We’ve released reptiles, a monkey came, left and came back, new animals arrived and it’s been raining cats and dogs… dive into November’s newsletter and get the latest scoop!
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Animals
Last month heaps of reptiles abruptly arrived, but they have just as quickly been released. The 5 caiman lizards, 21 yellow-footed tortoises and 38 mata mata turtles have made it back into their natural habitat. UPA (a Peruvian Animal Charity) and the Ministry of Flora and Fauna arrived for the occasion. With a team of volunteers, veterinarians and management we released the reptiles in several locations. It was a mission-made-possible by a well-equipped clinic (the Susy Utzinger Orphan Animal Hospital), dedicated volunteers and generous donations to keep us up and running. Keep your eyes peeled for a video of this multi-team effort on our Facebook and Instagram, created by none other than Anna Gruyters.
Morena, the new one-handed adult female woolly monkey, gave us a bit of a scare. After testing the waters in an outside enclosure we released her to join the rest of the monkeys. Two days passed and everything was going swell – until she was gone, nowhere to be found. We feared she might have followed a local on their way to their chagra (plantation) and gotten lost. She was raised by humans, so her instinct is to follow us instead of monkeys. Douwe and Geyler began investigating and asking around, but we didn’t have to wait too long until someone came by to let us know Morena was reaping havoc in their kitchen. Alex, Nick and Marlon set off to bring Morena back and now she’s safe and sound in the clinic. She’s going to need a lot of time in an outside enclosure to truly bond with the rest of the monkey group, but ultimately, it means she’ll be able to live her best monkey life. Free to roam la Selva Dormida, our protected forest.
You ask, and you shall receive – pictures of Yanay (adult female spider monkey) and her baby girl Yayana. Together with Cumala (adult female spider monkey) and Ricuna and Chula (juvenile female spider monkeys) Yayana and Cumba (Cumala’s baby) are well looked after.
SUST Animal Orphan Hospital
We organised a spaying and neutering campaign for the cats and dogs in Bello Horizonte, the local village. Paulina, a passionate and experienced veterinarian from Poland took the lead in the pop-up clinic with the help of Douwe and our resident vet, Ligia. Kayla took care of chatting with the owners, making sure they were all clear on the importance of good after-care. Although puppies and kittens are beyond cute, we organise this to help minimise the number of animals living on the street without owners and proper care. Check out the other amazing campaigns and initiatives organised by the Susy Utzinger Foundation here: https://www.susyutzinger.ch/en/Activities.
While most of the vet team was busy with cats and dogs, Helena, a vet from Germany, has been diving deep into her research on the parasite Prosthenorchis Elegans. With hopes of learning how we can treat future cases more efficiently, we’re glad to have her on the team.
These past months animals have been arriving from the Ministry left-right-and-centre, and November was no different.
Chado (juvenile male capuchin) doesn’t seem to have spent too much time in human captivity. He’s passed his quarantine, spent only a short period in a safe outside enclosure and has joined the other monkeys in semi-captivity. Three of our females have already been quick to claim him for themselves, tough life at EV!.
Ludo (juvenile male kinkajou) is making it very tough to stick to our no-touch policy, but alas, it’s what’s best for this little ball of fur’s future. He has a lot to learn, but don’t we all?
A common potoo arrived. Now named Kulua thanks to our Instagram followers. A mere fledgling who most likely gave flying a shot a bit too early. The volunteers quickly had to retrain themselves from catching fish for turtles to hunting for grasshoppers. It’s fast fun, but gee are those critters quick.
Three young black-eared opossums were taken into intensive care by Olivia. Having said goodbye to the tortoises in her home nursery (they were released, don’t worry)… she had more than enough time on her hands to look after the trio.
Eight yellow-footed tortoises, a dusky-headed parakeet, an orange-winged amazon parrot and seven white-winged parakeets all arrived together after being confiscated. They were on their way to becoming pets or, in the tortoises’ case, food. Luckily they’ve made their way to us and they’ll get to be as wild as they safely can.
Construction
Our EVI team in Europe gave us some excellent news – Puck has found financing to build a bigger, better and more enriching space for the three adult monkeys currently in the La Sapa enclosure. A big thank you to Kai Bakker and Jonas Ruyter, founders of Datasnipper (https://www.datasnipper.com/), for helping us in giving Yanamayo, Selda (adult male and female capuchins) and Moyo (adult male woolly) a home they will surely enjoy. We hope to break ground in December. Seems like Christmas has come early!
Volunteer life
Equipped with strong head torches, a machete or two and Douwe, who knows this jungle like the back of his hand, a group set out for a night walk. During the rainy season the jungle becomes thick and dense, but the trusted guide always magically finds his way back.
This hot month was finished off with a refreshing trip to the local waterfall Regalia. By local, we mean 2 hours away, but in the jungle, that’s about as local as it gets. We said goodbye to the visiting veterinarian Paulina and are getting ready for a busy month with few volunteers. If you’re looking to celebrate your Christmas a bit differently this year, perhaps you’d like to join us? We need all the hands we can get.
Next time you’ll be hearing from us it will be 2023, so until then, Happy Holidays and an even happier New Year! THANK YOU for your ongoing support during 2022, it means the world to us and the animals.
Hasta La Proxima amigos!