May/June 1975

volume 4 number 3

contents

3 Monkeys

7 Species by Species

17 New Monkey House

21 Old Monkey House

24 Zoo Map

25 Book News

27 Wildlife Print

Front Cover: two roloway guenons observe

the visitors as clearly as the visitors view

them through glass-fronted enclosures.

Back Cover: the lion-tailed macaque belongs

to the most widespread group of monkeys,

the macaques. The new Monkey House now

has three representatives of this genus,

Celebes crested macaques, Barbary

macaques, and lion-tailed macaques.

Design-Production:

Monica Johansen Morgan

Map on page 5 by Kathy Shea; photograph

on p. 21 Smithsonian Institution; p. 23 by

National Geographic Society photographers

Bates Littlehales & Donald McBain; pp. 13

& 19 by Max Hirshfeld—NZP; pp.6,8,9,

11 &15 by Steve Adams; covers and all

others by Ray Faass.

2

Friends

of

the

National

is a non-profit organization of individuals and

families who are interested in supporting Zoo

education, research, and conservation.

FONZ Board of Directors 1974-75

Arthur W. Arundel, President

Montgomery S. Bradley, First Vice President

Lavell Merritt, Second Vice President

Stephen Hosmer, /reasurer

Joan L. Jewett, Secretary

Ruth N. Nelson

William N. Olinger

John B. Oliver

Julie Pineau

Nancy Porter

Peter C. Andrews

Theodore Babbitt

John S. Brown

Timothy V.A. Dillon

Ronald Field

M. Anthony Gould Ted Rivinus

Donna K. Grosvenor Whayne Quin

Nella Manes Lee Talbot

Cecil McLelland

Shirley J. McNair

Gerald Wagner

Rosa M.Walker

Sabin Robbins, Executive Director

As a FONZ, you and your family receive

many benefits—publications, discount privileges,

and invitations to specia! programs and activities

—to make your zoogoing more enjoyable and

educational.

THE ZOOGOER is published by-monthly and

copyrighted © by Friends of the National Zoo,

c/o National Zoological Park, Washington, DC

20009, second class mailing permit approved at

the Washington, DC rate in the United States

$3 a year (of annual dues).

Zoo Staff

Dr. Theodore H. Reed,.Director

Mr. Edward Kohn, Deputy Director

Mr. Warren J. Iliff, Assistant Director

Mr. John Perry, Assistant Director

Office Chiefs

Mr. Jaren Horsley, Animal Management

Dr. Christen Wemmer, Conservation &

Research Center

Dr. Clinton Gray, Senior Veterinarian

Dr. Mitchell Bush, Animal Health

Dr. Richard Montali, Pathology

Dr. John Eisenberg, Zoological Research

Mr. Emanuel Petrella, Facilities

Management

Mr. Robert Engle, Construction Management

Mr. Joseph Reed, Management Services

Mr. Robert Mulcahy, Graphics & Exhibits

Ms. Judy White, Education & Information

Mr. Joseph McGarry, Protective Services

CPT Samuel Middleton, NZP Police

4

See

vi

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:

After the great apes, the monkeys

are our closest animal relatives.

Our fascination with them began.

long before we realized our kinship.

Ancient Egyptians worshipped a ba-

boon god and frequently placed

mummified baboons in tombs

along with honored human dead.

For thousamds of years Hindus have

held grey langurs of India sacred.

Their leader, Hanuman, was sup-

posed to have aided Rama in his

battle with the king of demons. The

people of Africa and Asia told

humorous folk tales of monkey

pranks. Many such stories were

collected in 14th century China in

the Hsi Yu Chi, a classic of Chinese

literature. Monkeys, it seems, have

appeared to our imaginations as

tailed caricatures

indulging with apparent abandon

the instincts we have been taught

by society to repress.

Today, scientists use monkeys for

basic biomedical research. Others

study monkeys’ social behavior to

gain insight into the social behavior

of early man.

Four Families

The monkeys represent four

families of primates that are wide-

spread on three continents and

represented on two others. Unlike

the great apes, who live only in a

few out-of-the-way corners of the

earth, the monkeys have been

extraordinarily successful. In num-

A roloway guenon from the wilds of west and

central Africa, peers out of his new enclosure

in the Zoo’s Monkey House.

4

of ourselves, |

bers of species, the monkeys are

unrivaled by any other group of pri-

mates. Only man can be said to be

more successful; he has occupied

more habitats than monkeys only

because he is able to alter the habi-

tat to suit himself.

