Blog

COVID-19 measures continue worldwide and with numbers in Peru still on the rise, life at EV is far from returning to normal. We are keeping our spirit up even if food may have been sporadic or unavailable at times. With a great team and good food management, as well as taking advantage of the natural environment around us, animals, volunteers and workers are well feed.
At the end of the month volunteer were allowed to visit the village with limitations again, with many taking advantage of the internet connection and talking with relatives and friends at home. Communications had been limited to the occasional text for the last two months, with volunteers not allowed in the village and the opportunity to communicate was appreciated by all.
It is amusing to know that although we have nearly 180 hectares to “play” in, with very few limitations in place, sometimes we still crave contact with the outside world and that touch (smidgeon, hint, dash) of modern living in Bello Horizonte across the river.
A special thanks needs to go out to Douwe, Olivia and family as during this difficult time they are doing their utmost to ensure all volunteers and staff get everything they need. They made it possible to be it contact with home, get information from the outside world, or bring back an unexpected treat with the shopping. We are all so very fortunate they are so dedicated to their dream and the people participating in it.

Monkeys

Howler monkeys and their condition are being monitored very closely while young. This includes regular weight checks and stool sampling, beside the clear focus on the right food. These close checks paid off in May as both Kaira (female Jurua red howler monkey) and Armando (male Jurua red howler monkey) got lose stool and lost weight. We directly reacted with extra care and daily monitoring. They were taken on leaf walks to the plantation and extra time was spent encouraging them to eat leaves, an action we successfully used for other howler monkeys before, when they arrived at a young age. Both monkeys successfully gained weight after just a few weeks of this extra care.

The monkeys which roam freely through the centre enjoy their freedom by playing and exploring. The wild comes with its own risks, which Kaira did not know when entering the peccary enclosure. She was badly injured by the peccaries. After a thorough examination the tough decision was made to euthanize Kaira, as the extensive wounds were just too much for her body to bear. Losing any animal is a tough emotional journey, especially as the whole team got to know her personality over the previous weeks. The remaining four Howler monkeys are in good health with extra awareness still given to Armando and now as well Alaya (female jurua red howler monkey) who in a short time had befriended Kaira and was often in her company.

Ezra (young female Spixs white fronted capuchin) is one of the monkeys that has had a lot of contact with humans. Even if she is adapting very well to the outside, she still spends a lot of time around the volunteer kitchen and other buildings. This said, it is great to see her confidence and interaction with other monkeys increasing on a daily basis.

Daytona (young female large headed capuchin monkey) and Tonka (male Andean saddleback Tamarin) are enjoying their newfound freedom. At the end of the day all three monkeys are still eager to return to the security within Lulu enclosure.

Other Animals

Soft-releasing animals is a very important part of EV. Chosko (male kinkajou) who moved into Tupak enclosure in the latter parts of last month was given the all clear, and a specially installed hatch was left open giving Chosko the option to come and go as he pleased, while still having the benefit of a meal provided each night. Chosko was seen often for the first week, returning for sleep in the mornings. He has since vacated the premises and it appeared opportunistic opossums were helping themselves to his evening meal. There has been a lot of noise recently from Kiko and Kila (male and female kinkajou) close to the family house. It is unknown if Chosko was visiting or if it is merely coincidence. Kiko remains in Tiliku enclosure for the month, awaiting his wounded tail to heal completely before letting him run rampart in the outside world again.

Mojita and Margarita (female agoutis) spent the last month coming and going from Rincay enclosure. As Mojita showed very little fear nor awareness of other animals and humans the decision was made to let her join the other agouti in Pepito enclosure. It is never an easy decision to enclose an animal again, but the possibility of her getting injured or worse was too high. Mojita has settled in well with the other agoutis (males Doquino and Jope and female Daikiri) and is sighted every day coming down at feeding time. Margarita still enjoys the freedom of EV and can be seen a few times each week meandering between the bodega and the family house.

