Blog

As November comes to a close and we are all chasing down the season, we can all reflect on a year of incredible new experiences. With vital ongoing support from around the world Esperanza Verde continues on its mission to rehome and where possible release animals back into their natural habitats.

Animals

With November upon us, we welcomed a visit from the Peruvian Flora and Forestry ministry. It was a great opportunity to ensure Esperanza Verde was conforming to strict guidelines and procedures. It was also a fantastic opportunity to release some animals that had received the necessary care and were ready to enjoy freedom.

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Last month we wrote of Machulin the male paca. After a few weeks in an outdoor enclosure, Machulin was released one evening and was quick to embrace his new found freedom. Feeding continues, however, it is difficult to ascertain if it is Machulin or one of the many other night creatures enjoying his fare each night.

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Bajus (yellow footed tortoise) along with the five spectacled caimans were released into the small stream (quebrada) that runs through Esperanza Verde. After months within the confines of purpose-built enclosures, both Bajus and the caimans will appreciate having so much more space and independence.

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If every cloud has a silver lining then this month surely proved the point. Last month we sadly lost Kiko (male Kinkajou). Kila (Kiko’s love interest) was seen with a new baby attached a fantastic surprise and a great addition to the wild kinkajou population. This is the second offspring between this pairing and leaves a total of three kinkajous frequenting the feeding table of Tiliku each evening. We haven’t been fortunate enough to catch a photo of the baby but hope to do so in the coming months.

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Kassai (tamandua anteater) was still very active within his enclosure but was not gaining weight as expected. He was moved back to the family home for closer monitoring. Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated rapidly, and we lost him. No evidence was found on necropsy to establish cause of death. Kassai had previously damaged his tongue and it is believed this attributed to his demise as tamanduas have extremely long tongues which they depend on to feed successfully.

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It’s only been a month, yet in that time Eona, our female crab eating raccoon has gone from strength to strength. Her weight has doubled and Eona now enjoys fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and meat daily as she progresses from her diet of milk. Early evenings you can catch Eona being taken for short walks to familiarise her with her new surroundings.

Esperanza Verde’s peccary population this month had a vital change in their feeding schedule. After a suggestion was put forth to start feeding the peccaries at nighttime. By doing so there is little to motivate monkeys to tempt fate by climbing into the enclosure during the day. Read on for other ways we are ensuring monkey safety while still giving the peccaries the best care possible.

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SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

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Aleesa (scarlet macaw) moved from the SUSTOAH after her brief month of dietary monitoring. She is now in Elmo front cage with Inuk and Upendi (yellow crowned amazon parrots), where there is less chance of this flightless macaw falling and injuring herself.

New arrivals

It certainly doesn’t happen often, but November was the month that there were no new arrivals, and yet still, every day was full of interesting and often fulfilling challenges.

Construction and other

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The finish line is insight as the new peccary enclosure nears completion. With the only addition required being a new pond. December will see our latest arrivals Maccus, Conan and Aleric join the existing seven peccaries in their new purpose-built accommodation. Creating and fencing an area so large while still maintaining the integrity of the existing environment was never going to be an easy task. And it is something Douwe, along with Geyler and Hugo (our local workers) have completed admirably. We were fortunate enough to secure two more local workers briefly this month to give this project a further push in the right direction ensuring completion as soon as possible.

We would like to thank The Susy Utzinger Stiftung für Tierschutz for organising a crowdfunding campaign to cover the costs for the building and completion of the new Peccary enclosure. The animal welfare association “Pfötler” from Liechtenstein jumped in and covered the majority of the costs. Without the ongoing support of people like Susy and her team we could not continue to fight the good fight. Thank you SUST for all that you do!

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The new bridge spanning the gap between the family house and the rest of Esperanza Verde now has cement footings in place. After these have set sufficiently the bridge construction and assembly will be completed.

Volunteers

With so few volunteers the month came to a close with everyone on sight in good stead. Surely this is the calm before the storm as we all know December will be the month of significant socialising (although still maintaining corona protocols😊). Movie nights with the family were a great chance to all catch up removed from the daily goings on of jungle life.

New land

We recently purchased some new land on the Bello side of the river in order to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables that we can grow ourselves. During the lockdown we learnt that being independent from external food sources for the animals can be vital. This little farm already has some agroforestry growing on it which we already use to feed our animals. Thank you to our good friend Manuel Krauss for his financial help to purchase that land.

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Another month has passed by rapidly. While we wished it would sometimes be quiet and boring at Esperanza Verde, it never seems to be. We are always kept active thankfully and have not been brought to a standstill by the virus. This month had a special surprise in store when Douwe and Olivia were asked to join the launching of the week of Forestry, by the Ministry of Flora and Fauna in Pucallpa. Olivia represented Esperanza Verde at the ceremony was awarded on behalf of EV for all the hard work towards flora and fauna in the region.

