Creed and Dawkins: From "Testing" Facilities to Sanctuary
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

FROM Born Free USA's Primate Sanctuary
November 2019

Your adoption donation will help these highly intelligent and sensitive animals overcome their pasts and experience the happy, fulfilling lives they were born to have.

This month, we will be introducing you on Thursdays to monkeys who need your support. You can sponsor a monkey to help with food, medical care, and toys for enrichment. Your adoption will help these highly intelligent and sensitive animals overcome their pasts and experience the happy, fulfilling lives they were born to have.

Today I want to introduce you to two of our newest arrivals, Dawkins and Creed. They are rhesus monkeys who arrived in May 2018 from animal testing facilities. While the beginning of their lives was similar, their arrivals at the sanctuary could not have been more different.

Dawkins arrived with a splash! When he arrived at our local airport, he immediately made headlines. The inadequate crate he had been transported in came apart, allowing him to escape. He scrambled towards a baggage claim area, swinging from the belts of the channeling system, until veterinarians were able to sedate and safely secure him.


Dawkins climbs around his new home...

Once Dawkins arrived at the Sanctuary, he quickly settled into his new, permanent home. One of the most critical aspects of the primates' care is to make sure they find friends. Dawkins was introduced to Flo, a Japanese macaque who previously struggled to find a buddy at the Sanctuary. They quickly bonded – a win for both monkeys!


Dawkins and Flo enjoy grooming...

Creed had a relatively uneventful arrival at the Sanctuary and was very hesitant to leave the safety of his transport crate. He had never before walked on soil or grass and was overwhelmed by the spacious, outdoor enclosure. Reluctantly, the shy boy slowly emerged from his crate... and has never looked back!


Creed explores his new home...

Creed is now becoming the monkey he was always meant to be. He loves eating peppers and taking long naps. Most of all, Creed loves Oscar, his best friend who arrived with him, but whom he had never met, despite being used in the same laboratory. Within days of their arrival, Sanctuary staff spotted them grooming each other. The pair remain inseparable and can often be found snuggled together or playing boisterous games of "tag" around their enclosure.

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