MONA's Primate Sanctuary, Spain
The Bachelor Group
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MARCO is the leader of the group; he is very independent and likes his own space but he is also a good team member when necessary. He is always the first to comfort and calm the rest of the group when times are tense, earning him great respect from the others. Marco was famous for starring in commercials for Damm Beer, McDonalds and Telefonica but spent most of his life living in cramped conditions in a dilapidated truck. Today he is safe from exploitation and can spend all day doing what chimp's like best, foraging for food. His favourite food is tomatoes and above all, honey, which he has learned how to extract from holes in logs in his enclosure. | |||||||||||
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CHARLY is Marco´s closest companion and collaborator and he is very good at taking control of any situation. One of his favourite games is to provoke Pancho. Although very independent, he is also very affectionate with the other members of the group. He loves to spend the day stretched out on his back with the sun on his belly. He is very intelligent and is very good at problem solving; he is always the first to solve any puzzle given to the group. | |||||||||||
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PANCHO shows great curiousity and interest in everything that you put in front of him. Pancho was starved in the past and he has become obsessed by food. Now, when he is given food, he grabs as much as possible using both hands and feet. Pancho also appeared in TV commercials. However, behind the scenes he lived a miserable life, spending most of his time in the dark with barely enough space to turn around. Although he has had a very unpleasant past, he is very resilient and appears to be happy and boisterous. He is Charly´s best friend. | |||||||||||
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TONI came from Portugal and was probably born in the wild. He has become a great favourite with the other chimpanzees and the caretakers because of his extrovert, communicative and playful character. Before his rescue, he also appeared in McDonald´s commercials and shared his cramped living conditions with Romie. Toni suffers from a degenerative osseous dysplasia that has stunted his growth and limits his locomotion but is improving thanks to the wide-open space now available to him. His small stature does not seem to hinder him when he displays to the group, which demonstrates his great self-confidence. | |||||||||||
In Memory: |
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PAQUITO originally came from London Zoo and is the father of Marco, Charly, Pancho and Pepito. Before his rescue, Paquito was trained to ride motorbikes for TV commercials. Unfortunately, Paquito died last year. He was a very respected member of the group and he will be deeply missed by all of us at the Mona Foundation. We can only be thankful that we had the opportunity to provide him with an enriched environment for the last two years of his life. |
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PEPITO was the most independent of the group and enjoyed being difficult with his caretakers. Before his rescue he was forced to perform in shows where he would ride a bicycle or he would be dressed up as a mexican but like the rest of the bachelor group, he lived in dirty, cramped living conditions inside a dilapidated truck. Sadly, Pepito died last year. He was very special to all of us and we are thankful that we had the privilege to have known him. | |||||||||||
Photos by L.Docherty © 2004 |
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