EV’s aim is to give animals a second chance in the wild if possible. This is the ultimate success story when dealing with any animal. Kapa (female Paka) was released this month and even if we thought she may befriend her neighbour Sakura (female Paka) she embraced freedom vigorously and was not seen after her initial release. A few weeks later Kapa was seen again near the volunteer kitchen with a minor injury. A volunteer was able to transfer her back into Momo enclosure for treatment. She will be set free in the next few weeks as soon as she fully recovered.

Machico, who is with us since the start of EV, was out working around the boundaries of EV, taking care of the replanted trees, returned with Katara, the razor billed curassow which left last month. Katara had lost a little weight but was in good overall health. She was again released within the yard at the family house. As she is not scared of humans and so easily caught that she would be a welcome addition to a lot of local dinner tables.

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Released in March, Casha (female porcupine) was found with an injured tail and a swollen face one evening. She was weighed prior to treatment and although she was very eager when food was offered, she had in fact put on weight while fending for herself which is a very positive sign. Casha remains in the SUSTAOH where her injuries are healing as expected.

Rumani (crab eating raccoon) was moved to Pepe enclosure as soon as the space became available as raccoons do not react well when living in cement enclosures. As the month has progressed, Rumani is using his damaged foot more and is gaining confidence in climbing and balancing again. It won’t be long and he will be free to come and go as he pleases.

Some individuals of the current group of parakeets at the SUSTAOH came with both their wings cut to an extend which makes it impossible for them to fly. They were moved to smaller cages ensuring they were unable to injure themselves while we oversee their recovery.

New arrivals

Another month with no new arrivals, which has allowed volunteers and staff more time to focus on the existing animal health and wellbeing.

Construction and other

Small jobs still need to be done at the Quarantine in between the general day to day necessities.

This month was also used to construct a new space for recycling. This allows any recycling to be stored out of the way and away from the monkeys prior to being sent to Curimana for disposal.

Work has started on an additional toilet for the volunteer house and anybody who has been lucky enough to experience life at Esperanza Verde will appreciate the work that goes into what at first glance seems like a simple task. But we learned to put a great deal of planning and labour into each task to ensure smooth building period. Whether it is gathering sand and stones for cement, or two days earthworks completed by Geiler on the end of a pick and shovel.

Dear friends of Esperanza Verde,
We sincerely hope that our letter reaches you and your family safe and in good health during this difficult time. The current situation affects life on the whole planet and changed the way we live and COVID-19 measures continue all over the globe. While travel restrictions and social distancing was implemented by various countries, our local village of Bello Horizonte initially continued, although cautiously, living their normal lives. Within a week everything changed, and measures evolved until a complete public shutdown was announced in Peru. Even alternating gender days for essential business where established (one day only women and the next day only men were allowed e.g. to go shopping) and national as well as international travel came to a stillstand.
With a time-consuming cooperation of foreign consulates, volunteers and EV representatives, we arranged passage for 8 volunteers to return home to Europe. Not an easy task when communication is limited, and the next major city is three hours away.

The world may be in crisis, yet life at EV continues and our onsite team and those in support roles around the world (often unmentioned but always appreciated!) remain strong and focussed on working for the Peruvian wildlife.
The dependence of the animals on the volunteers and staff is on-going and still at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
To an extent life is simplified at EV. Contact with the outside world is limited and the luxuries brought from across the river have stopped. Transport is very limited and at times non-existent. Yet basic groceries arrive intermittently up to now. The team moral remains strong, with many believing we are fortunate to be “stranded” in paradise.

Monkeys

April was a busy month in monkey movements, and it appears all enclosures had “action” in one form or another.

We could release the monkeys from Lulu enclosure last month. Ezra (young female Spixs white fronted capuchin) remained hesitant to vacate the premises while Daytona (young female large headed capuchin monkey) and Tonka (male Andean saddleback Tamarin) readily accepted freedom.

