What kind of animals would you expect to see at a horse show? Horses? Definitely. Dogs? More than likely. But monkeys? Well, no one would’ve ever imagined such a thing, that is until now.
If you frequent some of the major Paint horse shows in the Texas area you have probably become acquainted with Tohni Jones of Trademark Ranch and her one-year-old Capuchin monkey named Romo. Thanks to this modern day Dian Fossey, the sight of a tiny primate perched atop a horse has become a familiar one for Paint horse exhibitors.
Jones says she has always had monkeys and currently operates her own wildlife rehab center just outside of Wise County, Texas. As a federally licensed rehabilitation specialist with a degree in zoology, the animals she treats include lions, tigers, baboons, cougars, owls and even snakes.
“The animals we get are the ones that people have purchased for pets, that are now ill or that need to be pulled out of a zoo,” Jones says. “The goal is always to put the animals back into the wild.”
However, Jones found herself in a difficult situation about a year ago, when a very sick 10 day old Capuchin monkey came to her rehab center.
“I had him on me 24/7 for the first couple of months because baby monkeys need to cling to their mothers,” Jones says.
After spending so much time with him, it soon became clear to Jones that since this baby monkey had become so attached to her, he would be better suited as a pet as opposed to being rehabilitated and returned to the wild.
“His name was going to be Romeo,” Jones says. “But monkeys don’t do well with three syllable names and my husband really likes the Dallas Cowboys, so I named him Romo.”
In fact, Romo is often seen proudly sporting his diaper cover with the trademark Texas star, perhaps to pay homage to his namesake, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
Because Romo was so sick for the first few weeks of his life, Jones says he will probably only grow to be four pounds rather than the typical six to ten pound range common for Capuchins.
Up until just recently, Romo was the only monkey in Jones’s life. However, with the addition of a new member to the family, Romo will have to share the spotlight from now on. Jones recently put in an order at a private breeder for a four month old female Capuchin, but what she received was a four week old baby who was so sick that she could hardly hold her head up. Jones says that she considered sending the tiny female back, but couldn’t once she looked into her “big seal eyes.”
Romo’s new little sister Risky has already found her place alongside her big brother traveling around in the family motor home to local horse shows. When the pair isn’t in their two story cage at the front of Jones’s stalls, they spend their time in a playpen in the motor home. “They’re just like having children,” Jones says. “Romo likes to string toilet paper throughout the motor home and on the way to the show he pulled all of the wet naps out of container and spread them all over the bedroom.”
Jones says that Capuchins won’t chew up your shoes and destroy things, like some dogs do. However, they do like to hide things from you, she says.
Capuchins are the closest primate to humans, because they are the smartest and easiest to communicate with, Jones says. This breed of monkey is often used in the military to sneak into enemy camps to send messages to prisoners of war, and even as a service animal to help handicap people by brushing their owner’s teeth and microwaving food.
In fact, Jones is very proud of the fact that on October 10th Romo will receive his service animal vest and be able to accompany her everywhere she goes. The preliminary animal service training begins when a monkey receives its vest and is taken into the public so it can get used to being around people, she says. The goal is to teach them not to constantly seek the attention of others.
“They are not like apes or other larger primates,” Jones says. “They don’t have super human strength and think more independently than apes do.”
As far as Romo’s diet is concerned, Jones says that he eats meat, vegetables and fruit, but definitely prefers McDonald’s cheeseburgers to his monkey chow. Romo also drinks two bottles of baby formula a day and Risky gets her bottle every three hours.
Looking toward the future, Capuchin monkeys have a life span of 40 to 50 years, so Jones has prepared by developing a trust fund for both monkeys and selecting guardians to care for them.
While Romo does have many admirers at the horse shows, there are a few people who have expressed concern about the possible dangers of having a monkey around horses.
“He is out at the barn and rides with me every day,” Jones says. “I have never had a horse be scared of him; he is more scared of them.”
She says that Romo likes to ride with her as long as he is securely tucked inside her sweatshirt, but would never jump off because then he would have to actually touch a horse. “They chirp like a bird,” she says. “So if your horse isn’t afraid of birds, it won’t be afraid of a monkey.”
Jones believes that Romo thoroughly enjoys going to horse shows and would be devastated if she ever left him at home.
“If he sees me packing he pulls on my leg and throws himself down on the floor,” she says. “He doesn’t like to be left behind.”
As of this morning, Vicki Oakley reports that Troy’s condition is slowly, but steadily improving.