Animals

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Traya (juvenile young large headed capuchin), made the move from the SUSTOAH into Pepe enclosure this month. With her quarantine period having passed without any issues, she now had just a small barrier between her and the other monkeys before being released to join our outside troop. Shimi (young male squirrel monkey living outside) recently was caught when he was seen limping with one arm. After a medical check, he was closed in with Traya, giving him a chance for a well-balanced diet and recovery while providing companionship for Traya. After some days they already formed a friendship and they were released a week later. Traya is a welcome addition to the outside monkeys, frequently being seen playing with the other young capuchin monkeys, while Shimi found his own way again in the outside world at EV.

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While swimming with the otter, Marlon had a gruesome discovery. After a night of heavy rainfall, he found Kiko lying dead in the small river near his house. He apparently had drowned as no further issues were discovered at the necropsy. After many years of being many volunteers favourite, Kiko will be sorely missed. He is leaving behind a beautiful daughter, now adult, and his partner Kila. Both Kila as her daughter are still showing up once in a while at the kinkajou feeding table. While Kila is unafraid of us, her daughter disappears as soon as we come closer, which is perfect as this is natural behaviour for wild kinkajous.

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SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

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It is amazing how many things can be achieved when need arises. One of the village cats, a male Tricki, was found with an injured leg needing amputation. Although no owner could be found, Enrique, our temporary emergency volunteer from Pucallpa stepped up and took the responsibility for another cat to add to his ever increasing “pride”. A couple of days recuperating in the SUSTAOH after the surgery, the cat went with his new owners, Enrique and Marji, to Pucallpa where he is settling in well and isn’t letting his missing leg slow him down at all.

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Aleesa (one of our scarlet macaws) was looking out of sorts within Pichu Aviary. She can’t fly and had several superficial wounds on her breast from falling. She is now spending some time in the SUSTAOH for monitoring. Although there appears to be no underlying issues, it is a good chance to monitor her diet and ensure she is getting the best possible care prior to returning to Pichu.

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Talisha (female Humboldts Woolly monkey) was found injured, covered all in mud. After cleaning her, we discovered that the extent of her wounds would give us no other choice than making her as comfortable as possible and letting her go. Another very sad loss of one of the daily characters at Esperanza Verde.

New arrivals

While Esperanza Verde is still officially not in a position of taking new animals, it doesn’t stop animals from being given to volunteers and staff alike when being in the village across the river.

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Two new juvenile male white collared peccaries, Conan and Alaric, were delivered one evening from the village. Both peccaries were settling in well at the SUSTAOH, when they were joined by another young male peccary, Maccus, after less than a week. After the medical check-up and deworming, the new peccary was introduced to the previous two. Now all three peccaries remain in the clinic where they spend every day outside the SUST OAH enjoying the fresh air, until they finished the quarantine period and join our existing peccaries in the soon to be completed new Xena enclosure.

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Machulin (female Paca) was being kept as a pet in Bello Horizonte. When people try to domesticate wild animals, it seems easy when they are small, but becomes too difficult as the animal grows. Machulin came to us after having had an encounter with a pet cat resulting in one of her ears now missing. Like the previous pacas, Machulin has a good chance in the wild again, and will be rehabilitated for her release.

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While Olivia was at the Ministry in Pucallpa she received a special request and one hard to say no to; a very young female crab eating raccoon, Eona. So again, as mostly with her trips to the city, she returned with a new animal. She was left abandoned at the ministry in Pucallpa. She still is bottle fed as she is so young. Once eating solids and grown up enough, she will become another animal released to enjoy the sanctity of Esperanza Verde, and hopefully she will find her way to Rumani or Mokwai, our earlier released crab eating raccoons.

Construction and other

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Work is mainly focused on getting the new peccary enclosure ready, and as with previous months this is never far from the forefront of everyone’s minds. The new enclosure is far bigger and remote from all existing enclosures and walkways. This is important to make it less appealing for monkeys to pass there. The team makes remarkable progress although losing at least two days a week to ensuring continued food supply for all the animals.

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A new bridge spanning the creek to the family house and Tiliku enclosure is Douwe’s prime focus when not figuratively fighting ‘fire’ that arise on a frequent occasion. The existing bridge was washed away in a heavy downfall earlier in the year, and a fallen tree has been functioning in its place since. There is no way to know how long this tree will last, so a new bridge will be very important as it will be the only way of access to the centre for the family during the coming rain season. Douwe is pre-building the bridge in the village prior to reassembly and cementing in place when completed and shows just another talent in his already extensive repertoire.

With the corona crisis testing supply lines worldwide, self-sufficiency has never been highlighted more than this year. Prior to lockdown Douwe and Olivia were looking at another plantation further down the river. This plantation has been organically farmed and the owner was well known by us, as Douwe frequently visited him and received on several occasions a variation of fruit. As the owner was not able to take care of his land he was looking for a buyer who would keep his way of farming in place. This purchase has now been completed and adds another 23 hectares to Esperanza Verde. This plantation allows for more crops to be grown ensuring continuity of supply, and has a lot of potential for future organic projects.

