Primate Property
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“We’re trying to save species that are probably going to leave the planet in 10 years if people don’t do something. These animals are slipping through the cracks and nobody’s catching them,” says Wormser. “When I wake up in the morning I just ask myself ‘What can I do today to make it better.’ I’ve been asking that for almost 30 years now.”
Wormser didn’t always plan on working with primates. In fact, it all started through a chance encounter back in the late ’60s at a London zoo.
“I had this really profound experience with a Golden Lion Tamarin and at that moment I had this overwhelming feeling and got called to help these creatures,” she remembers.
Wormser initially ignored her gut feelings, but years later in while living in Hawaii, the word “marmoset” jumped out at her from a newspaper classified ad.
“I called the number and found out they had been selling two marmosets, but the paper was from six months back and the animals had already been sold. So I called the person who bought them and got them. From then it was like automatic pilot. They came and over a period of ten years more came and more came,” Wormser says. Thus, the Pacific Primate Sanctuary was born.
Since opening its doors in 1984, the sanctuary has been an oasis of hope for the endangered animals. It has become a home away from home for the 71 resident primates, which include rare species like the Capuchin monkey, Cotton-Top Tamarins, Pygmy Marmosets and others. Set on nearly six acres of lush Haiku greenery, the facility consists of 20 indoor/outdoor enclosures, each outfitted with trees, vines and flowers — climate and vegetation similar to the primate’s natural habitat of South and Central America.
Each animal that arrives at the sanctuary has a story. Some are rescued from private owners, while others have been discarded by research laboratories or failed tourism ventures.
Following the shutdown of a government laboratory in 1997, a colony of badly abused
Cotton-Top Tamarins arrived at the sanctuary. In addition to the emotional trauma the monkeys displayed, their physical injuries included a torn lip, missing fingers and severe bleeding.
Wormser calls such exploitation “speciesism” and equates it with other “-isms” like racism and sexism.
“Speciesism is the mentality that humans are superior over other species, and people use that kind of mentality as an excuse to exploit these animals,” she argues.
In another case, a Capuchin monkey living in Hawaii as a hotel attraction eventually became so distressed that she began to pluck her fur until she was completely bald. Wormser faults an undersized crate and unhealthy diet for the animal’s bizarre behavior.
“That’s not normal animal behavior,” insists Wormser. “This was her way of trying to communicate and say ‘You’re hurting me.’ ”
Volunteer intern Erin Olsen agrees.
“She had taken all of her fur because something was wrong and this was her cry out to the world that something was wrong,” she adds.
Olsen traveled from Phoenix, Ariz., to participate in the yearlong resident intern position. Teaming with England native, Tez Calombini, the pair is responsible for daily operations and training volunteers, or “angels” as Lucy calls them.
“I wanted to come here because it seemed like a really cool place,” says Olsen. “The vision here, the way they felt about the animals — this place is really here for the sake of the animals. It’s a way for them to have a better home. It’s not open to the public, so they’re getting a break.”
Olsen says she’s always been passionate about primates, and had been working at The Phoenix Zoo before moving to Maui seven months ago.
“It was really amazing to see everything they have here. I really like the enclosures for the monkeys — the marmoset and tamarin enclosures are bigger than the zoo,” Olsen says.
Interns Olsen and Calombini found themselves working overtime recently, bottle feeding a tiny capuchin infant that had been rejected by its mother. This required round-the-clock feedings every two hours.
“She required constant feeding. Her needs are like a human baby,” Olsen says.
Besides working with the animals, maintaining the sanctuary is hard, time-consuming work. The large enclosures, which are full of plenty to play with and climb on, must be cleaned; the animals are fed several times a day; and the landscape must be maintained.
The sanctuary is federally authorized, however it does not receive funding from the federal, state, or county governments. The organization runs on a “shoestring budget” and is supported solely by volunteers and rely upon tax-deductible contributions from the public to cover the daily expenses of caring for the monkeys.
In a perfect world, every animal who enters the sanctuary would eventually be returned to its jungle home. But that, says Wormser, won’t be happening any time soon.
“We always hope for that, but these animals are losing their homes and don’t have anywhere to go back to,” she says, citing habitat loss due to the clearing of rain forests.
Wormser is working to increase awareness about the plight of the primates. Although the Pacific Primate Sanctuary is not open to the public, Wormser and her team of experts travel to civic groups and schools throughout Maui to get the word out about primates and other environmental issues.
“We’re very anxious to share, but we also have to protect the monkeys,” says Wormser. “I think about it like this: You don’t have to go to a cancer ward to see suffering.”
Wormser admits it’s tempting for people to want to visit the sanctuary and play with the primates, but insists that would do more harm. Instead, the organization continues to reach the community through its environmental education outreach programs, resident internship positions, mentor pairings and “Primate Pal” program.
“The biggest message is that we’re here for the monkeys to give them a better life, says Olson. “They’re not pets, their living and breathing things who have the right to better lives —that’s what the sanctuary is all about.”
• Lehia Apana can be reached at lehia@mauinews.com.
