After two days of delays and one flat tire, we laughed Saturday afternoon away with spitting apes and peeing alligators at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary. It was well worth the wait and the $20 Groupon price…love those Groupons! Just like letterboxing, they’re always taking us to new places.
Now some pictures of the other monkeys…
If you’re in the Palm Harbor area, stop by the sanctuary…they’ve been around for 60 years and need the funding. The sanctuary was different from what I imagined…although my expectations could have been a bit out of whack. When the Groupon read “admission for four and one bag of monkey feed,” I actually thought we’d be hand-feeding monkeys as if 275-pound apes were suitable for a petting zoo atmosphere. Instead you put the feed into chutes made from PVC or in cups attached to pulley systems.
Another expectation was that the monkey feed would come in some sort of pellet form, but it was Chex mix…literally. It was a Ziplock snack bag full of Chex mix, Cheez-its, popcorn, and animal crackers. It took us a few feedings to realize this guy would only eat popcorn. 
It’s weird to see animals eating processed food, especially when showing a preference toward one type versus another. Humans make the choice to eat or not eat unhealthy food. At the same time, funding is always an issue with non-profits. If the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary didn’t take these animals in, many would be put down. The primates come from zoos, research labs, TV sets, and even private residences. There are a few other animals the sanctuary takes in as well. We saw snakes, alligators, birds, and lemurs. 
When John held the alligator, a crowd quickly formed. It wrested a bit, but John got it flipped over on its back.
John was rubbing its belly saying, “Watch, I’ll get it to go to sleep.” One guy laughed at him and said, “Yeah, I don’t think that works with alligators.” And then a little kid ran up and yelled, “You’re killing it!” When John replied, “It’s not dying; it’s just going to sleep,” the kid shouted again, “You’re making it go to sleep!”
The next thing you know, the alligator’s head and tail are pointed to the ground and that baby was peeing a river. The skeptic from earlier says, “Well, you definitely relaxed him.” It was hilarious to the point of a stomach ache. This is the best picture from the moment; the others are blurred from shaking laughter. 
