We wanted to take a moment to thank the members of our dream team at Primarily Primates, the Texas-based sanctuary managed by FoA. They helped us to weather this past weekends’ wild winter storms!

From left to right we have caretaker Marissa Sena, board member Tanya Suttles, caretaker Katie Jacobs, and supervisor Arianna Salinas. Before the freeze, they were preparing by stocking up on water, blankets, and peanut butter.

These caretakers remained onsite throughout the weekend to do heat checks and keep a close eye on the animals. All staff members are required to attend a winterization training session by Tracey Jackson (pictured below), maintenance manager and a member of the animal care management team. They’ve been trained or re-trained on protocols and equipment specific to their individual sections.

By the way, our power is back on. But because of the temps and ice everywhere, animals are still inside their bedrooms staying warm.

To help animals tolerate colder weather, care staff modify their diets. More protein, carbs and food in general helps animals stay warm, so staff provide warm oatmeal to the elderly guys who don’t have teeth and peanut butter sandwiches or other items filled with lots of carbs to the other primates.

We are so grateful to our supporters who have made it possible for the sanctuary to have four commercial generators, plus regular generators throughout the sanctuary in case of electrical system failure. Our new emergency preparedness building provides storage for winter items, but more importantly it is set up to accommodate animals who need to be evacuated from their enclosures because of inclement weather.

As this winter is showing no signs of slowing, you can help our residents and care staff stay safe and prepared by making a donation to Primarily Primates today.