Taking advantage of Ezra’s hesitance, the decision was made to bring Alu (male Andean Saddleback Tamarin) and Shimi (Squirrel Monkey), who had both completed their quarantine period, into the Lulu enclosure to bond with the existing monkeys. All of them were successfully released after a week. Ezra is now adapting very well together with Daytona and Tonka, whereas Alu stayed around for another day before disappearing into the wild. And Shimi…well he seems to prefer confinement over freedom (read on to find out about his plans).

Freedom was also experienced again by Rimaq, Lucio (male spider monkeys) and Kres (female large headed capuchin monkey). Kres continues to take advantage of any moment of inattention and proved this after a door was not correctly locked. Douwe was quick to react and managed to get both spider monkeys back to the enclosure, showing how calmness and experience is required in these situations. Kres meanwhile had let herself into Elmo enclosure (with the macaws) and could be seen having a lot of fun eating their food and playing within their water bowl. Olivia used her experience to calmly catch Kres and return her to the correct locality.
Rimaq enclosure security was again put to the test later in the month when Shimi appeared within the enclosure, often attached to the back of Kres or one of the boys. A quick inspection showed that tree had grown through the mesh and enlarged the holes around it. A quick repair and removal of the squirrel monkey: Problem solved. If it just would have been that easy… Shimi somehow found his way back to accompany Rimaq, Lucio and Kres and appears more than comfortable in his new situation. So, for now we decided to leave him with his choice.

Having regained over ten percent of his body weight Moyo (male Humboldts Woolly monkey) was released from Tupak this month and can be seen returning to his normal behaviour. We continue to monitor his behaviour for any indications of a relapse.

Hope is one thing you should never loose, and this month proved it yet again. Otis, the male Ma’s night monkey) which nearly always in the company of Luna (female Ma’s night monkey), had not been seen for nearly a week. Many started to believe the worst but Otis returned without any harm after his extended rainforest trip.

Our youngest night monkey, Kira now finally is in an outside enclosure (Lucia). Although very different to her previous experience at EV, Kira is adapting well and both Luna and Otis have been seen being interested in her from outside the enclosure.

Other Animals

Kassai (our baby southern tamandua) is still living with the family at the managers house but has been moved into a bigger cage with feeding times now being stretched. Termites are occasionally added to her diet, but she hasn’t yet realised the benefits of catching her own food. Overall Kassai is doing well and we are looking forward to her growing up.

Another animal moving enclosures this month was Chosko (kinkajou) who moved from Tiliku to the newly vacated Tupak enclosure. By moving him there we will have enough physical distance to the territory of Kiko and Kila (our resident male and female kinkajous). The hatch on Tupak will be opened in the next few weeks allowing Chusko to come and go at his own will.

Sadly, this month we said goodbye to another of our favourite characters. Zasu (dusky headed parakeet) was found dead in Igor enclosure. Because he was hand-raised he had no fear of humans and anybody who has done any work in Igor will have had interaction with Zasu who often landed on your shoulder and picked at jewellery or hair.

Freedom was always the plan for Katara (razor billed curassow). She was initially released within the fenced area around the family house with the possibility to come and go as she pleased. After nearly 3 weeks Katara became more adventurous, was seen at the quarantine and then disappeared into the wild.

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Kiko (male kinkajou) was found with injuries after fighting with other kinkajous. After a surgical operation Kiko was returned to his former home in Tiliku enclosure for regeneration, medication and observation. After some time Kiko had been recovered nicely and was released back into the wild.

Rumani (crab eating raccoon) is occasionally sighted at either his own feeding table or near Tiliku enclosure at the kinkajou feeding table. On one occasion Rumani was seen limping. He was caught in the front-cage of Tiliku and caught by Douwe (have you ever tried to catch an eight and a half kilo raccoon?) in his usual style and finesse. Rumani is now recovering within the SUSAOH from a broken foot.

