Some of the residents.

A few of the characters.

So, as promised, here is an introduction to some of the great characters that reside at Highland Farm.
It seems only fitting to begin with the lady who started it all, No, not Pharanee but Miss Chester. I’m going to be lazy and just paste in her story from an earlier entry.
“Unfortunately certain hill-tribes in this area do actually hunt Gibbons for their meat. One day a man called to their (Pharanee and Bill), as yet unfinished, door and offered them a baby Gibbon for sale. They were reluctant to pay money as this only encourages the trade but he was threatening to sell it to a bar in Bangkok. There it would have been doomed to live a short life chained to a bar and made to smoke and drink for the amusement of the customers. In the end they agreed to pay 500 Baht for it, around $15 at today’s exchange rate. This was the last time they ever paid for a Gibbon. They named the young baby Chester, it is difficult to tell the sex of a baby Gibbon and she later became Miss Chester. This was the beginning of the sanctuary, abused and mistreated Gibbons then started arriving from all over Thailand.”
Today Miss Chester is 18 years old; She lives with her partner Johnny and is in perfect health. She has had several babies over the years but now receives a contraceptive injection every 3 months. I think Johnny is quite relieved!

Sonia.
Sonia is the oldest Gibbon here at the sanctuary. She is 39 years old and in good health, she could well live to be 45 or even 50 years old. She is a yellow cheeked crested Gibbon, these are a rare sub-species from Vietnam. She is a very feisty lady which is why I was unable to get close enough to get some photos without the wire. Her previous owner had developed senile dementia and would quite often forget to feed Sonia. Here she is on 3 square meals a day and lives with her partner David.

Jerry.
Working with primates you get to meet all sorts of characters. Some crack you up with their sense of fun, others melt your heart. I'm afraid Jerry has melted mine, well and truely. At first I thought he was obese or even pregnant then I heard his story and now I have to visit him everyday.
Jerry is 18 years old, he arrived at the sanctuary in a bad way. His owner was a soldier and for some reason, perhaps Jerry was approaching adulthood and started to bite, kicked Jerry so hard that he shattered his pelvis and compounded his spine. Jerry received no veterinary treatment for this and some time later his owner dropped him off at a rescue centre near Bangkok. They were unable to give Jerry the care he needed and so called Pharanee to come and collect him. He has recovered well but unfortunately doesn’t like the company of other Gibbons. Thankfully he is surrounded by them without having to actually be in the same enclosure as them. He gets to sing and take part in any excitement that is going on. He loves to have his back scratched and lets you groom him as long as you are quiet and not wearing boots.
Keri ;o)