Valentino
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Valentino and His Story
Valentino, born on November 16, 1999, is now two years old. He came from the Center for Gibbon Studies in California. He was ill and his parents could not care for him; his mother over-groomed his nose. Valentino was pulled from his family at last minute on Valentine's Day (hence his name). Because of my aunt's work with primates she was the prime candidate for surrogate parenting him.
Valentino and June
This is a photo of Val in my arms and June on the other side of the fencing reaching through. June is Valentino's sister who is four years older than Val. She turned 5 this past August. We got June about a year ago for Valentino. She now resides at Black Beauty Ranch www.blackbeautyranch.org where Valentino is also going to live when he is ready to stay there permanently.
What is Valentino??
So, you've seen him and you know his story... do you know what he is? Valentino is an ape. To break it down, there are primates and that is monkeys, apes and humans. Then in the ape family there are chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and gibbons. Valentino is a gibbon. Gibbons are the smallest of the apes and usually the quickest in the trees. Then, in the gibbon family there are 7 species, including Siamang, which is what Valentino is. The Siamangs are the loudest mammal on the planet and the largest of the gibbons.
Aww... I want one...
No you don't. Valentino takes up every minute of every day. He has redecorated our entire house: it is empty and broken. He has to sleep with someone every night and he needs a bottle throughout the night. He bites when he gets frustrated and the bruises are not pretty. Sure he is wonderful, but it takes so much work... a lot more than anyone would think. In order for anyone to own a monkey now, the baby goes through depression as well as the mother who loses her child. The baby needs attention all the time or it could die from stress, starvation or neglect. It is not fun at all. This is one of the few things I ever ask anyone to NOT do, that is owning a primate.