Everybody’s image of a tropical

landscape would not be complete

without monkeys. And, in fact,

monkeys are ubiquitous inhabitants

of the tropical forests of Asia,

Africa, and South America. These

arboreal species have inherited and

improved upon climbing skills pres-

ent in the earliest primates. In the

New World, monkeys have not

spread into any other type of habi-

tat besides the tropical forest. None

have descended from the trees to

find a life on land. In the Old

World, on the other hand, many

monkey species have adapted to a

wide variety of partially or wholly

terrestial existences. Patas mon-

keys, for instance, which are almost

dog-like in appearance and the

fastest four-footed runners among

the primates, are inhabitants of

Africa’s open savannahs. Gelada

baboons inhabit rocky slopes and

near desert plateaus in mountain-

ous Ethiopia. The macaque of

Indonesia lives along seashores and

feeds on crabs and other intertidal

animals. In Japan, macaques live

on mountain slopes where there is

deep snow in winter.

The Japanese macaques are the

northernmost monkeys. Most mon-

keys, whatever their habitat, are

tropical. Indeed, the evolution and

distribution of the monkeys has

been determined largely by the

geography of the tropics.

Two Groups Evolved

The temperate regions of the North-

ern Hemisphere have been con-

nected in the past by a land bridge

between Alaska and Asia. Thus, it is

not surprising that the animals of

temperate North America, Asia,

and Europe are closely related.

Numerous species are found on all

three continents — moose, elk, and

brown bear are examples. But the

tropics of the New and Old Worlds

are isolated from each other, and

two quite distinct groups of mon-

keys have evolved.

The New World monkeys are

divided into two families. One is a

group of small, rather primitive

treetop species known as _ mar-

mosets and tamarins. The scientific

name for this family is Callithri-

cidae, which means ‘beautiful-

haired’. It is an appropriate name,

as visitors can verify from the four

species of marmosets on exhibit at

the Zoo’s Small Mammal House.

The second family of New World

monkeys includes the brown-

headed spider monkey, the mantled

howler monkey, and the red-

headed uakari, all of which can be

seen at the new Monkey House. A

number of members of this family,

which scientists call the Cebidae,

have prehensile tails. In fact, this is

the only group of monkeys with

prehensile tails.

The Old World monkeys are more

varied and numerous than the New

o

Barbary macaque :

ans

World distribution of nonhuman primates (as represented in the Zoo’s Monkey House).

World monkeys. They “are also

more closely related to both the

great apes and man. Here again,

there are two families. The more

numerous, the Cercopithecidae

contains the guenons, macaques,

baboons, mangabeys, and _ their

relatives. Some of these are arbor-

eal — an example at the Monkey

House is the beautifully colored

roloway guenon — but many are

terrestial. Among the terrestial

species a few have greatly reduced

tails, hardly more than a stump

remaining. Even if it is not prehen-

sile, a tail is useful in climbing

e colobus

macaque

Purple-facéd langur

OLD WORLD MONKEYS Vv

?

NEW WORLD MONKEYS

because it helps preserve balance.

On the ground it only tends to get

in the way. The Celebes crested

macaque and the Barbary “‘ape” or

Barbary macaque are examples of

nearly tail-less monkeys in the

Zoo’s collection.

Y,

The second family of Old World

monkeys are known as the leaf

monkeys (or Celelidae) and are in

general arboreal. All of them have

complex, many-chambered stom-

achs that allow them to feed on a

diet consisting mainly of leaves.

Leaf monkeys in the Zoo’s col-

lection include the black-and-white

Ever curious, a juvenile Barbary macaque

peers from atop the abstract forest of its new

home.

colobus and the purple-tailed leaf

monkey or Hanuman langur, the

sacred monkey of India. All of

these share a “long-waisted” look

— an indication of the family’s

unusual digestive apparatus.

Social Groups Maintained

Monkeys are all highly social ani-

mals, though the size of their social

groups varies from a single pair and

their young, as in the marmosets, to

cohesive troops numbering over

100, as in some baboons and ma-

caques. Social harmony is pre-

served in many ways — for exam-

ple, by the nearly constant mutual

grooming that is so characteristic

an aspect of monkey life both in the

wild and in captivity.

Any social order depends on com-

munication. As primate evolution

has progressed in the direction of

increasing social complexity,

increasingly complex means of

communication have evolved —

culminating in man, with his lan-

gauge and his subtle systems of ges-

ture and facial expression. Like

man, monkeys communicate both

by sound and visual means, includ-

ing facial expressions and body

postures.

A given monkey species may have a

“vocabulary” of as many as 26 dis-

tinct sounds. Each is used to com-

municate a_ particular kind of

information. Though this is a far cry

from language, articulate speech

must have evolved from. similar

humble beginnings. Monkey facial

expressions are particularly inter-

esting, because in this case the evo-

lutionary relationships between our

facial expressions and those of our,

lesser primate cousins are often

quite obvious.

