Date of Birth: 2001
Place of Birth: In the Wild
Arrival at MONA: 2002
Katy´s story
Her owner used her for photos with tourists on the Costa Brava. We learned of her existence when the owner saw MONA’S information stand at a show and approached us to find a solution to offload her. We alerted the authorities a few days later and went to the address given to us by the owner in l’Estartit, a local beach resort.
When we arrived he had already left the apartment and the country, leaving Katy chained up inside without access to food or water.
Past
Katy was the first macaque who came to MONA. When she arrived, she was very young but already showing signs of stress due to the early separation from her mother and lack of socialization with her own species. She was very humane [human ?]. The original idea was for her to stay here until we found a centre with a group of macaques for her to live with, because in 2002 MONA had no facilities for keeping macaques. She was placed on the waiting list of several centres, but the months went by and her self-harming behaviors increased as a way to get rid of frustration.
After eight months on the waiting list, we decided to rescue other macaques that had been intercepted and start a social group, of which she was a good leader.
Present
For many years she was the leader of her group, but some years ago she was superseded by Pipa, the other female of the group, who now rules with an iron fist and is always alert to what the others are doing. Katy has been second in command of the group for a while now, but this position is subject to change because the others are constantly struggling to avoid being the last and lowest ranking.
Apart from the problems caused by power struggles, it is normal to find Katy calmly grooming Pipa, basking in the sun or looking for seeds and bugs in the foliage of the springtime.
Her social life
When Katy was still the leader of her group, everthing went smoothly. She was a good leader who would take what was by right hers, but would not bother the others too much. Now however under Pipa’s rule, she doesn´t always have it easy and it seems she can’t find a fied position in the hierarchy, sometimes being the last and sometimes the second in command.
Likes
- Katy loves fruit, vegetables, herbs and especially dry bread.
Fun Facts
- When Katy was offered a beetle larva the first time, she jumped in fright. Now, she eats them in a jiffy.
- When Katy see hawks flying, she gives an alarm sound to her whole group and also does the same when she sees cats.
- When Katy was the leader of the group, they all lived more contentedly than now with Pipa as head because Katy was fair and empathetic.
- When Katy meets a new caregiver, she is elusive, but in time, her confidence grows and she begins to threaten them constantly.
Katy´s group
Katy’s group is the only group of macaques who live permanently at MONA. It is made up of two females and one male of which female Pipa is the leader.
