Over the last few weeks, we have had a number of our wonderful supporters contact us to see how our primate sanctuary, the largest of its kind in the USA, which houses more than 450 monkeys, is faring throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Below, our Sanctuary Director, Dr. Liz Tyson, answers some of the most common questions we have received.
1. Is the sanctuary still operating?
Yes! With more than 450 monkeys (and around 20 domestic cats) under our care, we operate 365 days a year, even during a global pandemic. Most of our staff live onsite at the sanctuary in order to provide round-the-clock care for our residents. It really is “business as usual” here.
2. Can the monkeys be affected by COVID-19? If so, what are you doing to protect them?
Evidence from laboratories has suggested that some of the species of monkeys that we care for here can be infected with COVID-19 via transmission from humans. While this may sound very worrying, our team was well-prepared for this possibility. There is always a risk of disease transmission between people and monkeys (known as zoonoses) and so our standard operating practices always require all of our staff wear the relevant protective clothing while working in close proximity to the monkeys. This includes gloves and masks as standard, as well as more specialized clothing for cleaning and working in our clinic.
Perhaps most importantly, we have no direct physical contact with the monkeys except in the event of the need for medical intervention. In effect, we practice social distancing with them, which helps to keep both staff and monkeys safe.
3. Is the Sanctuary located in an area which is under “lockdown” and, if so, how has that affected you?
The state of Texas is now under an Executive Order to “shelter in place,” which came into effect on April 1 and provisionally expires on April 30. However, as we take the safety of our staff and animals very seriously, we had already implemented a voluntary “shelter in place” protocol for our staff three weeks prior. For most of the world, shelter in place has means staying at home with their families; for most of our staff, it means staying at work with their colleagues! In addition, under the more formal state-wide order, animal shelter workers are classed as “Essential Infrastructure Workers,” so our staff who live offsite are still able to come to work as normal.
We are really grateful to our dedicated team who, now as always, has stepped up and done what needs to be done to continue to care for the monkeys to the best of our abilities during these difficult and uncertain times.
4. Have there been any challenges that you have faced as a result of the ongoing pandemic?
Our access to supplies and services have been affected. For example, we use many of the items that are in high demand right now, such as masks and medical-grade coveralls, on a daily basis in our clinic and when working in close proximity to the monkeys. We have switched, in the last month, to reusable masks and coveralls in order to both reduce our reliance on them while they are scarce and to ensure that more of these vital supplies can be directed to front-line healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our food supplies have been affected with rising prices and limited availability, as people have been bulk-buying food in recent weeks. We planned ahead and have been able to purchase extra food in advance to ensure that, if supply is cut off or severely reduced, the monkeys continue to receive a high standard of nutrition. Cleaning supplies which, as you can imagine with around 30 enclosures to keep clean, we use in large volumes, are subject to restrictions so we are currently running very low and hoping that supply will go back to normal very soon. We are currently taking each day at a time and meeting the various challenges that we are faced with as they arrive.
We are already seeing a drop in funding because we had to postpone all our spring fundraising events. Our team is working hard to ensure that vital funds needed to care for the monkeys are still available. With this in mind, we are truly grateful for the ongoing support of all of our donors – your ongoing support is what makes our work possible.
5. What are you and the team doing in your spare time while on lockdown?
Some team members have spent the last weeks restoring our communal garden, which had been unused for a few years. We are all really excited to see their project (literally) bear fruit! I think there has been a lot of cooking, reading, and Netflix going on, too, just like everywhere else around the world! Some of us are also making the most of the 175-acre site to go for walks and jogs in the evenings after work.
If you have any questions for Liz and the team, you might be interested to know that our sanctuary staff will be hosting a social media “Takeover” on our Facebook page tomorrow, Wednesday, April 8, from 1:00 PM ET. Get your questions ready and head over to our page on the 8th to have your questions on this, and any other sanctuary-related topics, answered by our expert team!