Written by: Heather Clemenceau
“Monkey Mom,” (sometimes known as Yasmin Nakhuda) is apparently still on a quest for substitute children. She just made a ruthlessly strategic move to deprive her own former pet Darwin of any possible companionship at his potential new home at the former Northwood Zoo, which is currently for sale. While Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary (his home) campaigns for funds to allow them to relocate to Northwood (and take over responsibility for Northwood’s macaques), Ms. Nakhuda went and purchased the two suitable companions for Darwin from Northwoods, and took them home to add to her own personal “safari park” in Kawartha Lakes. Surprise!
Quite apart from the fact that Northwoods shouldn’t be selling exotic animals to private collectors, I’m honestly baffled why Nakhuda, who has two (human) children, persists in becoming a wanna-be Jane Goodall by acquiring the two juvenile Japanese macaques.
Here’s the smug, self-congratulatory Facebook announcement:
Supporters of Story Book Farm will recall that in 2013, Nakhuda sent a petition to the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) and Brock Township, signed by a group of 116 petitioners, seemingly as part of a plan to revoke the charitable status of the sanctuary. Naturally, this empty rhetoric fell on deaf ears, since just about the only way to have your charitable status revoked is if the charity itself doesn’t comply with CRA’s regulations, they fail to file their returns, or they ask to be de-registered. In addition to that, most of the claims made in this petition were inflammatory and dangerously speculative. Accusations were flung – accusations that can now be applied directly to Nakhuda herself.
Nakhuda’s 2013 letter tried to suggest that:
“Story Book’s primary agenda is not the rescue of unwanted or neglected animals but to build a private zoo or collection of primates and other exotic animals.”
Of course, she ignores the fact that her own monkey was acquired by Story Book after she lost him in parking lot (a pretty fearful situation for a baby monkey) and he had to be rescued. I’m guessing that Nakhuda, who does not claim to be operating a charitable sanctuary, doesn’t see the irony in purchasing these two primates for her own collection.
“Story Book did not have appropriately-educated volunteers, was unqualified to take care of primates.”
Ducks at Nakhuda’s “pet heaven”
This, despite the fact that Story Book has a varied combination of volunteers and a Board of Directors with animal, veterinary, and direct primate experience. To the best of our knowledge, Ms.Nakhuda has no apparent animal training or specialist knowledge of primates other than how to accessorize them with stylish clothing and diapers. We know from the Nakhuda v. Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary verdict and Nakhuda’s own description of Darwin’s behaviour that she went to great lengths to keep him contained and herself from being injured by him. We also question whether the misguided monkey mom has an established enrichment program for these macaques – experienced keepers spend many hours figuring out ways to stimulate primates, both mentally and physically. Instead, she stated that she thought of him as her “child,” – “Japanese macaques, they have 93 per cent human DNA. So, he would act like a little child, and therefore when I call him my son I’m not mental.” First of all, primates don’t have human DNA – the point of divergence from our MRCA (most recent common ancestor) occurred approximately 29 million years ago. While they share approximately 93% of our nucleotide homology, they do not precisely share our human DNA. So, that pretty much demolishes Nakhuda’s argument that Darwin can ever be a “son.” Secondly, most people possessing common sense know that humans are not a direct substitute for a primate’s own co-horts. Instead of being taken to shopping malls, Darwin needed
Nakhuda’s “Pet heaven” was not so heavenly for this deceased alpaca
to be safe and living with other macaques, not left alone in cars – there was nothing in his biology that could prepare him for this kind of experience.
Nakhuda’s actions in acquiring these two primates appears to be an attempt to throw a literal monkey wrench into the plan to finally integrate Darwin with suitable conspecifics who are close to him in age, apparently with the assumption that this will force the return of Darwin to her after all this time. However, Darwin continues to be a healthy and vibrant monkey who enjoys the company of the baboons and macaques who live nearby him, along with his human caretakers.
~Monkeys are superior to men in this: when a monkey looks into the mirror, he sees a monkey~
Malcolm de Chazal
The point of divergence from the most recent common ancestor of Homo Sapiens (us) and Japanese Macaques occurred approximately 29 mya (million years ago) Courtesy of Timetree.org
