by giving us the opportunity to provide a lot more natural enrichment in the form of yummy plants, flowers and grasses; including one of the macaques favourites, dandelion flowers.
Abu in particular is very happy spring has arrived, bringing warmer weather with it; he loves nothing better than to spend his mornings sunbathing.
Spring for the Chimpanzees
Warmer and longer days means one great thing for the chimps – more time outside! They have more time to play, groom and lay in the sun, and more time to enjoy their naturally planted enclosure as it ‘springs’ into life. The warmer weather is favourite of Africa, she loves spending her days at the top of the tower sunbathing. To help with the heat they are starting to get ice lollies again, Toni and Juanito are always very excited about this.
The Chimps have also been loving the sweet new grasses that have been growing. This provides hours of natural foraging opportunities an is a great supplement to their diet.
Spring for the keepers
What are the keepers loving about spring?
For starters no more freezing fingers and toes while cleaning enclosures and no frozen drinkers to defrost in the mornings! Spring also makes the surroundings look even more beautiful with the local flora and fauna flourishing.
Spring cleaning
Now that the weather is getting warmer and the primates are spending more time outside it has given the keepers the perfect chance to do a deep spring clean of their indoor enclosures. So, when the primates return to their bedrooms they can ‘smell’ the change that is in the air…
PAY US A VISIT
Spring is a great time to come and visit us but if your mind is on summer holidays, why don’t you book your trip via the Easyfundraising site! You can search for your perfect holiday with all the big travel companies and every time you make a booking, Mona will receive a reward. Click here for more information
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?
- Help secure a lifelong future for all the primates at Mona by donating just £2 per month…
- If you go on holiday and see any primate (chimp, macaque or any type of monkey or ape) being used for entertainment or as a photo prop, don’t take part or have your photo taken and report what you have seen using this form
- Help raise awareness of Fundacion Mona’s work by telling your family, friends and colleagues about us. Also, visit and share our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts
ONE LAST THING
It’s possible to help raise money for MONA just by doing your normal shopping online.
Easyfundraising is a great website where you can help MONA simply by doing your everyday online shopping with over 3,300 big name retailers like Amazon, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com, eBay, Boden, and M&S.
Every time you shop, we receive a small donation to say ‘thank you’ and it’s completely free too!
Just click the button below and select ‘MONA-UK’ as your supported cause.