The human smile, for instance,

seems clearly related to a facial

expression of Old World monkeys

known as the “silent bared-teeth

face.’” The monkey expression indi-

cates a mild threat combined with

some fear or submissiveness, and it

is interesting to speculate that the

smile may have originally had a

similar meaning. Another expres-

sion, known as the ‘relaxed open-

mouth face’’, may, along with the

vocalizations accompanying it, be

related to human laughter. The

monkey holds its mouth open and

produces a_ series of staccato

grunts. Perhaps significantly, the

expression usually occurs during

play.

Science has only begun to learn all

that can be learned from monkeys.

There are many stories yet to be

told about individual species’

adaptations to their particular ways

of life — how both body form and

type of social structure have

evolved in response to the manifold

pressures of the species’ habitat.

Moreover, monkeys have a great

deal more to teach us not only

about themselves, but about our-

selves as well. Hopefully, in an era

when the tropical forests and

savannahs are shrinking daily, we

will allow the world’s monkeys to

survive, both because as fellow liv-

ing creatures they have a right to

space on this planet, and because

of the entertainment and enlighten-

ment they have to give us.

Old World Monkeys

Family Cercopithecidae

Roloway Guenon

The roloway guenon belongs to a

numerous genus of monkeys that

are found almost everywhere in

Africa. The name “guenon’’ is

French and literally means ‘‘fright’’.

Evidently, the word was applied to

these monkeys because of the ex-

pressive shrieks and grimaces with

which they greeted early explorers.

Home is the tropical rain forests of

West Africa, from Sierra Leone to

Ghana. They occupy the high and

middle strata of the tree canopy

and seldom descend to the ground.

Troops number up to 40 individ-

uals. At night, they divide into rest-

ing partners of 4-10. When trav-

eling, they form groups of 10-15.

The roloway guenon is one of the

very few mammals with greenish

fur. Actually, the fur is a rich mix-

ture of vari-colored hairs ringed

with orange and silver.

Lion-tailed Macaque

The lion-tailed macaque is a repre-

sentative of the most widespread

genus of monkeys, the macaques.

This group, which also includes the

rhesus monkeys, are both the wes-

ternmost (in North Africa) and

northernmost (in Japan) of Old

World Monkeys. The subconti-

nent boasts a rich diversity of

species. The lion-tailed macaque,

named for the lion-like tuft of hair

at the end of its tail, is one of these.

Its home is a rather restricted area

on India’s southwest coast. Like all

macaques, it spends a good deal of

time on the ground. Typical social

structure revolves around large

groups, which contain one adult

male. Their diet in the wild con-

sists of fruit, roots, leaves, vege-

tables, and insects.

Barbary Macaque*

The Barbary macaque is a terrestial

monkey that inhabits North Africa.

There is a small colony on the Rock

of Gibraltar. They are the only wild

monkeys in Europe, and no one is

sure how they got there. When

Arabian conquerors arrived in Spain

in the 8th century A.D., the Barbary

macaques were already on Gibral-

tar. Perhaps earlier conquerors like

the Carthaginians or Romans intro-

duced them from North Africa.

However, fossil remains of

monkeys similar to Barbary

macaques have been’ found

throughout Europe, suggesting that

the Gibraltar population may have

originally represented a remnant of

a more widespread European popu-

lation.

Those on the Rock today are known

to have much imported North

African blood in their lineage. The

British have repeatedly strength-

ened their numbers by introduc-

tions from North Africa — mainly

because of the superstition that

British rule on Gibraltar will last

only so long as there are monkeys

on the rock. In the perilous summer

of 1942, for instance, Winston

Churchill telegraphed the British

High Command in North Africa:

“Catch some monkeys for Gibraltar

at once!”

Official British protection of the

monkeys dates from 1856. At first,

protection made the monkeys so

bold that they invaded the town

and plundered gardens, homes, and

shops. Finally, at a public celebra-

tion, one monkey stole the Royal

Governor’s feathered helmet. That

was the last straw. The monkeys

were banished from the town to the

rock.

Further, it was established that

henceforth their numbers could not

exceed 30 or 40. Excess individuals

are now caught and sent to zoos.

An Officer in Charge of Apes and an

enlisted man look after the mon-

keys, keeping an eye on their popu-

lation and trying to ensure that they

remain on their best behavior.

*Temporarily on exhibit in Monkey

House.

Celebes Crested Macaque

The Celebes crested macaque is not

a true macaque. It is, rather, a

unique species of nearly tail-less

monkey related to the macaques

but in several ways quite distinct

from them. The species is found

only on the northern peninsula of

the Indonesian island of Celebes

and smaller adjacent islands.

These macaques live in small

family groups of 5-25 individuals.

