Day-today activities of a monkey trainer

So now that I've explained how I ended up being a monkey trainer, I bet you're curious about what I do on a day-to-day basis. Well first off I clean. A LOT. Do monkeys actually throw poop at me? Well there are a few that are learning not to, but one monkey is notorious poop thrower. I don't know what he had against me, but everytime I'm in his room cleaning (there are six different monkey "dorms") I end a lot dirtier than I started. Thank god they provide scrubs for us to wear so our we don't have to leave stinking like monkey at the end of the day. After cleaning, comes the important part which is feeding and medications. The monkeys are all on really strict schedules so it's really important to feed them at the same time everyday. Sometimes I think the monkeys have a better diet (I am a poor college student after all); they get to eat walnuts, fresh fruit, vegetables, even hummus and chicken! Once these tasks are all done, then it is the fun part. Each monkey has one trainer who is responsible for taking them out, weighing them, even bathing them. We have an awesome playroom that has all the toys you can imagine for the monkeys to use. I am still forming my relationships with my monkeys (they have EXTREMELY complicated hierarchies), so my monkeys and I started out by hanging out in a private room, and had to work our way up to the playroom. Once you are in a comfortable relationship with your monkey it is so fun to watch them with the toys, and even better is watching them interact with other monkeys. We have one monkey that all of the ladies looooove. He is like the Brad Pitt of the place. My one monkey gets so excited when they are both out at the same time that she will bat her eyelashes and stand there and flirt until he notices her.

Aside from the playroom, there is also a floor of training rooms ("apartments" to simulate the real homes the monkeys will live in one day), and also an enrichment room. The enrichment room is a favorite of many, it is a system of pipes and hanging toys. It has places where you can hide walnuts as a game for the monkey to play. The monkeys are just like people and some are smart, some are not. Therefore, not all monkeys are always in training. Currently, my monkeys are not in training. I have one in particular that is known for her lack of brains. She is certainly very cute, but she is by no means the sharpest tool in the shed.

All in all the day-by-day work as a monkey trainer is probably just as fun as it sounds. There are times when I am mopping a gross floor, or cleaning a cage smeared with poop, but the one-on-one time with my monkeys most certainly makes it worth it.

MONKEY BUSINESS!

Graduating from college was one of the most exciting times of my life, but also the scariest. What does a zoology major do in the real world anyway? I didn't want to have to move somewhere down south to work at a good zoo, and there were not many options in New England for zoologists. I spent the last few weeks of school enjoying this last time with my friends, but I constantly had nagging thoughts about my future in the back of my mind. My friends all had sensible majors like business or engineering, I was beginning to seriously doubt all of the hard work I had done during the past four years.

Thankfully, my friend Kim solved all of my problems. She called one day to tell my how her mom had read about this place in Boston that trained monkeys. Not only did they train monkeys. but they trained them to be service animals to people in need. It seemed like the perfect organization for me. I loved animals, and I had always hoped to help people as well as animals one day. I decided to give it a shot.

I checked out their website and saw that they weren't looking for any more trainers, nor were they looking for volunteers. I was so desperate at this point that I decided to call them anyway. After a few weeks of emailing back and forth, I had an interview the week before graduation. Just in time. The interview went well, and before I knew it I had graduated, moved to Boston by myself for the summer, and was cleaning up monkey poop (unpaid!) as my job. Eventually my hard work paid off, and at the end of the summer I got offered a position as a trainer. I have four monkeys- Sabrina (not the smartest girl), Wendy (my shy monkey), Lisa (the diva), and Mikey (my mischevious monkey). Everyday is an adventure, and I learn more and more each time. Now that you have the background, I'll continue to update you on the monkeys antics that I see everyday.