"Bahrain Willie" Goes to Wales

Peg Altemueller, BSPCA volunteer and Executive Committee Member
May 2004

The Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) is a charitable organization that takes in nearly 200 cats and dogs a month. Who would have thought that, back in December 2001, we’d receive a monkey? He was rescued from a local market, wearing baby clothes and a diaper, in a very small cage; he was very frightened by people poking and prodding him.

A friend and fellow BSPCA volunteer, Cheryl Gerringer, and I decided to formally sponsor him, even though he would be housed at the shelter, and he was soon named "Willie."

Learning about baboons

Having never worked with primates before, the task at hand was to find out his species type, how old he was, and how to care for him. Being an Internet advocate, I promptly got online to find answers, and quickly learned that having a monkey as a pet was not a wise thing to do. Since the BSPCA facility was never designed to care for a primate, the biggest challenge was to find him a new home. Bahrain doesn’t really have a zoo or facility that houses and cares for monkeys.

In January 2002, after e-mailing nearly 80 primate sanctuaries, rehabilitation centers, and organizations, Willie was tentatively identified via photos as a three month old yellow baboon. Linda Howard (with AESOP in Texas) was instrumental in helping us connect with the right people; she referred us to Shirley McGreal at IPPL. We found that placing a needy baboon was far from easy, because he was not a member of a (technically) endangered species and the possible centers all had long waiting lists.

A home is found!

In February 2002, Willie was accepted by the good folks at the Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education (CARE) in Phalaborwa, South Africa. What wonderful news, after over 300 e-mails and many apologies from all over the world! We then began the tedious process to secure official approvals and permits on both the Bahrain and South African side. We were in constant e-mail contact with Rita Miljo (founder of CARE) and Gien Elsas (her associate) to work out the necessary details.

Willie in his new enclosure in Wales

During Willie’s early months with us in Bahrain, many volunteers became involved with his care. Both Cheryl, myself, Vicky Swann, and Els Sintnicolaas were all part of his play routine. Of course the caretakers at the sanctuary not only kept his area clean, but fed and played with him on a daily basis. Special thanks go to Thusira, Prasad, and Siri who cared for Willie the longest, and did an amazing job. Vinard, Janaka and Nuwan also took care of Willie during his later months with us.

Willie’s daily buffets

Interacting with Willie was fascinating to us as we learned how smart primates really are. We all quickly fell in love with him, as he proved to be quite the charming showman and loved to be chased, hugged, and groomed. My husband John often said that Willie ate better than us, as he received a lovely fruit and vegetable buffet twice daily, including his favorite yogurt and an occasional sweet treat. Cheryl and I became Willie’s special friends. Cheryl’s husband, Charlie, decked out Willie’s enclosure to include tree limbs, hanging tires, and even a children’s play station to keep him entertained. He loved stuffed animals, balls, and all sorts of children’s toys.

"Monkey see, monkey do" was a phrase found true as Cheryl taught him to cover himself with his blanket when sleeping and jump into the palms of her hands from his play station. Seeing how quickly he was learning, we thought a mirror would be interesting to try. Kissing the mirror, looking behind it for the handsome fellow he beheld, and dancing in front of it were just a few of his antics.

Willie the thief!

We found Willie to be quite the thief. If you were not quick, and it wasn’t nailed down, he’d have it. From mobile phones to jewelry, we soon learned what not to take into his enclosure. My gold earrings will always bear his teeth marks.

Meanwhile, Norma Dennis, a friend and local pet shipper, worked hard to find a sponsor for Willie and his travels. Emirates Air - Dubai soon came to the rescue, and agreed to ship him gratis to South Africa. We were elated.

Nonie Coutts Veterinary Surgery came to the rescue when it was time to have Willie implanted with a microchip. Patricia Edwards, an Australian vet, came to the sanctuary and microchipped Willie before he realized what had happened.

When Willie was quite young, there were other pups and rabbits housed in closed pens near his area. This lasted only a short time, as he quickly learned to open windows, locks, and hooks. Several times he was caught toting a pup or a rabbit under his arms, though he never harmed them and only wanted to play. Needless to say, his area soon became off limits to other animals.