They spend most of their time high

in the trees, but frequently come to

the ground to feed on fruit in cul-

tivated orchards and plantations.

Old World monkeys typically have

pads of tough flesh on the rump

known as ischial callosities. In the

Celebes macaque the ischial cal-

losities are particularly noticeable

because of their bright red color. In-

females the rump area also swells

each month during the fertile

period. Similar swellings are found

in all Cercopithecidae.

Old World Monkeys

Family Colobidae

Purple-Faced Langur

The purple-faced langur 1s an

arboreal leaf-eating monkey of

southwest India and Ceylon. It has

a large larynx with accessory sacs

to amplify its voice. As with many

other monkeys living in the low-

visibility world of the tree-tops, a

loud voice is important for

communication.

Observers have commented on the

easy going nature of langur social

relations which lack the strife and

tension that are frequently found

among terrestial Cercopithecidae,

such as the baboons. Terrestial

monkeys evidently rely on their

social groups for defense — a situa-

tion which seems to put an evolu-

tionary premium on aggressiveness

and lends a martial spirit to the

society. The arboreal langurs are —

less concerned about defense. The

main function of their groups is the

care and education of the young.

When an infant is born in a larger

group, the mother and child be-

come the center of attention.

Black-and-White Colobus

Monkey

The black-and-white colobus mon-

key, with its long cape-like fringe of

white hair, is considered by many to

be the most beautiful of monkeys.

It inhabits the mountain forest

clear across central Africa and is

the most arboreal of all African

monkeys. The thumb is virtually

absent in this species. The name

colobus, in fact, means ‘“muti-

lated’. It was given by a 19th cen-

tury zoologist who apparently did

not realize that arboreal monkeys

frequently have reduced or vesti-

gial thumbs.

The colobus monkey, however,

does not usually support its whole

weight by its hands. Rather, it does

a lot of jumping and takes hold of

branches with both hands and feet.

It is a chunky species, with the

complex stomach typical of leaf-

eating monkeys.

Group size varies from 2-15 or

more. Solitary males are frequently

seen in the wild.

At one time, scientists could only

guess as to why the colobus has its

distinctive fringe of white hair.

Some thought that the hair might

act as a “parachute” to break the

monkey’s speed in its long leaps.

But the effect, if any, would be

rather slight. Recently, it has been

determined that the striking hair is

used in territorial signaling. When

two colobus monkey groups meet

in the forest, they wave their long

hair at each other by bouncing up

and down in the branches.

12

Unfortunately for the colobus, its

fur was long in demand commer-

cially for rugs, blankets, and capes.

Hunting was outlawed when the

species’ survival seemed in jeo-

pardy but continues illegally to

some extent.

SOE WE

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yy

New World Monkeys

Family Cebidae

Brown-Headed Spider Monkey

The spider monkey, one of the most

spectacular climbers in the animal

world, has the best-developed pre-

hensile tail of any monkey. A real

“ain and”, the -tail’-is strong

enough to support the monkey’s

entire weight and can be used to

pick up small objects. The under-

side of the tail is hairless with

whorled skin that provides a grip-

ping finger-like surface.

The spider monkey has perfected a

type of locomotion known as

brachiation or hand-over-hand

swinging from branch to branch.

The four fingers of each hand are

very long and are held together like

a hook from which the body swings.

The unused thumb has almost com-

pletely disappeared.

Interestingly, the spider monkey is

one of the few monkeys that occa-

sionally walks upright on its hind

legs. Most monkeys walk on all four

legs. In fact, it seems that an up-

right posture is a result of the verti-

cal hanging that brachiators do. For

this reason, it is generally believed

that man’s ancestors must have

been brachiators somewhere along

the line.

Native to Panama and northwest

Columbia, spider monkeys live in

the high levels of the forest canopy

on the slopes of the Andes moun-

tains. Traveling like nomads in

groups of 2-100, they follow the

seasonal variation in food supply.

Their diet includes fruits and nuts

and some buds, flowers, and

leaves.

Woolly Monkey

The woolly monkey is an inhabitant

of South America’s upper Ama-

zon basin. It lives on the forested

slopes of the Andes up to 10,000

feet above sea level. It may be that

the beautiful dense fur from. which

it derives its name is a protection

against the cold that occurs at such

altitudes, even though the latitude

is tropical. Woolly monkeys, like

spider monkeys, are true brach-

jiators. They swing through the trees

using their hands. Like spider mon-

keys, they have elongated arms and

can walk upright.

Male woolly monkeys have scent

glands on their chests which they

rub against branches as territorial

markers. While scent glands are

common in most groups of mam-

mals, they are relatively rare in

monkeys. Monkeys, like man, have

poor senses of smell. They tend to

rely on sight and sound for territor-

ial warnings.

