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Costa Rica & Panama Primate Studies

PS21 Update - Thursday, August 09, 2012

Worth The Wait

It’s almost funny how after choosing the textbook, sentimental word of the day “growth” that I actually happened to truly to grow in a unique way. After observing monkeys in the wild for the past two and a half weeks, I thought I held a pretty good understanding of monkeys up until I had to catch my breath as I sat in a marmoset enclosure. I was completely transfixed by the small furry creature that seemed to be just as amazed at myself as I was of it. It was one of those crystallizing moments when you are completely sure what you want to spend your life doing and how you want to spend it.

After waking up at 4:00, 6:00, and then, finally, 7:00, the day had begun. To say I was excited to be interacting with some of the most unique and human creatures on earth, as well as leading my peers in this environment is a gross understatement. AAfter we had finished our breakfast of the classic “gallo pinto” we set off on our group objectives. Team A had the pleasure of delivering the various monkeys their breakfast while Team B got to sort the meal worms into different containers. Unfortunately I was a member of Team B, only because there’s no comparison between feeding monkeys and sorting worms. My team and I spent the next two hours laughing and groaning as we struggled to find, pick up, and sort every individual baby worm that seemed to make it its sole purpose in life being as difficult as possible. That’s not to say that it wasn’t a task that I enjoyed doing as it gave me the opportunity to help nourish and feed the creatures that I so dearly loved.

After this we were greeted with the task of observing our primate groups and seeing what they were doing. MMy peers and I were each assigned an enclosure and spent the next blissful hour observing monkeys. After lunch and a quick game in the pool we were back to begin enrichment. Enrichment is a way for us to help keep the primates happy and stimulated. We began with gathering various leaves and branches throughout the property, working together as a team to get the job done effectively.

After this I experienced the absolute highlight of my day, entering the enclosure that I had observed and placing the materials we gathered in a way that would enrich the primates. After this was over, Team B got their chance at primate feeding and moved over to the primate kitchen. Here we worked towards building the primates’ meals excitedly adding various fruits, vegetables, and other integral parts of the primates’ diet. We then brought the food to the various primates, watching as they munched on all the treats we gave them. My favorite part of this was feeding an adorable squirrel monkey named Skittles through the fence.

The term “living my dream” has probably been tossed around before but when I literally get the experience to do something that I’ve dreamed about since being a child it gives the phrase a whole new meaning. I’ve been lucky enough to get the opportunity to interact with and experience primates in a way that the majority of people will never get to. I can personally say that I have done something I’ve dreamed about for over a decade and it’s that which makes me truly grateful that I came to this place, and that I did these amazing things.

Sincerely,

Alexander Holmgren