Ashanti (Scarlet Macaw), Upendi and Inuka (yellow crowned amazon parrots) have moved to the front cage of Elmo enclosure, where all three birds now have the room to spread their wings. Ashanti is still getting syringe fed twice a day but is also gaining confidence in eating herself.

Mojita and Margarita (female agoutis) were introduced to each other in one cage within the clinic for a week, before being moved together into Rincay enclosure joining the large yellow footed tortoises. Both agoutis can release themselves from the enclosure which is perceived as a soft release, giving them the security of an enclosure and on-going food-supply along with the freedom to come and go as they please.

Kapa (female Paka) moved from the clinic to the Momo enclosure and is doing very well. We plan to release Kapa in early May. Both Kapa and Sakura (the older female paka) sleep beside each other, although on different sides of the mesh, so we don’t expect any compatibility issues.

Kaira (female Red howler monkey) joined the rest of our howlers into Arana enclosure. After a few weeks she was able to join them in daily freedom outside the cage. Kaira is a monkey who has had a lot of contact with humans so adjustment can take a lot longer. Volunteers and staff are keeping a close eye on Kaira to ensure she continues to progress as expected.

Zola (young female red uakari) was another monkey that moved into Lulu enclosure. Zola appeared to be adapting well to life outside and joined the other monkey species in Lulu. Unfortunately she developed serious symptoms and was taken to the SUSTAOH for treatment and monitoring. Beside the intensive care she passed away the same day. A sad loss, and an important reminder of what can happen when animals are taken from their natural environment.

New arrivals

With travel inside of Peru being basically impossible, it is safe to say the SUSTAOH is looking slightly empty.
There were no new arrivals this month, but we are preparing ourselves for new arrivals when restrictions are eased.

Construction and other

Volunteer assistance has been limited leaving the burden of construction solely on Douwe and Geiler’s, fitting this in between routine repairs and other daily requirements.

Pedro enclosure (for the margays) was finished this month along with a tunnel connecting it to Zambo enclosure. Both Grety and Diego now have twice the space to explore and play in, often being seen running between both enclosures.

Quarantine continues to progress. Now we are working on finer details that take the extra time, with all doors and cage partitions being installed this month, along with the lion’s share of kitchen tiling completed.

Volunteers

What do volunteers do when on lockdown in paradise?
A lot! April was a month that saw birthdays, movie nights on the big screen (15” 🙂 ), a quiz night, a Kayla created buffet at the family house and Easter even snuck up on us.

Easter was a real treat with an egg hunt at the waterfall and a culinary delight special lunch created by both Olivia and Kayla, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The effort being made by everyone to make the most of lockdown is not only admirable, but an incredible experience.

COVID-19 has seen a worldwide escalation in travel and social restrictions. Esperanza Verde has been carefully monitoring the situation in our local region to ensure we are up to date with the most current information, and are able to make careful decisions on what is a rapidly evolving issue, to assure the safety of all volunteers, staff and animals.
Currently non-essential travel is not allowed within the country and as the month ended international flights into or out of Peru ceased. Although EV is not currently able to receive any new volunteers, we are fortunate that there are existing volunteers who are able to stay a little longer.
We continue to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak, and make key decisions based on the most current information available.
As you read on, you will notice that the animals, and thus the general work, is not greatly affected by the situation for the time being.

Every month at Esperanza Verde can offer something different and this month was no different. Douwe, Olivia and the family continued a well-deserved vacation away from E.V and although absent it was extremely comforting to all, knowing that the wealth of their knowledge and assistance was only a phone call away.
New animals, new volunteers and new challenges, but as is often the case the team reacted as required and the month ran as smoothly as anticipated.

