Watch the GLTs on the web camIssue Nine, July 30
Travel Paths
No new paths this week. They family is still crossing over to Holly Hill every morning via the low black walnut. More often then not, one or more of the monkeys may jump down to the fence and explore a little when they reach the trunk of the tree, before continuing on across. Laranja crosses back over the low black walnut to the fence. The kids follow her most of the time but Eduardo still carries the babies down the tupelo tree and into the hemlocks in the corner of their exhibit. Once or twice, they have used the high cross from the branches of tree five into the high black walnut. In the afternoon, they may cross back to Holly Hill together or separately for a short time. They have crossed over to the Red Light District (the area of trees between the bathroom and the exhibit) a few times as well, usually taking the branches of the hemlock closest to that fence or tree three to cross the path.
New Hangouts
In the morning, the monkeys have been spending a short amount of time in the hemlocks in the corner of their exhibit before crossing to Holly Hill, usually hopping down on the fence on their way. On one morning they made a foraging trip high up tree eight and into the neighboring trees. Once on Holly Hill, they spend some time in the bench and shed hollies, as well as foraging in the black walnut, white ash, and Tupelo next to the holly. They all cross back to the main exhibit together sometime as early as 1 or as late as 6 p.m. They then generally forage in the hemlocks and neighboring trees, and this is when they might cross over to the Red Light District.
July 23: So Much for a Quiet Day
The monkeys were already up and foraging in the hemlocks at 7 a.m. They rested and groomed one another until shortly after 8, when they all crossed to Holly Hill over the low black walnut. They were mostly not visible in the bench holly until around 9:15, when they moved toward the shed holly.
Laranja led and Moe and Mara followed closely behind, and they all stopped to forage high in tree 34 and then trees 33 and 32. Eduardo sat in the bench holly with the babies for a few minutes before getting up to follow. He climbed past them toward the shed holly, stopped and watched them for a moment, then turned around and went back to the bench holly, as if to say “make up your mind already!” to the rest of the family, who lingered between the hollies.
At 10, they finally settled into the shed holly, where they could be seen foraging, playing, and resting. Eduardo sat far out on a branch and watched intently as the loud speaker from the elephant talk in the yard across the path started blaring but he seemed curious rather then stressed and after a while moved up with the rest of the family in a monkey ball. At 12:15, the family moved back to the bench holly and a few minutes later Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit to eat briefly before crossing back and joining her family in the bench holly
Altogether it had been a pretty quiet day, which of course couldn’t last!
Laranja crossed to the main exhibit over the low black walnut at 1:45 and it looked like the others were going to come down the tupelo, but they stopped and foraged, moving slowly toward the crossing point. While we were watching them, Laranja must have crossed back over the low black walnut because she joined them suddenly. She is quite the sneaky monkey.
They all foraged up in the tupelo moving slowly downward until it was evident that Eduardo and Mara were indeed going to cross on the ground. Moe followed shortly after, leaving Laranja and the babies on the trunk. Laranja looked like she might cross but every time she went to jump to the ground she changed her mind. Instead she grabbed Baby 2 off the trunk and went toward the bench holly. Baby 1 looked like he might jump down to the ground on his own! Instead Eduardo jumped down from the hemlocks and ran across the ground to pick it up and joined Laranja in the white ash. Moe and Mara jumped back and forth between the hemlocks and the fence in the main exhibit where they were now alone before Moe decided to take the fence to the low black walnut and over.
Mara went up tree four and looked for a crossing in the high branches. Then she went up tree five and looked for the crossing into the high black walnut. At this point, Laranja left her baby in the bench holly and crossed back over on the low black walnut. She ran along the fence line and jumped into the hemlocks just as Mara climbed from tree five into the low black walnut and over to Holly Hill. Laranja ate for a few minutes and then crossed back to Holly Hill on the low black walnut around 3 p.m.
They stayed put for a little while but eventually Laranja, Moe, and Mara crossed via the low black walnut to the fence. Moe slipped off the fence around the kiosk and sat on the ground for a good minute, looking around. He ran along in front of the bench and stopped under it, where he again sat still for a few seconds before running to the hemlocks and climbing up the fence. A few minutes later Eduardo crossed on the ground with the babies around 3:45. Yikes, what a crossing!