Their wild diet includes leaves,

fruits, and insects. Found in bands

of 15-25 individuals, they also mix

freely with other primates.

14

Mantled Howler Monkey

The mantled howler is famed for its

powerful roars which are audible

for nearly two miles in the dense

Central and South American for-

ests. The lower jaw and neck are

expanded to accommodate the out-

sized vocal apparatus. In the wild,

a howler group roars every morn-

ing after waking. Whenever two

groups meet, they engage in a howl-

ing match. If neither group is dis-

posed to move aside, the howling

may go on for several hours. An

average group size is 18 with 3

adult males, 8 adult females, and

offspring of various ages.

Howlers are not so daring as spider

monkeys, although they also have

prehensile tails and are excellent

climbers. Instead of brachiating

they tend to jump from limb to

limb. Sometimes one will begin to

jump and then, apparently chang-

ing its mind, use its tail to catch

hold of the branch it has just left.

Thus he checks his flight, stopping

and supporting his entire weight by

means of his tail.

Favorite foods are figs, leaves,

buds, flowers, and other fruits.

Red-Headed Uakari

The red-headed uakari is a curious

species. Its nearly hairless head

gives it an oddly human look. Liv-

ing deep in the tropical rain forests

of western Brazil and eastern Peru,

it is a little known species. Uakaris

rarely leave the trees. Indeed, for

part of each year the forest floor is

flooded. They walk along wide tree

branches on all fours but never leap

from branch to branch. They are

believed to be gregarious, and

move about in groups of various

sizes. Fruits, buds, seeds, and

leaves make up their diet in the

wild. They are the only New World

monkeys with reduced tails.

Austin Hughes

Long before anyone ever dreamed

of evolution, man has been able to

recognize something of himself in

monkeys. Zoo visitors may pause

before the tiger or the rhinoceros

and walk away impressed. But

before the monkeys they are likely

to stay longer. There is always so

much to see — an_ inquisitive

youngster annoying his elders, a

domestic squabble noisily solved.

The pleasures of monkey watching,

all but denied National Zoo visitors

since fall, 1973 are now available in

new abundance. The completely

redesigned Monkey House opened

its doors on May 24th, and it’s guar-

anteed to be an exciting place.

Modern exhibit techniques and

sophisticated understanding of the

animal’s natural behavior have

combined to produce a new kind of

environment that should be a

happy one for both monkey and

man.

Bigger Cages

For one thing, the cages are much

larger. The indoor cages have been

enlarged as much as four and five

times. This means that, although

the number of species exhibited has

decreased, each species lives in

uncramped quarters and in a social

group similar to the one in which it

would live in the wild. In addition,

Previous page: Larger exhibit cages, innova-

tive design, and climate control help make

the new Monkey House one of the most

exciting attractions in the Zoo.

Floor-to-ceiling glass enable visitors to

clearly see the antics of the monkeys — and

visa-versa.

18

all the indoor cages are now glass-

fronted — a definite plus as far as

visitors with sensitive ears or noses

are concerned. The glass-fronted

cages benefit the monkeys too,

since each cage can now be kept at

the temperature and humidity for

which the species is best suited.

The new Monkey House features

some species that were not on ex-

hibit before. Likely to prove most

popular are the proboscis monkeys

of Indonesia, which have not yet

been acquired but are expected

soon. In adult males of this species,

the nose becomes greatly elon-

gated. No one, not even the ex-

perts, can really say why. Another

interesting new species is the red-

headed uakari of South America.

Its almost hairless head gives it an

eerily human look.

Along with these, some old favor-

ites are back. Among them are the

black-and-white colobus, con-

sidered by many the most beautiful

of monkeys because of its long

cape-like fringe of white hair. The

spider monkeys, marvelous acro-

bats of the South American rain for-

aie are. another returning

attraction.

Complex Design Demands

In designing an exhibit for any

species of wild animal, a great

many factors must be considered.

An obvious one is that, for the

health of the animal, the exhibit

must be easy to clean. It must also,

provide for the animal’s psycho-

logical health by providing outlets

for both his physical energy and —

especially in the case of highly

intelligent animals like monkeys —

his curiosity. It must give him the

opportunity to do many things he

would do in nature — to act in the

ways he has been shaped to act by

millions of years of evolution. In

addition, the exhibit should be both

attractive and instructive to the

public.

Designing an exhibit that satisfies

all of these criteria is not an easy

task. The Zoo’s new Monkey House

is the product of many months of

collective effort among the cura-

tors of the Offices of Animal Man-

agement, the veterinarians of the

Office of Animal Health, the archi-

tects of the Office of Construc-

tion Management, and the interpre-

tive specialists of the Office of

Exhibits and Graphics.

