It has been another amazingly busy week at CERCOPAN and despite trying every day to find the time to write our blog, this is the first spare minute I have actually had! The highlight of the last week was the arrival of another Mangabey on Wednesday, this time a 7 month old infant male. The call came in at around 9.00am, from Abraham, one of our night security guards. On his way home from work, he had spotted the baby playing with a dog and a group of children in someone’s backyard. As soon as I put down the phone, Richard, Jerry and Egu (one of our primate keepers), prepared a travel box and headed off in the truck to meet Abraham. Speed is always imperative with confiscations, even a slight delay can mean that the animal is no longer on view, or worse still, it has disappeared altogether.
The team arrived at the compound to find a tiny Mangabey, drinking from a bowl of stagnant water. The monkey, later known to be called “Murphy”, was not chained, but looked very malnourished and dirty. After introducing the team as CERCOPAN employees, Jerry asked to speak with the owner of the monkey. Nobody immediately stepped forward, so our staff handed out educational materials, including a poster entitled “Why monkeys do not make good pets” whilst they waited. After about 15 minutes a man approached Jerry and proclaimed that he was the rightful owner of the animal, having bought the creature from a hunter and subsequently paid for its feed.
Despite Jerry’s generally very persuasive manner and his repeated pleas for the monkey to be donated to CERCOPAN, the owner stubbornly refused to part with the Mangabey without some form of financial compensation. This is a common problem, as people tend to feel that they should be repaid for having bought and fed the animal. In most cases, the owners relent once they are certain that we will not pay, but this man held firm and threatened that he would rather kill the monkey and go to jail than hand him over for free.
As time passed, the crowd grew and tempers began to fray, with all bystanders supporting the owners claim to compensation. Jerry however, remained calm, firm and patient, explaining repeatedly that buying the monkey constituted trading in endangered wildlife and that we would rather solve the problem via calm discussion than involve the police. After approximately two hours of negotiating, the mood finally changed and the owner handed Murphy to Richard, along with a smile and a hand shake. This little Mangabey is very lucky that we found him when we did, given that he is approximately half the size that he should be at his age. Thankfully he is already taking to the bottle well, so I am sure that it will not be too long before he catches up to his age mates at CERCOPAN.
9 Comments posted on "Luck of the Irish"
Claim Blog » Blog Archive » Luck of the Irish on January 19th, 2008 at 10:47 am
[…] MAKE: Blog wrote an interesting post today on Luck of the IrishHere’s a quick excerpt…despite trying every day to find the time to write our blog, this is the … fray, with all bystanders supporting the owners claim to […]
sheryl, washington dc on January 19th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Aw, I’m so glad it all worked out for little Murphy. Jerry sounds like one smooth talker. s.
Virginia on January 19th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
That is a very cute baby!
Wanda, Atlanta, GA on January 19th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Wonderful post - made me happy today!
cathy-california on January 19th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
What a wonderful ending to another sad story. I do feel so sorry for the puppy in the photo. Claire, I know you don’t want to pay for confiscated and endangered wildlife, but, if Jerry (a true hero) could convince this stubborn gentleman to hand over little Murphy, it seems that you might be able to convince others as well. Have you ever considered hosting a lecture where you pay a small stipend for everyone who attends the lecture–similiar to the one given by Jerry–and at the end of this, see if any animals are turned in? I view this as something different than simply paying for illegally confiscated animals. If you were interested, how much money would be enough to entice people to listen to a lecture? I’d be willing to fund a pilot project. Thanks. Hi Cathy, Thanks
Pam/Shell Beach, CA on January 20th, 2008 at 2:03 am
I agree with Sheryl. Jerry is quite the negotiator. I’m remembering the intense story of how he secured the release of Abonema. And now another amazing rescue, this time little Murphy. Nice work you guys!
THERESA SISKIND on January 20th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Claire, little Murphy is so adorable, I pray he gets stronger quickly. Jerry, you are my hero, I know I wouldn’t have been able to keep my cool undr those trying circumstances. Will Murphy have to be kept in quarantine? Boy, I sure wish I could hold him and give him some lovin! Hi Theresa,
cathy-california on January 23rd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Thank you so much for the reply. I would love to lend support for your educational program. One more question. Should I assume that you are relying on children to educate adults? It is so hard to believe that the gentleman you referred to in this post would have listened to their teenager–it took Jerry hours to negotiate Murphy’s release. I am not doubting your years of experience but I am just wondering if there is any additional role for lectures geared towards adults? Thanks again and hoping to hear more good news.
cathy-california on January 23rd, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Claire, I am having trouble getting into PayPal so I will try again later or tomorrow. You do not need to answer my last question about additional lectures…I guess the posters are pretty convincing. Thanks Cathy. In addition to the posters and schools outreach, we are also approaching corporate sponsors at the moment in the hope of obtaining funds to enable us to place a jingle on the radio and three large billboards at key locations in and around Calabar. I agree with you completely, we must reach out to as many different sectors of society as possible. Hopefully I will be able to update you on our progress with this over the next few months. Post a comment
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