ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 12, 1996 TAG: 9603130039
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The People Column
SOURCE: FROM WIRE REPORTS
Wayne Newton heard about the plight of the Japanese snow monkeys and came to the rescue.
The Las Vegas crooner and former Roanoker, an avid animal lover, planned a benefit concert in San Antonio, Texas to raise money for the monkeys' care.
The pink-faced monkeys - first brought to southern Texas in 1973 - were declared a nuisance in June by the state wildlife department, making it legal to shoot them if they stray. Three were shot and killed in January.
The monkey troop, which has been roaming the mesquite-covered land near a ranch about 75 miles south of San Antonio, is to get a new home at the Texas Snow Monkey Sanctuary.
About 100 monkeys will be moved this month, and advocates hope to move about 500.
Newton pledged his help last year after hearing of the monkeys' plight.
Christopher Reeve broke into tears during the dedication of a new $17 million rehabilitation center.
``It's a real pleasure for me to be here,'' he said on Sunday at St. Francis Health Care Center. ``Actually, it's a real pleasure for me to be anywhere.''
It was one of Reeve's first public appearances since breaking his neck in a horse-riding accident in May.
The paralyzed actor called for increased funding for spinal cord injury research. ``Scientists are ready, willing, and able and, with our support, they can make it happen,'' Reeve said.
The hospital, about 55 miles southeast of Toledo, specializes in treating brain and spinal cord injuries.
LENGTH: Short : 41 linesby CNB