Stumptailed monkeys headed to Texas sanctuary

UW–Madison’s colony of 54 stumptailed macaques housed at the Henry Vilas Zoo is headed to a wildlife sanctuary in San Antonio, Texas, UW–Madison officials announced today (May 6).

The Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio and UW–Madison finalized a contract this week to transfer ownership of the monkeys. The transfer of the colony likely will take place by mid-June, said Joe Kemnitz, interim director of the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center.

“This sanctuary meets our expectations for housing the stumptails,” said Kemnitz, who visited the Wild Animal Orphanage in mid-April. Kemnitz also toured Primarily Primates, another San Antonio sanctuary that had expressed an interest in the monkeys.

UW–Madison has been trying to secure a new long-term arrangement for its zoo monkeys since last fall, when the National Institutes of Health announced it would end funding for the facility on Feb. 1.

Virginia Hinshaw, dean of the UW–Madison Graduate School, said the university had limited options in placing the stumptails, since they are not part of biomedical research studies and federal support for behavioral studies has declined.

“The Wild Animal Orphanage is well-equipped to deal with small primate colonies of this nature,” Hinshaw said. “The sanctuary is a particularly appropriate choice because stumptailed macaques are a threatened species.”

Officials at the Wild Animal Orphanage plan to build a new enclosure to house the stumptails together, similar to their current living quarters at the zoo. UW–Madison has agreed to donate $40,000 to cover relocation and construction costs. The Primate Center also plans to donate Plexiglas, wire mesh, enrichment toys and other materials from the 35-year-old zoo facility to the sanctuary, according to Kemnitz.

The agreement between UW–Madison and the sanctuary also includes a requirement that the stumptailed colony not reproduce. Sanctuaries typically require this provision because of limited resources and space. Males in the colony will be given vasectomies. But if there is future demand for stumptailed macaques at another facility, Kemnitz said the procedure would still allow for artificial insemination of the females.

The Wild Animal Orphanage currently houses several primate species as well as big cats, rare birds and other animals. Kemnitz said the animals that have lived there for many years appear well cared for and very healthy.

Kemnitz toured the facility April 16 with Ron and Carol Asvestas, president and vice president of the sanctuary; and other staff and invited guests.

Since December, Primate Center officials had been actively pursuing another potential option of sending the stumptails to a sanctuary in Thailand, where stumptails are a native species. The Wild Animal Rescue Foundation in Thailand had expressed interest in creating an enclosure and public education center for the colony.

But the San Antonio option proved to be more financially feasible and posed fewer uncertainties than the Thailand option, Kemnitz said.

“We are grateful to the Wild Animal Rescue Foundation, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Montana Sen. Max Baucus and the State Department in Washington for their interest and hard work on behalf of the stumptailed colony,” Kemnitz said.