After that chaotic crossing, the family took to foraging in the between the hemlocks and tree zero. They also found a new enrichment item, a mop head crawling with mealworms that the babies especially seemed to enjoy. Mara spent some time foraging low in the hemlock to the left of tree four and even on the ground. They all moved back toward tree zero at 5:45 resting and finally settling down for the night. By 6:15 they were all in the box and at 7 everyone was below the platform except for Eduardo, who slept above.
July 24: A Normal Day
The monkeys were in the hemlocks as usual at 7 a.m. They crossed to Holly Hill at 7:35 over the low black walnut and Baby 2 crossed all by himself, only being picked up briefly and then set back down on the overhanging branch. They rested, played, and foraged in and around the bench holly until 10:30, when Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit via the low black walnut and fence to eat. About ten minutes, later she rejoined her family taking the ropes to the low black walnut and over.
Around 12:30, Laranja once again crossed to the main exhibit, this time joined by Moe, who took the ground to the fence by the hemlocks. They both returned several minutes later over the low black walnut. It was then back to the bench holly until 1:45, when Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit once more followed by Moe and Mara on the low black walnut. Eduardo carried both babies down the tupelo tree and across the ground. They foraged in the hemlocks for a while, settling down to rest, groom, and play.
They returned to tree zero at 5:30 and moved into the box shortly after 6. The babies played on the top platform for a while but by 7, only the sleeping figures of Moe and Eduardo were visible in the box.
July 25: A Trip of the Red Light Variety
The day started much like the one before with the family up and in the hemlocks by 7 and crossing to Holly Hill by 7:30. They foraged, played, and rested in the bench holly for several hours. The resident deer and her fawns moved across the hill several times, causing quite a ruckus when the monkeys went down low to call at them. At 10:50, Laranja, Moe, and Mara crossed back into the main exhibit to eat and crossed back over the low black walnut after a few minutes when Eduardo didn’t join them. There was more of the usual foraging and resting and at 12:30, Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit again to eat returning a few minutes later to the bench holly.
The GLTs seemed to be making a long day of it on Holly Hill, and Laranja had to cross to the main exhibit once again without her family to eat at 2:10. They stayed in the holly until 3:30, chasing each other around in the high branches. Laranja, Mara with Baby 2, and Moe all crossed back over the low black walnut and Eduardo carried Baby 1 down the Tupelo and across the path to the hemlocks. They foraged in the hemlocks, disturbed periodically by deer moving through the exhibit.
At 4:20, Eduardo climbed from the hemlock in the corner of the exhibit into the Red Light District (area of trees between the exhibit and the bathrooms). Mara, Moe, and Baby 1 all climbed across after him and they foraged and explored the trees. At 4:30, Eduardo carried Baby 1 back across, followed shortly by Mara. Moe stayed several minutes longer before he finally found the crossing into tree three and rejoined everyone in the hemlocks. They moved back toward the box at 5:45 but moved in and out of it until 6:45 when they started to disappear below the platform. By 7, they were all settled down for bed and out of sight.
July 26: The babies Are Two Months Old!
The family crossed to Holly Hill just before 7:15 and moved in the trees between the shed holly and bench holly playing and foraging before going back to the bench holly at 9. They were quiet, playing and foraging until 11:30, when Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit to eat for a few minutes. Moe followed her after a minute or so. After they both returned to Holly Hill over the low black walnut, the family moved into the trees next to the bench holly and foraged. Mara led the way for the next crossing at 12:52 but paused on the low black walnut and Laranja ran on ahead followed by Moe. They ate from the food pan in the hemlocks while Eduardo labored to carry both babies down the tupelo tree and across the ground. They moved between the hemlocks and tree zero until 6:15 when they settled down around the box. Mara was still out foraging from the food trays at 7 while in the box Baby 2 sat on Laranja, Moe was alert, Baby 1 played by itself, and Eduardo sought solitude below the platform.
July 27: A Long Way Down
The GLTs broke from routine a little this morning when, instead of foraging in the hemlocks at 7, they moved high up into the branches of the trees around trees eight and nine. They foraged and played, moving in and out of sight.
Shortly after 8, Baby 1 fell from the trunk of tree eight about 14 meters up. It hit the ground and lay still on its side for a few seconds before it started to move its tail. It did not sit up or cry out and it seemed that at first none of the other monkeys realized it had fallen. Then both Eduardo and Laranja came and sat on the ground next to it and Moe and Mara sat low on the trunk a few feet away. Eduardo and Laranja watched the baby for a few seconds without touching it. Eduardo eventually reached down and pulled the baby toward his back and it clung on. They all climbed straight back into tree eight up to the same spot from where the fall had just occurred. A Zoo veterinarian and some Small Mammal House keepers were called to check on the health of the infant and determined that he looked fine.
