Helping Hands wanted to know if she would take a newborn rhesus monkey rejected by its mother. Wood never hesitated. She knew training a primate was serious business. Only now, she needed the monkey's helping hands for herself. Kooey , now 7 months old, is time consuming.
Wood gets up in the middle of the night for feedings.
Living with her mother, Frieda Wood, the women take turns parenting Kooey . He must be burped, bathed and hugged. He takes several daily naps, needs constant companionship and gentle nurturing. Primates also need mental and physical stimulation, or they can become depressed, even psychotic. Climbing ropes, swinging, swimming and sunbathing to reap valuable vitamin D, are his favorite pastimes.