Miles Roberts, assistant curator of

mammals, and designer, Robert

Mulcahy, explain the exhibits phil-

osophy they arrived at. ‘You simply

can’t try to reproduce the natural

habitats of some animals—mon-

keys, for instance. Even if you

could grow your own miniature

tropical rain forest, say, for a spider

monkey exhibit, their natural in-—

quisitiveness would destroy it in no

time. Monkeys will always peel

away at bark and break off leaves.

You have to achieve some kind of

balance between the monkeys’

natural behavior and the demands

of captivity.”

Following the basic design model (lower

right), workers creat a full-size abstract

jungle best suited to the habits of each

species on exhibit.

19

Abstract Jungle

The result is admittedly a kind of

abstraction. ‘The bare bones of a

forest’ is how they describe the

new spider monkey exhibit. ‘‘We

want to suggest something of habi-

tats we know we can’t possibly

reproduce.”

Play Systems of Maryland, a firm

that specializes in constructing

creative playground equipment for

human children, built the habitats

for the Zoo. The cages are fur-

nished with combinations of wood

logs and platforms, metal pipes

painted to resemble wood,: and

climbing ropes. These materials

have been arranged in each case to

suit the monkeys’ needs.

Monkeys fit into a variety of eco-

logical niches. Some, like the spider

monkey, are free-swinging tree-top

dwellers. For these, a habitat has

been planned that will give them a

chance to exercise their instincts —

with pipes and logs instead of

branches, and hanging ropes instead

of vines. Others spend most of their

time on the ground. For these, plat-

forms replace the occasional rock,

hillock, or fallen tree on which they

would climb in the wild.

For both arboreal and terrestrial

species, the cage designs seek to

maximize the number of pathways

from one place to another within

the cage. This serves to prevent

stereotyped behavior by satisfying

the monkey’s desire for novelty.

Family Groups

All species will be kept in the nat-

ural grouping of monkey society —

20

a cohesive unit consisting of an

adult male, one or more adult

females, and their young offspring.

Natural social units make breeding

more likely, and captive breeding is

of increasing concern to all zoos as

wild populations of virtually every

animal face an uncertain future. In

the case of monkeys, breeding is

also sure to increase their appeal to

visitors. It is in their family life, in

the close and prolonged bond be-

tween mother and offspring, that

monkeys are most human, most

identifiably our relatives.

So what’s more fun than a barrel of

monkeys? A brand new Monkey

House, of course!

Austin Hughes

A baby black-and-white colobus peers ghost-like from the protective arms of its mother. By

keeping together natural groupings, the new Monkey House encourages breeding and normal

family life.

“New” Monkey House

Is Oldest in Zoo

Virtually everyone knows that the

Monkey House has just been reno-

vated. But few realize that it is the

Sldest , building in the © Zoo,

completed in 1907 under Smith-

sonian Secretary Charles D.

Walcott. What sort of place was the

old Monkey House?

“For some years past the want of

sufficient accomodations for the

animals at the park has been

severely felt,” Zoo Superintendent

Frank Baker wrote in the Smith-

sonian’s Annua! Report for 1904.

“This need seemed during the past

season so urgent that all other

objects not imperatively necessary

for the maintenance of the collec-

tion were deferred, and the avail-

able resources were applied to the

erection of a new _ house for

mammals.” Note that the original

Monkey House was designed not

only for monkeys but for small

mammals in general.

Lighted by Skylights

To select the site, Smithsonian

officials consulted Frederick Law

Olmsted, Jr., son of the landscape

architect who had helped to plan

the layout of the Zoo. The Wash-

ington firm of Hornblower and

Marshall were selected as the archi-

tects. Gray gneiss, the rough granite

abundant in the area of Rock

Creek, was the material chosen for

the 135-foot by 60-foot rectangular

house. Construction began in 1902

under Smithsonian Secretary

Samuel P. Langley. The 1904 Report

continues: “...The cages for the

animals are arranged so as to be

accessible from both front and rear.

Small movable passageways will

connect these inner cages with

those to be constructed about the

exterior of the building... The

building will be lighted almost

wholly by skylights, situated over

the cages, so that the animals are in

full light while the public is in

comparative obscurity.’’ Those

once-clear skylights, allowing ‘‘full

Floor-length skirts and plumed Victorian hats characterized the zoogoers who flocked to the new Monkey House in 1907. Innovative

skylights supplied illumination for the interior cages.

light’ in 1906, have now oxidized to

a deep purple hue.

Animal Statues on Roof

Like the zoogoer of yesteryear,

today’s visitor to the Monkey

House will see unusual terra-cotta

animals ornamenting the tile roof.