Bathing a baboon

Thusira often told us he gave Willie a bath; and we couldn’t imagine how he managed. Our only presumption was that he squirted some shampoo on him and hosed him off. But Thusira recently showed us photos of Willie all soaped up with baby shampoo, being held in a towel and then being gingerly brushed out.

One day Thusira called and said Willie had horrible black eyes. We weren’t sure if he had an illness or had injured himself, but he did not seem to be bothered by them. Taking photos and e-mailing our primate experts, we determined that he must have fallen in play and landed flat on his nose. Fortunately he healed quickly, after giving us quite the scare.

Denise Jennings from Titan Airways, soon became a good friend of Willie, offering any business assistance her company could provide. Willie looked forward to her regular visits when she would just sit and chat with him. Of course she had to feed him his beloved yogurt, and he showed her he could be a gentleman, eating his yogurt from a spoon outside his enclosure.

Early one morning I received a panicked call from the sanctuary manager. Willie had been bitten on the arm by a dog that had jumped the fence and gotten next to Willie’s enclosure. I raced to Dr. Jaffar’s office to find Thusira overseeing Willie being stitched up. There he was on the table half sedated. Tears quickly fell down my face as Dr. Jaffar and Thusira kept telling me he would be OK. Willie was grabbing my hand and holding it like a wounded child and it broke my heart. Seven stitches later, our primate friends told us he would heal quickly, After a few days Willie was none the worse for wear.

Willie, smarter than most humans!

Our clever boy took great pride in proving to us that he was smarter than the average human primate. Having recently secured the windows in his enclosure with long screws to keep him from opening them at will, I tried to enter his area and was having difficulty getting the screw out. Of course, he began screaming, anxious for me to enter as I fumbled with the screw. Loosening the screw and leaving it inside the window proved to be a mistake: once his belly was full, he recalled my frustrations with the screw. He threw open the window, turned around, closed the window behind him, fiddled with the screw, reopened the window and ran out showing me what he had stolen. Just like with an earring, it took some gamesmanship to get the screw back from him, but it delighted him tremendously to know he had gotten one over on me. This sort of thing happened often with Willie!

Since Willie was accepted by South Africa and his transport arranged, we thought the battle had been won. Much to our dismay, we encountered many stumbling blocks from the South African government over the next year that caused endless delays in sending him to his new home. But the people at CARE gave us the hope to keep plugging away. A year and a half had quickly passed from the time Willie was first rescued.

Norma connected us with Stuart King, from the Animal Reception Center (ARC) at London Heathrow Airport. Many e-mails went back and forth with Stuart to learn more about Willie’s care and primates in general. We learned that Willie was actually a hamadrayas baboon instead of a yellow baboon.

Time running out for Willie

By December 2003 (two years after his arrival), and many disappointments with the South African authorities, it was clear Willie needed another option. He was over two years old now, and his growing strength, maturity, and intelligence were causing concern. His makeshift home at the sanctuary would soon be inadequate. My husband and I were due to leave Bahrain in early May. Time was running out for Willie.

After another panicked e-mail to Shirley McGreal, she put us in touch with our Knight and Lady on the White Horse, Graham and Jan Garen from Cefn-yr-Erw Primate Sanctuary in Swansea Valley, South Wales. Graham said that Willie could come there if all the permits and approvals could be obtained. It looked like our prayers were answered.

Norma again got on the phone to make sure everything was in place with the generous folks at Emirates for his travels, in addition to working with the permit process from the Bahrain side. Willie had grown from the slight 2 kg (4.5 lbs.) he was when we first got him to nearly 11kg (24 lbs.). Emirates also agreed to fly out Willie’s 100 kg (220 lb.) shipping cage from Cefn-yr-Erw, in addition to covering the costs of sending Richard Irons, a Welsh vet, to oversee Willie’s travels.

Cefn-yr-Erw prepares!

What took place over the next two and a half months was incredible. The Garens not only began the paperwork approval process, but started building from scratch a quarantine station and a new enclosure for Willie. IPPL-UK helped with the costs of this enclosure. All this was done at lightning speed with much blood, sweat, tears, and expense. Graham kept us posted on their progress.

