[playful orchestra music]
- Amy Kerwin: Rhesus monkeys, they're overlooked so often.
They can live to be 35, 40 years old.
They're just very smart in living in their large troops.
And they're one of the most popular monkeys in research,
in drug development testing, and toxicity testing.
And so, you know, knowing that,
I like to say, "At Primates Incorporated,
the least we can do is give back to them whenever possible."
I'm Amy Kerwin, founder of Primates Incorporated,
the non-profit monkey sanctuary.
We're home to nine monkeys here at the sanctuary.
Five are retired from the pet trade,
and four from laboratories.
[monkeys calling]
We're providing a dignified and spacious environment
to these monkeys.
Often, they're resold to more studies,
or I have heard of cases where they would be put down.
And so, I'd like to see less and less of that
as more sanctuary space is available.
[perches clattering]
- Amber Zorn: I mean, she has shown that
it's possible to build a sanctuary in Wisconsin
that's for monkeys,
which has never been done.
And it's the only one like it in this whole country.
- Amber Zorn: I am the primate caregiver here.
Giving them enrichment, cleaning, of course,
and just doing everything to make sure
that their day-to-day life is as great as it can be.
[mellow, playful instrumental music]
- Amy Kerwin: And so, the act of retiring them, yes,
means researching how they live in the wild.
To get to know the primates as part of their own species
versus how they compare to us.
- Amber Zorn: So, inside of the toilet paper roll are raisins.
This way, it's kind of a natural way
that they would be able to do it in the wild
to get food, bugs, or anything like that
that they'd be looking for in the wild.
- Amy Kerwin: So, Izzle is a very dominant monkey,
but he was shown grooming himself,
lip-smacking at other monkeys,
loving his mirrors and enrichment,
foraging in the pool and through the straw.
And so, just to see this monkey feeling out his environment
after he was retired here at age 14.
He was once labeled as "aggressive" in the lab,
and singly-housed.
To show that he now has a partner
is a true sign of rehabilitation.
- Amber Zorn: He's done a complete 180
since coming from the lab,
which is amazing to see.
- Amy Kerwin: Each of them has their own individual personality.
So, I guess I could say I love them all equally.
[rolls barrel into gate]
[Amber Zorn tries to suppress laughter]
- Amber Zorn: And sometimes, it's not that graceful.
[monkey wobble calling]
- Amy Kerwin: You know, there were a lot of naysayers.
It's like, "Why even try helping them?"
And it's like, "Well, they're wild animals."
They deserve dignity and respect.
But I always look at that as, I knew the need existed,
and I knew that not just myself
could be the one to solve the problem,
and that there's other caring individuals.
[gentle music]
But there's a need to establish a sanctuary
in every state
so that no monkey ever gets turned away again.
[gentle music]
Because they're so similar to us.
And just knowing how each and every one of them are,
I'd like to see them all be retired.
*