Monkeys

March saw all of our Ma’s Night Monkeys back in enclosures. Moira and Maru were both losing weight, so they have been enclosed to allow for closer monitoring of their health and diet. Otis had an injured foot, and being such a social animal, both he and Luna were closed into Tupac to allow Otis time to be medicated and observed. While Luna and Otis are in Tupac, it was a great opportunity to introduce our newest addition Kira (baby Night monkey), and get them comfortable in each other’s company. Kira is now spending time with a senior volunteer within Tupac most evenings, and although still apprehensive appears to be growing in confidence daily. Kira moved to the clinic briefly in March as space permitted but as you will see, a busy month in the SUSTAOH meant Olivia, Douwe and the family took responsibility for Kira with her moving back to a smaller cage in their attic.
In the closing days of the month all four night monkeys were released from their respective enclosures and life has returned to normal for them. As is always the case we continue to monitor their weights and general wellbeing.

Lulu became one of the latest enclosures to liberate its residents this month. Daytona (female large headed capuchin monkey) and Tonka (male Andean saddleback Tamerin) readily accepted the newfound freedom, but with the option to be enclosed in the evenings if they wish.

Ezra (Spix white chested capuchin) was not so quick to embrace emancipation, finding the experience of mixing with other monkeys all rather daunting. For the next few days dedicated volunteers observed Ezra outside ensuring they were available if she was struggling or became lost.

Alaya, (female Howler monkey) could give lessons to the other howlers about monkeying outside. Alaya now spends the occasional evening outside. As she has spent very little time in the company of humans, she is very independent and often snubs the idea of milk in the evenings in favour of freedom within the trees. Alaya’s weight has remained consistent since being introduced to Arana enclosure last month illustrating how well she has adapted to her new surroundings and enclosure.

Other Animals

Sakura (female Agouti Paca) was always going to be released, but it seems patience is not a virtue and Sakura liberated herself twice before the decision was made to let nature run its course and allow her that which she so obviously desired. Sakura is still fed nightly and ironically it appears she sleeps just outside where she was in MoMo enclosure.

Another escape artist this month was a volunteer favourite who has been sighted since but is somewhat elusive. Fonzo (male cabybara), took advantage of a sudden deluge of water and the resulting hole underneath a cement drain. It is very unusual for Fonzo to miss a meal so it was quickly discovered that something was amiss. Douwe and Olivia spent many hours after dark until midnight that evening trying to catch or encourage Fonzo back into Rincay enclosure but he didn’t oblige. Being that there were only tortoises sharing the enclosure, Douwe made it so Fonzo was able to let himself in for the next few days but again it was not meant to be. We know there is plenty of food available to a Capybara around E.V and can only hope Fonzo can stay away from predators.

Birds

Ruiz and Rimona (male and female green winged macaw) have now joined the blue and yellow macaws in the main aviary of Elmo enclosure. All the birds appear comfortable with their new living arrangements with Ruiz and Rimona remaining comfortable in each other’s company.

Rafiki (blue and yellow macaw), has had another big month with modifications being made to his cage, allowing him to be moved into the living area in the volunteer house. Rafiki thrives on the extra attention and with his cage modifications hygiene is easier to maintain leaving everyone more time to enjoy his company.

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Last month’s new arrivals had a mixed bag for the month with the three Amazons joining the parakeets in Aguatena, as all of these birds are just awaiting feather regrowth prior to being released.

Angelito (yellow footed tortoise) remained in the clinic for most of the month until clear of parasites. Angelito was released and Diablito (yellow footed tortoise) opted for freedom, after a door was inadvertently left ajar, these two may discover each other again in the future.

Flora (orange winged amazon) was another animal enjoying the accommodations at the family house. Space became a premium within the SUST AOH so while still in her quarantine and unable to join the other amazons in the Pichu aviary, Flora relaxed with all the comforts of home and the hospitality of Douwe, Olivia and family, prior to successful release into Pichu with the existing Amazons and Scarlett Macaws.

New arrivals

As is often the case, Douwe and Olivia passing through Pucallpa on holiday, generally results in new animals joining Esperanza Verde.

