Gizmo

The Jim Cronin Memorial Fund was pleased to provide funding for the rescue of marmoset Gizmo, yet another casualty of the UK’s trade in primates as pets.

Gizmo’s arrival in his new home, the Domestic Marmoset House at Monkey World caused quite a stir amongst the other residents. Although understandably nervous, he was still able to show off how athletic and nimble he was. Having previously been on a rather limited high-sugar diet before, the priority was to introduce him to a more natural diet and healthier options.

It didn’t take long to learn that Gizmo was a very friendly monkey, choosing to follow the staff around while they were cleaning his enclosure. After much discussion, the small monkey team decided that they would attempt to pair Gizmo with Solomon from the Marmoset Complex.

On the day of the introduction, Solomon was brought to Gizmo’s enclosure and given mesh contact initially. The pair immediately showed positive behaviour towards each other and soon after, the slide was opened between the two bedrooms. Gizmo was understandably a little nervous at first and puffed up his hair to make himself look bigger, but Solomon was very respectful and would calmly back away, whilst taking the opportunity to eat Gizmo’s breakfast instead.

Soon the tables had turned and now that Gizmo had calmed down and paying attention to Solomon, poor Solomon was starting to get a littler overwhelmed. The team at the park however did not give up, they decided that the best course of action moving forward was to do shorter introductions.

After just a few days the pair were inseparable. Wherever Solomon goes, Gizmo isn’t far behind. Whatever Solomon is eating, Gizmo wants to have a little taste of it as well. It’s fantastic to hear how well they are both doing and how much they are enjoying each other’s company, another life saved.