These finials were designed in 1905

by Mrs. L.S. Kemeys, a noted water-

color painter whose husband cre-

ated animal sculptures. On the

apex of each bay of the roof, the

visitor can see three bear cubs; on

the top of the west towers, two

bobcats; and on the top of the hip

roof and east towers, four fox cubs.

In the Smithsonian’s Annual Report

for 1907, Dr. Baker claimed that the

new ‘‘House for Small Mammals,”

which opened to the public on

November 15, 1906, was ‘“‘much the

most satisfactory of the buildings

erected at the park, being easily

warmed, quite sanitary, and free

from drafts.” Screens of ribbed

glass protected the animals from

the cold air coming from the roof.

The cages were easily ventilated by

tilting these glass screens. When

the house opened, all but the out-

side cages was complete. (A tem-

porary shortage of construction

materials caused this delay.)

Grounds around the building were

graded and planted.

No Funds for Apes

Why were the monkeys brought to

the new “House for Small Mam-

mals’? Health was the prime

mover. According to Dr. Baker in

1907, “As there has always been

great difficulty in keeping the

22

Sculpted, terra-cotta animals, such as this charming bear cub, still adorn the Monkey House

roof as they did in 1907.

monkeys at the park in a proper

condition of health, it was decided

to transfer all monkeys [to the new

house] and to add such others as

would serve to represent the order.

Funds were lacking for purchasing

any of the larger or anthropoid

apes,” he continued, ‘‘but there is a

fair collection of specimens of both

New World and Old World

monkeys, which attracts great

attention, and is appreciated by the

pupiic.””

The basic exterior of the old house

remains, including Mrs. Kemeys’

animal figures and the tiled hip

roof. Lead poisoning occasionally

took its toll when young animals

ate flakes of old paint from the out-

door cages. Recent wet-sand blast-

ing has banished all traces of

leaded paint and extensive welding

has made the bars virtually escape-

proof. Recent renovations have

drastically changed the interior.

Primate Purse-Snatcher

In addition to being dangerous to

the monkeys, the old, outdoor

cages sometimes proved hazardous

to zoogoers also. The late Dr.

William Mann, Director of the Zoo

from 1925 to 1956, had some vivid

memories of some of the monkeys

and their pranks.

“We had a long-armed chacma

baboon from Southern Rhodesia

who loved to loll against the bars of

his cage (located along the present-

day Small Bear line). Seemingly

comatose, he would entice visitors

to stir him up with an umbrella, and

then snatch it. His lifetime record:

68 umbrellas and canes, a gold

watch, a feather boa, a policeman’s

helmet, and a Congressman’s hat

and gloves.”’

Dr. Mann recalled that a_bad-

tempered Barbary ape named

George was equally adept at

playing tricks with zoo visitors.

George got into the dangerous

habit of hurling rocks at the small

boys who taunted him. To prevent

possible injury, Dr. Mann screened

off his outside cage with wire mesh.

Undaunted George put down his

rock missiles and began drenching

visitors by splashing water from his

drinking basin!

In the center of the house, the

notorious ‘‘sarcophagi’’ which used

to greet yesterday’s visitor—and

which actually served as radiator

covers—are gone. A zoogoer now

sees a pleasing open space cov-

ered by slate. Instead of climbing

steps, the visitor enters the house

by a heated concrete ramp—a wel-

come change for those with

strollers and wheelchairs. A’ wel-

come modification which is more

immediately noticeable is the total

elimination of smells, thanks to a

double exhaust system and glass-

enclosed cages. |

Perhaps the most striking and sur-

prising “‘sign-of-the-times” is that

construction cost of the original

house was less than $40,000. The

cost to renovate the house in 1975

was $600,000!

Emily Rudin

Educational Writer

The heavy bars and small cages of the old Monkey House enabled the late Assistant Director

Ernest Walker to clown it up with a pig-tailed macaque.

23

LOOWP

KEY TO THE MAP

fed Information Booth

oe Police Station—First Aid

$8 Trackless Train Stop

7h Restrooms

Restaurant

= Amphitheater

¢ Telephone

eee Parking Lot

wee Bus Parking Lot

RNAS

Deer

2 African Animals

3 Kangaroos

4 Deer & Antelope

5 Delicate-Hoofed Stock

6 Giant Pandas

7 Great Flight Cage

8 Bird House

9 Birds

10 Elephant House

11 Black Rhinoceros Yard

12 Small Mammals—Great Ape House

LS. lesser Pandas. .

14 Prarie Dogs

15 Mammals

16 Sea Lions & Cheetahs

17 Bears

18 Gift Shop

19 Reptile House

20 Monkey House

21 Siamang Gibbon—Jaguars

22 Police—First Aid

23 Restaurant

24 Lion-Tiger Hill

25 Waterfowl Ponds

26 Administration Buildings -

27 Hospital and Research Building

Primate Utilization elare

Conservation

G. Bermant and D. Lindburg,

eds. John Wiley and Sons,

New York, 1975 (196 pp;

20 photos, 15 drawings and

20 tables) $16.50.

