Open House 2009

Happy Tuesday! Finally we have a beautiful sunny day - the past weekend we had a number of determined baseball players in the rain, helping to raise money for the sanctuary. Thanks to Russ, Brittany, Connor, Donna and all those who participated. Special thanks to Larry for organizing this event for the third year in a row!

We are excitedly preparing for the Open House on Saturday, August 15th, 2009 from 12:00PM to 4:00PM - $5.00 per person/$15.00 for a group of four. Please visit our website for a downloadable .pdf flyer to share with friends and family. An event has also been created on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=135644594250&ref=nf

Highlights will include small group tours to "meet and greet" the monkeys. Prior to the tours, you will have an opportunity to see a presentation about the SBFPS residents - their backgrounds, likes/dislikes and how you can help make a difference in their lives.

Activities will include a jumping castle, games, making enrichment for the monkeys, a garden tour, nature safari, BBQ, jumble sale, bake sale, silent auction, and a great raffle - including a plasma screen tv!

The money raised through the event will be used to provide energy efficient heating for the barn in the winter months. All proceeds go to the care of the primates!

We are counting down the days to welcome you to our sanctuary community ....

Rachelle

Lexy's New Space

Happy Tuesday! We are happy to share news of the reno's to Lexy's enclosure. On a beautiful Sunday evening, she walked into a new space...literally and figuratively. Jenn, Sherri, Leonard, Paxton, Anne and Shelley built amazing structural enrichment, interesting nooks and crannies, planted trees, made a waterfall, and put their hearts into making a happy place for Lexy. We are so thankful to Dwight for his generosity in providing high quality, macaque-proof coloured plastic wood.

Inside Lexy was such a good girl, even though her access to the outside was blocked. She could hear the banging of construction, and commotion. At times she did pace excitedly, but was good company for me while I was in the kitchen getting supper ready. At one point she even made that little macaque "oooh" sound, asking for a bit of banana.

Outside the gang was working feverishly to get things ready - apparently Rome can be built in a day! Sherri so lovingly put the final touches in - treats in strategic places, nectarine pieces in the pool, toys and enrichment items.

Now, as you may know, Lexy is attached to her dolly - she loves the kind that has a cloth body and vinyl head, arms and legs. She can be so demonstrative in her love, that the dolly mostly is worse for the wear. At this point, only the dolly's head remains. So, the dolly head was placed in the small pine tree for her.

With bated breathe, the door was opened for Lexy....Jenn held her breath, as we all did... how would she react to the new house? After all this girl has been through, she deserves so much - this year she lost her best friend Yoshi, and we have seen changes in her - she is quieter and a bit more anxious. With tears in our eyes, we watched our brave, strong Lexy, coming out - albeit cautiously, looking all around - and the first thing she went to get was her dolly head. So calmly, she took the head and went to one side of the enclosure, sitting up high and checking things out. As you can see in the photos (courtesy of Anne), she was so calm, relaxed, and showed no signs of stress or anxiety....she loved the pool and sat on the edge, with dolly in hand, dipping its head in the water.

There was a contented, peaceful silence... (expect for Leonard calling out to Sammy to get out of the duck pond!) .. as we witnessed Lexy, exploring her new improved world - full of colour, love and hope.....

Bon Voyage - Our Beautiful Char

Every day we are thankful for the wonderful people who have come into our lives and those of the precious beings in our care. Charmaine is one of those people - a truly beautiful woman inside and out, who has no bounds to her loving and caring heart. An integral part of the team, she works tirelessly for all animals in need: monkeys, donkeys, dogs, cats, and great apes. Her boundless energy makes Sundays at the farm a joy.

Once again, she is off to volunteer at Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre in the Malaysian Sabah District of North Borneo - a rehabilitation centre for orphaned orangutans. This is Char’s third time out there – where she daily cares for the young orangutan infants who have experienced deep loss – of their homes, mothers and families. We will miss her so, but we are so proud of her – our beautiful Char.

Yoshi

It is with great sorrow we announce the passing of our beloved Yoshi.

Yoshi, and his partner, Kayko (deceased 2006), both Japanese Macaques, were the first two primates who gave Sherri the vision for Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary. While little is known of their lives before the Sanctuary, we believe at one time they had been used in a laboratory due to the scarring on their arms and a tattoo on their legs; both are consistent with laboratory testing. They eventually made their way to Sherri and Leonard’s farm where they lived in peace for the past 10 years. Yoshi’s lasts days were spent surrounded by Sherri, Leonard, and the volunteers who worked tirelessly to keep him comfortable before he gently succumbed to old age. We all have been blessed by his presence in our lives and he is greatly missed by all who have met and loved him.

Rest in peace, my friend.