A busy start to the new year here at Esperanza Verde—an operation, some new arrivals, and a few challenges. With our vet and assistant manager both absent, we faced more than our usual load. But as always, our volunteers stepped up, taking on extra responsibilities to ensure our animals continued to receive the care they deserve.
Animals
Sumika, the female monk saki, is still hesitant to explore the outdoors. Despite eating regularly, she continued losing weight after Meeko, her capuchin companion, left. We introduce her to some calmer company—the howler monkeys Ysaia, Waldo, and Maya. While Sumika has started eating more, her weight is still not where it should be. We’re hopeful that with more intensive care and medical treatment, she’ll be on the mend and back outside with the howlers.
The squirrel monkeys Dina, Mina, and Syenna seemed to be settling into their lives at EV, interacting with Milo (one of our earlier releases) and the wild group. But then, Dina went missing. Despite our efforts to find her, we believe she is no longer with us. Dina had been a regular, always sleeping under the cabin roof with Mina and sometimes Syenna. It’s heartbreaking, but not every animal rehabilitated as a pet finds success in the wild.
On a brighter note, we’ve had a repeat visitor—a three-fingered sloth! She’s been visiting our Almacen (fruit and veggie storage), where we found her chewing and licking the wood. Concerned for her health, we gave her a quick check-up, weighed her, and made sure we could identify her if she returned. It seems she’s made her home near the volunteer kitchen, and she visits regularly, even munching on old firewood. It’s fun to see her back and thriving. Maybe it’s time we give her a name…
Gaia and Wayra had a little tussle this month, which left Gaia with a nasty scratch on her shoulder. Thankfully, Stef, our vet nurse from Holland, stepped in and took charge of the situation, quickly getting Gaia the care she needed. She’s healed up and doing well.
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Lamber, the young male armadillo. He was doing so well in his outside enclosure, but one morning, we found him dead in his shelter. It was a sudden loss, and the necropsy left us clueless. Lamber had such promise, and we’ll miss him dearly.
Jeep, Chevrolet, and Opel, three yellow-footed tortoises could be released as the representatives of the Ministry visited us.
Susy Utzinger Orphan Animal Hospital
The new year didn’t start as we’d hoped for one of our Festive Amazon Parrots, Kipa. She got too close to the mesh and was attacked by capuchins, causing serious injuries. After consulting our vet team, it was decided that the amputation of her wing was the best option. It was a tough decision, as she had been one of our beautiful flyers. Although she’ll never fly again, she’s still in good spirits, chirping and happy to interact with the humans at SUSTOAH.
Though there aren’t many animals staying in the clinic, there’s always work to be done—whether it’s using the microscope for faeces or blood examination, weighing animals, or performing regular check-ups. There’s never a dull moment!
Quarantine
Our quarantine welcomed two juvenile capuchins this month, Kenzo and Pacco. Kenzo had been in the Ministry for a while before making his way here, while Pacco, seemed to have had some time being pampered as a pet. They seem to be a good match and we’re hopeful for a successful rehabilitation.
We also received three white-winged parakeets. They all have severely trimmed feathers and a damaged tail, so it will take them time to regain their ability to fly. However, we’re hopeful that with patience and care, they’ll make a full recovery.
Two very young capuchins also arrived: Kalu, a male around 8 weeks old, and Shana, a small female only 4 weeks old. Kalu was found abandoned on the street, while Shana was handed over to the Ministry. Both their mothers were likely killed. For now, they’re receiving infant care at the family house until they’re old enough to start the rehabilitation process.
At last, it was time for the blue-headed parrots, the parakeets, and Lori, the white-eyed parakeet, to transition to the new rehabilitation-release enclosure at Don Jorge ´Lori´. This marked the beginning of their journey towards a release into the wild. A huge thank you again to all the children and teachers at the primary school “De Kring” in Oegstgeest, for making this possible.
Volunteer & Other Updates
With the bird release enclosure at Don Jorge now completed, it’s time to focus again on expanding the bodega. Geyler and the crew are working hard to get it all done, but it’s a slow process, as there’s always something that needs his attention too—doors that won’t lock, water taps that break, branches for enclosures, and bananas to unload. It’s all part of the day-to-day!
We said goodbye to Joëlle this month, who showed us what true dedication looks like. On her last day, she was still cutting fruit and vegetables in the morning and teaching Stef and Jules. We’ll miss her a lot, but as the adoptive mother of Maya, one of the young howlers, we are happy to have her as part of our EVI family.
This month, we hosted the Ministry of Fauna to launch several new release processes, along with a group of 20 students and their dedicated teacher from the National University of Ucayali in Pucallpa. They were very interested in our conservation work and brought a generous gift of veggies for the animals, making for a week of extra treats! Thank you to all— it was inspiring to see so many enthusiastic young people, and we hope many will return as volunteers one day.
¡Hasta Proxima!