The family moved down to the hemlocks in the corner of the exhibit and the baby was soon climbing around on his own, jumping, eating, and playing like normal. I am continually reminded of how tough these little monkeys really are. After the disruption of the morning, the family waited to cross to Holly Hill, foraging and resting in the hemlocks instead. At 8:35, it looked like Eduardo might cross, moving out onto the low black walnut and stopping in the middle of the overhanging branch, where he sat for several minutes before climbing back down onto the fence. He foraged around the kiosk, where he was joined by Moe. They ran along the fence and jumped into the hemlocks again.
At 9:34, Moe and Mara climbed high in tree five, coming down into the branches of the low black walnut and using the overhanging branch to cross. Laranja and Eduardo left the babies in tree five and looked like they were going to cross before jumping down to the fence and going to fetch them. Laranja ran all the way back to the hemlocks while Eduardo jumped from the sign post to the ground to tree five. He picked up both babies and climbed up tree five, moving over into the branches of the low black walnut and across. Laranja caught up on the ropes and then joined them in the bench holly.
The rest of the day was thankfully uneventful. They all rested, foraged, and played in the bench holly for the remainder of the morning and into the early afternoon. At 2:24, Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit to eat, rejoining the family after ten minutes. They remained in the bench holly until Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit again over the low black walnut at 4:11, followed by Moe and Mara. Eduardo took his typical route down the tupelo tree and across the path with the babies. They all foraged in the food trays by tree four and the neighboring hemlocks. At 5:45, they headed back to tree zero and were in the box half an hour later. By 7, everyone was below the platform except Laranja and Eduardo, who were resting together on the top level.
July 28: Holly Hill Forever
The monkeys spent a late morning the hemlocks in the corner of their exhibit, foraging, playing, and resting until 9, when they crossed to Holly Hill. They were mostly not visible in the top of the bench holly for a majority of the morning. Laranja moved back to the main exhibit to eat shortly after noon, returning to her family after a few minutes over the low black walnut. They continued to forage through the bench holly, playing and resting periodically and moving into the neighboring trees now and then.
At 2:30, Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit once again to eat, this time followed by Mara and Moe. Eduardo did not follow them and, after a few minutes, they reunited in the bench holly. Laranja returned by crossing high in the branches of tree five into the high black walnut and Moe and Mara took the low black walnut as usual.
At 5, Laranja crossed to the main exhibit for a third time to eat by herself before again crossing back to Holly Hill. At 6:07, they all finally made the cross back to the main exhibit. They all ate for 45 minutes before moving into the box. At 7, Baby 1 was the only one visible above the platform, playing by itself.
July 29: Rained In
The day started off slowly, with the family remaining in the box until 8. Perhaps their late day on Holly Hill had worn them out. After emerging, they foraged in the food trays by tree four for a short while.
They crossed to Holly Hill at 8:40 with Laranja in the lead. They headed toward the shed holly but turned back before reaching it and moved in the bench holly instead. The babies did most of their climbing on their own, only catching a ride when they couldn’t figure out a route. They foraged in the trees between the two hollies at 9:45 and Moe and Mara made a trip into the trees next to the elephant yard at 10:10. By 10:30, they had all moved down to the shed holly, where they settled in and were mostly out of sight.
At noon, they moved back to the bench holly and, 30 minutes later, Laranja, Moe, and Mara crossed into the main exhibit to eat. Ten minutes later they climbed high up in tree five and crossed into the high black walnut before returning to the bench holly. At 2:30, Laranja crossed back to the main exhibit again. Eduardo climbed down the tupelo tree and carried Baby 2 across the path. Moe was carrying Baby 1 and he was hesitant about crossing, as was Mara. Laranja crossed briefly into the Red Light District before coming back and crossing over to Holly Hill. She retrieved Baby 1 from Moe and they all crossed to the main exhibit on the low black walnut.
The sky looked ready to storm and thunder rumbled in the air but the tamarins paid no attention and foraged in the hemlocks and trees behind. At 4:45, they moved home to tree zero and into the box as it started to rain. The babies played and they groomed each other as they moved between the levels in the box. By 7 p.m., only Eduardo and Baby 1 were visible, sleeping together on the top platform.