Kassai (tamandua mexiana) was only a few weeks old when brought back from Pucallpa, and although it can be touch and go with an animal of this age, Kassai is gaining weight through the diligence of both Olivia and Douwe. Having such a young animal living within your house can upset all sorts of routines and sleeping patterns, but it is just another example of the steps taken to ensure every animal gets the best survival opportunities.

Two other animals to join the fray on the families return were Alu (Andean Saddleback Tamarin) and Shimi (Squirrel Monkey) who were obtained by a previous volunteer who is working on another project in Pucallpa. Both Alu and Shimi will share a cage within SUSTAOH through their quarantine period.

Douwe and Olivia were fortunate enough to have fore warning of the imminent arrival of many animals from the ministry in Pucallpa shortly after they came back from holiday. Where possible, cages were made ready and animals were moved. Although prior notice was given, final numbers, conditions of animals and their care needs are never truly realised until they arrive.

The following animals arrived :

• Three yellow crowned amazons, of which one died two days later, a fungal infection being the cause of death. The others are doing well and were named Upendi and Inuka.

• A very young scarlet macaw Ashanti. She still needs syringe and hand feeding until she will be able to feed herself.

• Three yellow footed tortoises; Europa, Asia and Brutus

• A young female agouti; Margarita

• A Red tailed Boa, Bea. At nearly 8.5 kg and over 2.5 meters, Bea was an incredibly beautiful creature. She was only kept long enough for her to shed her skin, prior to being released away from the facilities

• A sub-adult female tree porcupine, Casha. Casha stayed long enough to have treatment for any unwanted parasites and to confirm her health status before being successfully released one evening to enjoy her own independence.

• A young Neotropical River Otter, Aiska. Unfortunately after a week of seemingly doing well, she showed some fatigue when going on a walk to the stream for a swim. As she had just been well and active and enjoying her fish, we were not too concerned. Unfortunately within 48 hours we found her non-responsive and cold. Efforts were made to revive her, but were unsuccessful. Although she was only briefly with us, she found a place in many hearts with her joy full greeting every time you went into her enclosure.

• Sub adult female paka; Kapa

• A young female red uakari; Zola. Esperanza Verde traditionally does not accept animals that are not native to the region, but given the options and the chance at survival otherwise, chose to accept this unique monkey. We hope she connects well the existing monkeys. She eats a very similar diet to both the Howler monkey and the Saki monkey.

• A juvenile female Jurua red howler Monkey; Kaira

• A razor billed curassow; Katara

• Two large headed capuchin monkeys; Kaliba and Selda

• Five spectacled or white caimans.

Construction and other

This month saw on-going progress on both the quarantine and the new margay enclosure. Weather and other “distractions” permitting, it is envisaged that the new margay enclosure will be completed in the next week, named Pedro, after the sponsor from Holland.
Having volunteers eager to do something a little outside their comfort zone has seen some of the more mundane projects receive a push in the right direction, with old storage sheds removed and excavation completed for a new recycling storage centre, as well as some finishing touches being completed in the quarantine. As is always the case with rainy season still in full swing, paths and drainage are also getting the valuable attention they require.

February has been a fun and interesting month at EV; we’ve had new animals arrive, some have been released, some escaped (but came back) and the volunteers enjoyed a well-earned carnival party !

 

Monkeys

The female and male night monkeys Moira and Maru seem to be doing really well outside. They have a hatch in their enclosure (Tiliku) so they can come and go whenever they want, an opportunity they happily take. Sometimes they are in there for the food and a nice log to sleep in, but more recently they seem to have found a better place in the trees to spend the day in.

