After being separated from their parents, baby animals have a slim chance of surviving on their own, but some of them are fortunate enough to come across kind-hearted individuals who are prepared to assist them.
That was the situation with one lovely young monkey from Zimbabwe, who was left alone when his mother died. He was taken in by a local sanctuary and given a secure home, where he found love and camaraderie in the most unlikely of places.
When tragedy happened, Horace was crossing a busy street with his mother. On a busy highway, she was struck by a car, and the driver of the fast vehicle that hit her didn’t even bother to glance back.
Fortunately, Horace was unharmed in the collision, but would he be able to survive on his own? As he saw countless cars speed past him on the bustling highway, he was still small and powerless, and he felt absolutely lost.
After losing his mother, Horace began to associate cars with danger, so it’s understandable that he was terrified when he noticed blazing headlights zooming in on him. Fortunately, he had nothing to be afraid of this time because his problems were now gone.
When a group of nice people saw this monkey in distress on a busy highway in Zimbabwe, they immediately picked him up and carried him to Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary, the best place they could think of.
The employees and volunteers at the shelter were initially concerned about the small monkey because he appeared agitated. The newborn monkey had never been around anyone other than his mother, and adjusting to life at the sanctuary was difficult. As a result, the Twala crew decided to adopt him as a member of their family and gave him the name Horace.
Horace was finally safe and well, but he began to feel lonely because his only company was human caregivers. That rapidly changed when another animal approached the young monkey, and it was evident they’d become lifelong companions.
A pair of kittens came up to the tiny monkey one day, and what occurred next is right out of a Disney movie. The kittens and the infant monkey formed an instant attachment, and they spent every waking moment together. Despite the fact that they weren’t of the same species, Horace and the kittens were of comparable size, and it wasn’t long before they realized they had a lot in common.
When they cuddled, everyone’s heart melted because Horace and his fuzzy companions brought out the best in each other.
Horace didn’t take long to start making friends with the other animals in the shelter. He stunned everyone by going against his natural instincts and befriending a variety of domestic animals.
Sarah Carter and the other volunteers had to learn as they went along everything there is to know about Horace. His actions were unusual for a monkey, but it appeared that he had picked up one attribute from his feline companions.
“Horace is a pro at napping. He fights it, however, because he is frightened of missing anything… He enjoys napping and sleeps anywhere he wants – on the couch, on top of the door, in the laundry basket,” Carter explained.
The naughty monkey developed a habit of stealing small stuff from others around him. Horace, like the rest of his vervet monkey brethren, is a superb thief, but he exhibits a number of characteristics that are unique to his species. He was reared in a household with dogs, cats, and a variety of other animals, and he picked up on some of their odd habits along the road.
“He runs around with the cats in the middle of the night, in the dark… Because it’s their instinct, all the other monkeys go to sleep when it becomes dark. Meanwhile, at 10 p.m., Horace is frantically sprinting about the garden. “He’s a unique individual,” Carter said.
Horace has shown to be quite helpful, routinely keeping an eye on other animals and assisting volunteers in grooming his rescued companions. It wouldn’t be the same without him at the Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary, but he’s no longer the only monkey they look after.