Monkey Bites

Mel with Daphne, an owl monkey

Some of you know that Mel used to be a dolphin trainer at Miami Seaquarium.  That's what she was doing when we first met.  When she decided to come to San Diego - because that was what she wanted to do, not because of me - she wanted to work with the Pet's Rule show at Seaworld.  She had started working with the whale at Seaquarium but didn't want to pursue that at Seaworld.  I'm actually very thankful for that forethought.

What she did want to get into is training dogs and cats.  I think when we get to TN she'll probably start her own training business.  I really hope she does.  In the interim, working for Pet's Rule is a great opportunity.  This summer she was afforded the chance to work the new exotic animal attraction that Joel Slavin's Professional Animals, that is the company that produces Pet's Rule, is putting on at Seaworld.  Besides working with the normal cats, dogs, pigs, pigeons, ducks, emus, kangaroos, and parrots, she now works with llamas, miniature horses and donkeys, porcupines, capybaras, groundhogs, a binturong, and owl monkeys.  I'm sure I missed a few.

But that brings me to the owl monkey.  Mel comes home one night and has all these bites on her arms.

"What happened?"
"I got bit by a monkey." Nonchalantly she says.

Maybe I've just lived a sheltered life but I find the fact she has monkey bites on her arm mind blowing.  I mean monkey bites!  Considering my last run in with a monkey was with this guy.

Blue balls would ruin anyone's disposition

Unceremoniously called the Blue Ball Monkey.  We were in the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation area in Tanzania.  We just stopped to use the restroom and this guy jumps into our LandCruiser.  Not wanting him to make off with something important I shoo him out.  He gets out of the truck runs about three feet and turns on me baring at least 3 inch fangs and holds his ground.  It looked like he was about to charge.  I was drinking a Fanta orange soda in the old glass bottle.  The first thought that came to my mind was to smash the bottle on the truck and use it as a shank against him.  "There's nothing like the pure joy of watching a monkey knife fight."  Ridiculous.  Luckily for me it was all bluster and bravado and he relaxed for this picture.

So Mel assures me that Daphne is a sweet girl and only started acting up because she was hungry and was getting antsy from that.  In the end they made up and are still friends - monkey bites and all.