Beulah van Niekerk felt a knot of sadness in the pit of her stomach, watching from her window as the four marmosets she had grown to love, were carried away in boxes by SPCA officials.
Over the past few months, most of the residents at Glabia Flats had become captivated by the endearing creatures.
The large cage in which the marmosets played, became a central point for social interaction at the retirement village, where even residents with memory loss and other types of cognitive disabilities were drawn outdoors, to enjoy a respite from the loneliness that pervaded their days.
“The marmosets were donated to the retirement village by a relative of one of the residents. They lived in a nice cage which was built around a tree. There was a bench under the tree where the old people could go and watch them. I know that there were some people who complained and didn’t like them, but there were also those of us who simply adored them,” said Beulah.
“They definitely encouraged the residents to be more sociable. It seemed the marmosets also got to know the people who live at Glabia from the way they reacted to us. When they saw me approaching, they would sit and wait for their marshmallow. They were screaming when they were taken away. It was really upsetting.”
Beulah’s daughter, Tharina Peters, wrote to the Newcastle Advertiser to express her concern about the traumatic effect the removal of the marmosets had on her mum and other residents of Glabia.
“I think what upset them [the residents at Glabia] the most is the fact that they haven’t been informed where the marmosets were taken to or what had happened to them,” confided Tharina.
“They were also upset about the manner in which the marmosets were taken. These animals were almost a form of therapy for the residents, especially those who very rarely leave their flats.”
“There is one gentleman who has been unable to communicate since being involved in a car accident, but he would wait for my mum and dad to take him out to see the marmosets every afternoon. The marmosets had a beautiful cage that was built around a tree, they were on a special diet and they were really well looked after. I just think that in a situation where animals and people get along, this was so unnecessary.”
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