On the way back from the Javan Gibbon Center Karmele arranged via cell phone to pick up the body of a Leaf Monkey. Another rescue center operating in the region near Bogor had requested that Karmele carry out a post mortem on the deceased animal.
We waited in the parking lot of a gas station for a driver to come from the other rescue center with the frozen remains of the monkey.
Once the monkey was stowed in the back we continued on to the Botani Square Mall to purchase essential groceries like Nutella and white bread. After a decadent Starbucks cappuccino we finally headed back to IAR headquarters.
I was ready for dinner and bed but there was still the post mortem on the leaf Monkey. I had no idea where a post mortem fit in with my documentary but there was no way I was going to miss it, so I loaded a new tape and followed Karmele, Karthi and Kim into the clinic.
I got an official face mask for which I was immediately thankful as corpses, even frozen ones, develop quite an odor very quickly in the tropics. The results of the necropsy were fascinating even for the layperson. There were dark spots on the lungs, possibly collected residue from dust or exhaust in the air, similar to smoker’s lung and originating from living in a cage at a busy roadside. More dark spots were found at the beginning of the small intestine, some dead mucosal tissue. Under the microscope a parasite was visible but neither Karmele, Karthi nor Kim thought that was the cause of death.
The Leaf Monkey’s diet consists of, surprise, surprise, mostly leaves. For this purpose the Leaf Monkey, a “fore-gut fermenter”, has a special digestive system, with a large multichambered stomach, similar to that of a ruminant - for example a cow. Her stomach was severely bloated, a symptom of a condition similar to the colic found in cows or other ruminants, caused by ingestion of food containing too much sugar. Upon examination the contents of the stomach proved to be almost exclusively fruit. The bulging, reeking, stomach sack was filled with orange chunks of fruit instead of the green contents it should have had.
Rescue centers have a difficult time getting funding. When times are tough and money is scarce they may not be able to afford certain kinds of food. A cheaper, more abundant food may be substituted instead. It can happen that the special diet that a given species requires is more difficult to come by. Out of desperation the animals might be fed with what ever is available. A diet consisting mostly of fruit containing too much sugar probably killed this monkey.
Leaf Monkeys are social animals, usually living in large groups. There were only two in this rescue center so the remaining Leaf Monkey has been left alone. It’s sad to think her death might have been avoidable.
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