Another month, another adventure…
Monkeys are not stealing crocs anymore, we have fresh lettuce in the Bodega on a Sunday, the water pressure of the volo shower is amazing, mosquitoes disappeared from the plantation…
APRIL FOOLS !!!
Really it still was an amazing month, a great cocktail of releases, babies and happy volos!
Animals
What a surprise this month! Kurima one of the released large headed capuchins was spotted with… a baby, her first!! Now, they are the ones capturing the attention of both the capuchin group and the volunteers at Esperanza Verde.
After some time with the adults in the Noroc enclosure, young collared peccary Rala finally got to stay the night out! She is doing amazing over there, she even fights off some of the larger peccaries to get the juiciest piece of yuka every night.
And what is going on with the young male Southern tamandua Kasmir, now that Olivia has left home (see below) and Douwe is swamped with a packed schedule? He needed new guardians and lucky for him the there was room available at the cabana of Arthur and Carlotta. A new challenge for Carlotta and Arthur that they will not face alone as volunteers Lisa and Martyna, were already trained in the care and rocking it!
Susy Utzinger Orphan Animal Hospital
Naka (female adult woolly monkey) had been acting off for a few days. She appeared to have respiratory problems and did not eat or drink a lot. We took her in and our amazing vet team took the problem in their hands. Unfortunately, some days later, she had a miscarriage, an embryo of only a few months old. She reacted well on medication and feeding stimulation and after a few weeks she was eager to get outside again. We hope she will have another chance as it would be her first.
Only a short stay at Esperanza Verde was reserved for 2 young fledgling ground doves that were found by a woman in the village. They only needed some feathers to grow so their stay was short, and we were able to release them in the forest quite quickly. They were happy to go back into their natural habitat.
Unfortunately all our efforts and hard work does not always guarantee a good outcome. This has been the case for Cuki the Cuckoo. He was doing really well, started to eat some grasshoppers, being more independent, and then suddenly he was found dead in his enclosure. We are not sure as to what exactly happened during the night, we really had high hopes of seeing him fly out soon….
Quarantine
The quarantine was empty and then it was not😀!
We started with the release of the two beautiful anacondas that were living in Aguatena. It was a great experience and moment for our volunteers Tuva and Tom, who had the honours to release them. A truly beautiful sight to see such gracious animals swim away into the night.
After forming a group with the four white-eyed parakeets we moved them to an outside enclosure specifically for their release, away from monkeys and humans. We eventually opened the small release hatch and they flew out, eager for freedom with a wild group of the same species.
The last bird to move from the quarantine was Wasabi. He joined the other new blue and yellow macaw, Sarabi, in the front cage of the Elmo enclosure. They form a cute little blue and yellow macaw couple, sharing food and joining the other birds in their ´talks´.
Speaking of couples and ´love´, we said goodbye to Lockla and Oscu, two yellow footed tortoises. They finally had a clean bill of health and ready to go! They had a quick honeymoon in the Tika enclosure before being released into the jungle together.
On his way back from Pucallpa shopping, Douwe was handed an adult female squirrel monkey. She had been kept as a pet, tied up with a rope around her waist and they did not like her anymore as she had bitten a child. Well, who can blame her! Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence. People find baby monkeys very cute, take them as pets and do not think about that they one day will become adults, with big teeth! Good thing Douwe passed by at the right moment. We named her Syenna and after the necessary deworming, she joined youngsters Mina and Dina. Soon she will be able to explore the outside with them together.
And you were wondering who is in the quarantine now??
The following five new animals, some confiscated and some handed over voluntarily to the Ministry in Pucallpa, arrived:
- A young white fronted capuchin
- A juvenile male large headed capuchin
- A male yellow footed tortoise
- A sub-adult male saddleback tamarin
- And a young (fledgling) red bellied macaw, a first at Esperanza Verde.
They are yet to be named so if you have suggestions, you might just get lucky. Let us know your suggestions by messaging us on Instagram or Facebook!
Construction
As soon as the brand new Tiliku enclosure was finished, Tocay, the white throated toucan, moved in and he is loving it. He even makes new friends as a curious wild toucan comes every other day around the enclosure to join the singing.
Volunteer life
It is a big turnover this month with several volunteers leaving us and fresh minds coming to discover the work out here in the jungle, heads full of hopes and dreams… until they have to clean the monkey clothes….
They are enjoying regular walks to the Mirador and are doing acrobatics training at the port!
Olivia has gone to visit family and friends in The Netherlands. We wish her a beautiful trip and some nice relaxation time. If you are lucky, you might even see her at the Esperanza Verde meet-up in May or during one of her presentations she will be giving at several studies.
If you want to sign up for the EV volunteer meet-up then contact us and we will give you the details.