The day a monkey sat on my head.

August 3, 2013 (Part 1)

Bush Babies is a monkey sanctuary located about 50km from Johannesburg. Their aim is to provide a haven for monkeys that have previously been household pets when their owners realize that monkeys do not make good pets. They also rescue primates from zoos and pet stores who are not thriving in a confined environment. All of the primates at Bush Babies roam free within the sanctuary, which is basically a huge forest. 

The sanctuary is funded by visitors, and the only way to enter the sanctuary is in the company of a trained guide. The guide helps spot and identify the monkeys, and provides all kinds of insight into these extremely intelligent animals and the work the sanctuary is doing. 

We ventured here on a Saturday afternoon to explore the site and spend some time with these adorable creatures. Here are a few shots of our visit...

The sanctuary had over 75 primates at the time of our visit; we saw several capuchin monkeys (top row), a few different types of lemurs (including the iconic and endangered ringtail lemur in the bottom right corner, above), and Sarah, the sole spider monkey currently living at the sanctuary (bottom, middle).

"Appie", a capuchin monkey, has been at the sanctuary since it opened. Our guide confided that she tends to steal the show- she loves people, woman especially, and chooses her transportation carefully! 

As a former pet, Appie is a trained klepto...I don't think she was very successful on our visit, but it was not for lack of effort! And no, M is not about to cuff her, just lifting his hand out of her way as they ask guests not to touch the monkeys in an effort to help de-humanize them as much as possible (I think little Appie still has a long way to go...).

The sanctuary aims for an "as close to the wild as possible" experience; they have incorporated bridges and pathways for visitors, but the primates roam freely within the large forest and Magaliesberg mountain cliff area (can you spot the two monkeys in the photos above? Hint: one is sunbathing...).