This volume contains 15 papers by

contributors to the New Concepts

in Primate Production Conference

held in Seattle, Washington,

August, 1972, and focuses on

three major themes (a) current

and projected needs for primates

in research; (b) the status of

present sources of supply; and (c)

the development of domestic

sources of primates for use in

research so as to reduce.pressure

on natural populations.

Each year, some 60,000 primates

are imported into this country

from Africa, Asia, and South

America to be used in various

types of physiological and

behavioral research (over 50% of

these are used in terminal research

by the pharmaceuticals industry

alone). That this figure of 60,000

constitutes roughly 95% of all

primates used for research empha-

sizes the low priority researchers

have given to the concept of self

sufficiency of primate supply. It

also emphasizes the role of

research as a vast consumer of

wild primates despite the

disclaimer on the dustjacket that

this volume dispels the myth that

BOOK\V\

primate researchers pose the

major threat to the survival of

endangered species.

The first three chapters of the

book point out that the number

of primates imported has

decreased from the peak year of

1968 (90,000 imported!) but

careful reading reveals that this is

primarily because of decreased

federal support of research rather

than an increased efficiency in the

utilization of primates ‘in hand’

Furthermore, the increased

number of primate facilities,

some of them federally supported,

and the increasing number of

researchers utilizing primate

models suggests that a further

decline in demand for primates is

unlikely, augmenting the

arguments that alternative

sources of primates must be

investigated and developed

quickly. Several contributors sug-

gest that if the current reliance

on the use of primates for research

continues there may be a need to

alter current use patterns.

After reading this volume it is

apparent that the expertise and

technology is presently available

to establish breeding programs

adequate to meet current needs,

for a limited number of species

(rhesus macaque, baboon species,

Celebes macaque, night monkey).

But as Lindburg and Bermant

observe in chapter 15, “The

difficult questions seem to be in

setting priorities for the scope and

nature of different potential

programs and the species to be

used in them.” As of publication

time for this book (Spring, 1975)

no apparent consensus had been

reached concerning the priorities.

A number of large scale

production techniques have been

attempted with encouraging

success. Among the techniques

attempted, and reported in this

volume, are the establishment of

semi-freeranging colonies on

islands, such as the Cayo Santiago

Rhesus colony in Puerto Rico

(chapter 2); the free ranging ‘pro-

-visioned’ troops such as the

Takasakiyama Japanese macaques

(free ranging troops which are

lured to feeding stations) and the

traditional (but greatly expanded)

‘laboratory breeding colony’ such

as the one at the University of

Washington’s Regional Primate

Research Center. Although all of

these techniques demonstrate that

healthy primates can be consis-

tently produced under a variety of

conditions, none have been

attempted on a sufficiently large

scale to significantly alter current

importation requirements.

Apparently, before any large scale

programs can be initiated,

education of users on species’

suitability and support of specific

husbandry and breeding programs

still must be gained.

Much of this volume is also

devoted to the discussion of

primate conservation, or the lack

thereof. Several contributors

rightly call for more intensive

studies of the population biology

of all primates so that we may

assess not only the impact of

25

trapping for research but the

hunting for food by the indigenous

human populations and the effects

of habitat destruction and alter-

ation. In support of increased

fieldwork, Lindburg and Bermant

argue that although there is no

doubt that habitat alterations

pose a major threat to a number

of primate species some fieldwork

indicates that other species thrive

in areas where some degree of

habitat disturbance has occurred.

Thus it becomes apparent that the

population dynamics and ecology

of a species must be thoroughly

understood before the correct

decisions concerning its utilization

and conservation are to be made.

Although some of the papers in

this book do have their technical

moments, the editors have

obviously tried to make a complex

and technical subject fit for

‘public consumption’. My only

complaint other than that the

book is too expensive is that such

little measurable progress has

been made in the three years since

ithis conference was held.

Miles Roberts

Ass,ociate Curator-Mammals

On the next page: Selecting “the most beauti-

ful” of all monkeys, Zoo artist Warren A.

Cutler has produced a memorable portrait of

a black-and-white colobus mother and child

on exhibit in the new Monkey House. Third

in a series of six special wildlife drawings

prepared exclusively for FONZ, the limited

edition set or individual 18” x 24” drawings

are available by contacting FONZ. Other

Zoo animals in the series are the giant and

lesser pandas, jaguar, and white tiger.

26

Breeding programs for species such as the Zoo’s Celebes crested macaques are needed, but this

revealing book on primates gives little hope for optimism.