South African monkey being trained as service animal

From the Weekend Post in South Africa:

One of South Africa‘s top dog trainers is combining two passions that drive her – animal training and care-giving – to teach a Capuchin monkey to care for a disabled person in the Bay.

Kathy Barker (pictured with Cody), of Bluewater Bay, who has trained many champion dogs over 25 years and now runs the Workforce Solutions healthcare school at Pier 14, said after winning her battle with cancer, she needed a new challenge in her life.

After a lot of research, Barker decided to take in a Capuchin monkey – well-known for their trainability and interaction with humans. She explained that she grew up on a farm and that from a young age developed a love for primates.

Her love for monkeys, her passion for animal training and her involvement in the healthcare industry turned out to be the perfect combination for taking on this challenge.

She acquired a holder‘s permit from the local authorities before importing a Weeper Capuchin called Cody from South America, where they are commonly found.

For now she is busy familiarising Cody with his surroundings and introducing him to different sounds, people and objects as well as teaching him basic commands. After this period the training will start.

Baker said in many countries around the world Capuchin monkeys were trained to help take care of quadriplegics. If trained well, these monkeys could do various tasks from turning pages in a book to microwaving food and switching appliances on and off.

Baker said in some cases, Capuchins could even be trained to wash the face of the person he is trained to care for.

“I‘ve even heard of one that was trained to take a load of washing out of a washing machine and place it in a basket,” Baker said.

She also said that although a Capuchin could not take over the job of a care-giver, these monkeys could assist in helping with some of the “little day-to-day tasks”.

She further explained that in most cases, laser pointers were used to identify the task the monkey needed to do. “The quadriplegic can shine the laser pointer on a light switch, indicating to the monkey that the lights need to be switched on or off.”

All these tasks are done on a reward system. Often a small device – which releases nectar with the press of a button – is used to reward a monkey.

Although Capuchins were very intelligent and have a good relationship with humans, they were a very big responsibility. “Your whole household needs to be adjusted if you decide to take one in.”

The primates were completely dependent on their owner and could – in captivity – live up to the age of 40. “The difference between having a Capuchin and having a baby, is that after a few years a baby grows up and starts to do things for him or herself. A monkey will always be dependant on you.”