Alaya, the young female howler monkey was let out, after some bonding time with the male howler monkeys Armando, Ramon and Darwin in the Araña enclosure. It was a nervous time as she was still very timid and wary of humans but she was showing a lot of interest in the other monkeys outside. When we opened the enclosure she stayed in there for quite a few hours, before she started to explore and left Araña, sitting on the roof in the sun with some of the other monkeys. She spent the day out, and the other monkeys responded very well to her, being gentle and grooming her, it was a beautiful moment for everyone. Although Katinka, our young spider monkey did decide to tease her a bit by pulling her tail. She also went exploring up in the trees with the other howler monkeys. She is growing in confidence and enjoys being up in the trees. At the end of each day she returns to the enclosure with the other howlers.

We sadly also have some unfortunate monkey news this month. Samara (female woolly monkey) had her first baby, a female. It came a bit as a surprise, as we had already decided she was not pregnant! In the first days we saw the two together and everything seemed to be going well. On the 5th day the baby dropped from Samara and she didn’t come back to pick it up. We took both up to the clinic, tried to feed the baby and warm her, as she was very weak and dehydrated. After that we put both together in the clinic to give Samara another go at taking care of the baby. Unfortunately Samara was not being very attentive, so after careful consideration we decided to separate the baby from her mother again. We tried everything to keep her warm and hydrated, but she was too weak and died that same evening. It was very sad, but it also was a reminder of the importance of not having these animals as pets. Samara never had the experience of being raised by her own mum, neither did she see other monkeys taking care of an infant. We can only hope that she will learn and maybe copy some of the behaviour of our other monkey species such as Cumala, our adult spider monkey with her baby, and will be better prepared for it next time.

 

Other Animals

Ruiz, our green winged macaw from the aviary Pichu, joined Rimona, the new green winged macaw in the clinic. Maybe it was not exactly love at first sight, but neither were they aggressive to one other. They kept their distance in the beginning but after a week were seen grooming each other. Let’s hope Ruiz does not start to pick Rimonas feathers as much as he sometimes does with his own. They were moved together to the front cage of the Elmo enclosure, to meet all the blue and yellow macaws. If this goes well, both of them will be moved into the main enclosure soon.

Ermina (scarlet macaw) was living in the front cage of Elmo because she was previously bullied by Ruiz and Mebi. As this bully-couple has been separated now, Ermina was able to go into Pichu. It seems it has been a good decision for all scarlet macaws, they seem to be far more relaxed. Even Mebi doesn’t seem to be too put out by the absence of his friend Ruiz.

Rafiki our blue and yellow macaw, has had a long recovery, thanks to the bullying of Ruiz and Mebi. It was decided that he should be moved to the clinic again. He will never be able to be in a big aviary as the damage that has been done has left him without sufficient ability to climb or catch his own fall. He always seemed most happy with people around, even in a small cage, so in the clinic, we can keep him company and give him the best life possible.

As if we never have enough to do… recent rainfall has caused some damage. The peccary enclosure developed a hole at the rear. Of course the peccaries spotted it before we did ! You can imagine the surprise Karole (our returning Dutch volunteer) had on one of her loved leaf walks ! Luckily for us, they didn’t enjoy being out, and most of them returned by themselves and the rest followed us back again. By the afternoon the fence was repaired and all 6 had been safely returned to Xena in time for their afternoon feeding.

 

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Last month we wrote about the parakeets from Tupak cage, which we had separated into different groups according to health and flight strength. The group of birds without any problems were moved to a cage ready for release. This month we opened the hatch of Aquatena cage to release these parakeets. After about 10 minutes of looking around they started going through the hatch and flew away.
At the moment, only 2 parakeets remain for further observation. The last 20 non-flyers are now in the Aguatena till they grow all their feathers back and can be released as well.

Kira (young female Ma’s night monkey) is doing well and has moved from the cage in the attic of the family house to one of the cages in the clinic. All the volunteers have quickly fallen in love with her and are taking turns in going to her cage before and after diner to feed her and stimulate some activity with her. Kira seems to love the attention; she is always very energetic and playful when a volunteer arrives.