Volunteers

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October is the month of birthdays for the family: Marlon’s and Olivia’s. And who says you can’t make a party with only a few people. Both days were a great break from our daily routine, with cake, pie and dancing. And of course the Southern American tradition: a Piñata to smash.

With so few volunteers and officially no new animal arrivals one could think that there wouldn’t be a lot of information to portray. That is not the case as, in spite of any obstacles thrown in our direction, we continue the daily trials and tribulations to fulfil animal requirements.

Animals

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After just six months of living within and outside the family house, Kassai (tamandua anteater) made the move to a larger enclosure this month. Kassai still requires intensive one on one care as he has sustained an injury to his tongue, but appears to be adapting well to having a lot more space. He is a welcome sight to see in the evenings interacting with Puck (long term “stranded” volunteer) and exploring the outside of his enclosure as well.

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By having so many different species within one area, we are occasionally treated to witnessing special relationships. Sumo (South American coati) is a wild card within Esperanza Verde. Always showing up unexpectedly and keeping staff, volunteers and other animals on their toes. While known to be a hindrance while trying to complete any task that Sumo takes an interest in, it is still intriguing and humbling to see him playing with Tara (the family dog), and the sometimes limitless enthusiasm and energy they possess.

Naka and Talisha (humboldts woolly monkeys) re-joined the outside monkeys after their time in Lulu. They are both gaining weight as expected and are highly receptive to the addition of a milk supplement to their daily intake.

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SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

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Kiara (orange winged amazon) is spending time in the clinic currently after being found in the Pichu aviary with a damaged leg. As blood flow within the leg is still prevalent, the wound is being cleaned twice a day with the hope that she regains some use.

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Anybody lucky enough to have spent time at Esperanza Verde in the previous two years will have got to know Ramon (red howler monkey). Being that howler monkeys require more one on one care than any of the species currently at EV meant that they find a special place in all our hearts. Ramon was certainly no different. Unfortunately this month we had to wish farewell to this little man as he went in search of food within the peccary enclosure. Peccaries are particularly territorial and often attack anything within their immediate area.
Ramon was operated on and made comfortable, but the following day succumbed to his extensive injuries. Read on to learn about the special measures currently being undertaken to prevent any more of these occurrences.

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Although September had its high points, it also provided more than its fair share of low points. Late in the month Rafiki (blue and yellow macaw) was found lying prone on the bottom of his enclosure having sustained another fall. Rafiki was one of the first birds to come to Esperanza Verde and had certainly had an eventful time. As Rafiki was unable to fly and movement was very limited due to previous injuries, he had lived in numerous enclosures. He’d lived with the family, lived with the volunteers and spent more than a couple of tenures within the SUSTOAH clinic. All with the aim of giving him the best possible care both physically and mentally. Regrettably with each fall Rafiki sustained more injuries and this final fall became one he would not recover from. Emotions ran high as the collective decision was made to make Rafiki as comfortable as possible and assist him on his way.
This macaw was a character that often danced and actively reacted to volunteers and staff alike. His presence will be sorely missed.

New arrivals

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While Esperanza Verde is not officially taking any rescued animals in the immediate future, we still have occurrences where animals arrive unexpectedly. One such case was Bajus a young yellow footed tree tortoise who was found in a local chakra with a fungus on his shell. He is responding well to daily treatment and due to his small size is expected to be released in the coming months.

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Traya (young female large headed capuchin) was brought to us from a previous volunteer living in nearby Pucallpa. Although not in a position to easily accept new animals, this volunteer was able to sweeten the deal by making himself available to assist in the coming months.

Construction and other

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With Bello Horizonte (our local village) being a busy agricultural area, workers are often difficult to find and even more difficult to retain. Both long serving staff Geyler and Machico are doing a fantastic job in their respective fields. This month we welcomed back Hugo who had worked at Esperanza Verde last year. Hugo’s return is a welcome addition to the team.

Although constructions have become of a lower priority due to a lesser income caused by the impact of the pandemic, a new peccary enclosure needed to be planned to be able to safeguard the outside living animals. We were able to start ordering material, of which most has arrived this month. Seeing the rapid progress being made is a true credit to the small team involved. The new peccary enclosure is further away from all thoroughfares and not in direct contact with any other enclosures. This is envisaged to reduce interest and hopefully stop any further incidents as was the case with Ramon this month.

August saw work continue on the new volunteer toilet with internal walls being added and resurfaced.

Volunteers

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Douwe and Geyler could be freed from the weekly feeding schedule, as a good friend and ex volunteer Enrique joined us to help out. His help in the day to day running is greatly appreciated, and now Geyler and Douwe can go on with all the other necessary projects and maintenance. We have seen this month how a small team can manage even in situations of heavy distress (e.g. in case of Ramon and Rafiki). Although it is not an easy task on a day to day basis, the animals are keeping us together, as they depend on it, and we all do it with a big heart towards them all.