March 28, 2004, was the big day-Willie was going to Wales! Everybody was up bright and early, Cheryl, Norma, Rick, Pam, the boys at the sanctuary, myself and my husband, and of course all the Emirates folks on standby at the airport. Willie knew something was transpiring because, several days earlier, his crate arrived from London and was set outside his enclosure. And with all the goodbye attention he was getting, he must have suspected something. I had spent nearly three hours with him privately the previous day just saying my goodbyes. Of course, Cheryl and Denise both had their private time with Willie, too.

We took lots of videos those two days. Thusira, Prasad, Janaka, and Nuwan were taped all playing with him in his enclosure. We all laughed about Willie’s ways and the different things we had all been through with him over the last two years and more. He had so many people making a fuss over him, he had to know something was up.

Willie’s trip

While I was cutting up his vegetable/fruit buffet, Norma got his crate ready. Needless to say Willie was none too happy when Thusira tried to put him in it. Both arms and both legs went out to block his getting in the crate. Thusira did an amazing job, even though it took three tries! Once Willie was in, he settled down quite well. Thusira and Prasad drove the BSPCA van to the airport, followed by an entourage of vehicles. Willie went to the front of the crate and looked at traffic and watched the men and their driving skills in the morning rush! Of course, we had to have a photo session with the great Emirates people at their office. Soon the truck pulled up to pick up Willie.

We have to admit that was the hardest for us, because after all this time, Willie was REALLY going. We all said we wouldn’t believe it until he got on the plane, and this was as close to the plane as we were allowed. So, we all said our final goodbyes and love-you’s to Willie-and then the wooden door had to be closed.

Once the door was closed, much to our disbelief, Willie hugged his bear and began eating his buffet as if to say "well, now that the excitement is over I can eat my breakfast". We all told each other not to cry (not that it worked), as we waved goodbye to the truck. Willie was finally going to Wales.

With bated breath, we all waited for calls throughout the day to learn of Willie’s status. Graham and Jan were wonderful about letting us know what was happening every step of the way. Richard, the vet, told us that once in London, when he got to look in on him, Willie was ever so calm, as if to say "Why is everyone so worried?" Rick felt he had endured more with worry than Willie had obviously endured during the trip.

Jan informed us that during the long ride from the airport to Swansea, Willie held her hand in between reaching in his food bowl, as if asking what kind of restaurant this place was (since his bowl was empty by now). Of course our little thief managed to steal one of Jan’s earrings along the way-just like his usual self.

Over the next few days, we learned that Willie was adjusting to his new life quite well. He’d met all the great people at Cefn-yr-erw and had a chance to thoroughly explore his beautiful new home, which included an outside enclosure with trees and tires, and a bedroom with a color television.

Willie loves Wales!

Now Graham and Jan tell us Willie may be getting a new playmate (a girl) to join him in quarantine. We know that, thanks to Graham and Jan at Cefn-yr-erw and Emirates Air, Willie is one very lucky boy. We have to admit we feel as if we have sent Willie off to college to learn how to be a monkey. You know, since Willie was never around monkeys before, he really doesn’t know that he is one.

Graham and Jan have kept us well-informed of his progress. They’ve updated their Web site (www.cefn-yr-erw.co.uk) to include Willie. He’s been on the BBC, in the Welsh newspapers, and on the local news. We hear he is developing his own fan club and has had many visitors come to see him. We can certainly understand why this little soul we love so much is also loved in Wales.

So Willie has a wonderful new life, new accommodations, new friends, and new parents. We hope he never forgets the 27 months we spent together in Bahrain, and the fact we never gave up on him. Graham tells us they never forget, and we hope he is right. We know we will never forget our dear sweet monkey friend.

Thank you, Emirates Air! Please write a friendly letter to Emirates Air and thanking the company for donating transportation for Willie, a baboon stranded in Bahrain for two years, to a rescue center in the United Kingdom. The President, Emirates Air Corporate Communications Office P.O. Box 686 Dubai, United Arab Emirates The Bahrain SPCA made an exception to its policy of working solely for cats and dogs and allowed Willie to be housed there for over two years. It also deserves thanks from IPPL members. The Members of the Executive Committee Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals P.O Box 26666 Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain Postage from the United States to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain costs 80 cents per ounce