Date of Birth: 2003
Place of Birth: In the Wild
Arrival at MONA: 2003
Pipa´s story
Pipa is a victim of the illegal trafficking of exotic species.
Her move was intercepted by the authorities in Valencia,Spain where she was found hidden in a shoe box in a car returning from Morocco on her way to be sold as a pet.
Past
Pipa arrived here at six or seven months old and was the second macaque to be rescued by MONA. Since childhood she has shown a strong character. The caregivers nicknamed her “the snitch” because she always warns Katy (the dominant female at the time) with vocalizations when the other macaques of lower status are trying to eat. Unlike all the other macaques, Pipa has never shown stress and anxiety behaviors.
When Abu arrived in 2009, Pipa attacked him on many occasions and used him to send messages to Katy. Finally one day Katy surrendered her position, and since then Pipa has been the absolute leader.
Present
Pipa is the only one in the group who lives a quiet, easy life because of her strong position and very dominant control. In contrast to how she treats her group, she is the least aggressive of all with the caregivers.
Visually she is well distinguished from others because she has more hair and is more beautiful.
Her social life
She has a good life, but to be honest she is no good leader to the others. She is very dominant and no one around her dares to defy her. Especially when the macaques are about to receive food, she is very strict and barely lets the others gt any of the good pieces.
Likes
- She loves to be groomed while she lies down and relaxes.
- Her favorite foods are bread, apples and dandelion leaves.
Fun Facts
- When Pipa is relating with others, she is strangely silent, even when going to attack.
- When she has hunted and caught a shrew, she carries it around and grooms it for a few days.
- When she moves through the enclosure, everyone else is monitoring her from the corner of their eyes.
Pipa´s group
Pipa’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.
