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Any average human couldn’t do it. But two rhesus macaques did.

With skills including manipulating humans, moving joysticks, watching videos, and eating treats; monkeys Agave and Saguaro decided they were over the pressure of academic research and headed for retirement in the Pacific Northwest.

They joined the Gothard lab around the age of 5 years old, young macaques ready to take on the world, and quickly became cherished animals with a reputation for learning fast and working hard. Each shared in their own trials and tribulations while working at the University of Arizona, including troubleshooting various tasks with grad students and rowdy teenagers being introduced to their colony, but eventually they became the top of the hierarchy.

Saguaro was food motivated, with a favorite treat being marshmallows, which he would just about do anything for. Agave may look a little silly with his large canines and always hanging out tongue, but he is fast at video games and enjoys Disney movies with his preferred organic apple juice. They both participated in work on interoception, social behavior, and were model adult controls for the adolescent project.

Their goal for the rest of their lives? Relaxing.

Many animals around the world spend their lives in research labs providing immeasurable contributions to the fields of science and human medicine for only one project. Agave and Saguaro, on the other hand, participated in research for multiple labs and expanded knowledge in various realms in only a few short years.

So, when electrophysiology ended on Agave and Saguaro, we sought a space that they could spend the rest of their lives in and settled on a USDA accredited sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest. Wide open green spaces, private rooms with all the toys they could want, and people with 30 years of experience caring for primates that were once in research or trafficked as pets.

What followed was a year-long effort to allow our monkeys the chance to retire as there was never a pair more deserving. Questions about transportation, health, safety, cost; each resolved one after the other, with a team of nearly twenty people working for these monkeys to get their chance.

Finally at the end of July 2024, they reached their new home, and their room - painted with saguaros and agaves.

We will miss having Saguaro and Agave in our daily lives, but there is nothing better than seeing the joy of animals that you love having the time of their lives.