 

New arrivals

It has been a busy month with new arrivals at EV. We received 3 amazons and a tortoise from the Ministry. The amazons were probably recently caught; they are wild and not used to humans at all. Unfortunately their wing feathers are cut, so they are currently living in the clinic waiting for their flight feathers to grow back. The tortoise, named Angelito (yellow footed tortoise), is spending his quarantine period in the clinic. We later received a tortoise from a man in Curimana, which we named Diablito. Since the clinic is quite full already, he is currently staying in a cage under the family house.

A baby agouti, named Mojita, was found on a plantation and was brought to E.V. She is still young but is doing well in the clinic. She is eating and drinking well, gaining weight and is very active and lively.

Flora, an orange winged Amazon, also arrived this month. She was found in the garden by a couple living in Lima, most likely escaped from her former owners. At the time unable to fly and sickly they took her into their care, and since then have found out many things about Flora and her species. Her owners brought her all the way from Lima, as they were going to Germany. They had learned that this species should not be held as a pet and should return to its habitat. Unfortunately, since Flora is very tame it will not be possible to release her again, she would not know where to find food, nor be up to the challenges of living in the wild. After her quarantine period in the clinic she will be moved into Pichu cage, where we are sure she will find a partner and/or friends among the other Amazons.

 

Construction and other

With a lot of construction projects going, Douwe and Geiler were happy to have some extra hands helping them out this month. Gelimer, a brother of Geiler, stayed for 2 weeks in Bello and helped out. Geiler was able to finish another cage in the quarantine, while progress could be made with the new Zambo cage for the margays.
Thanks to the donation by the company in Holland, De Graaf Afbouw, we could start this new enclosure swiftly, as it won’t be long before the margays will need more room or potentially separating for a period of time.
When there are sufficient volunteers, one or even two can enjoy some construction as well, especially when they are willing to work several days a week in construction. This helps Douwe to get a lot of jobs done, like the rebuilding of the interiors of cages like Pichu, Igor, La Sapa and Rimaq. Hopefully we will continue to have enough volunteers with interests in construction as well as in animals, so we can continuously have volunteers helping out in construction. So if this interests you or if you know somebody that might be interested, we are very happy to receive your help here in the jungle !

 

Volunteers

This month the football table arrived ! Both in the lunch break and in the evenings the table is very popular, with the family, the workers and the volunteers enjoying the game. The first volunteer-tournament was played, which got so exciting that the family could hear the excitement all the way over at their house !
We are very happy to welcome Craig back home again ! So with Puck and him running the show, and Emile as veterinarian at their side, the family was able to go on a well-deserved holiday in Peru.

Happy New Year from Esperanza Verde! We started the New Year traditionally with the burning of a handmade puppet, representing the past year, and giving 2020 a fresh start. It was a great evening with nice pizza and traditional Dutch “oliebollen”.

 

Monkeys

Moira and Maru (female and male Ma’s night monkey) in the Tiliku cage, near the family house, were released through the small hatch at the back of the cage. At first they were a bit hesitant, but soon Maru climbed out of the cage. Shortly after Moira joined him, and we could hear and see them jumping around in the trees in front of their cage. The hatch is now open all of the time, so they have the option to go in and out whenever they want. Usually they go out at the end of the day, to return in the early morning to the comfort of an enclosure with food and a hollow log to sleep in.

Chula, the daughter of Cumala (female spider monkey) is very inquisitive and looks around at everything from her mothers back. Her big black eyes seem to take in all the activity happening around her. A very alert baby, and her mother loves showing her around.

Nikita, one of our adult female capuchins, showed up with a new born. Last year she lost her baby after several weeks, and we hope this time she will be more lucky. Nikita is one of the capuchins that doesn’t show up every day, as she spends most of her time further away with the squirrel monkeys. So far she has come by to show us her baby twice, so we are hoping for another peak at the new born soon!

 

Birds

This month it was time for Manto (scarlet macaw) to move out of the clinic. First he moved to the Pichu Aviary front cage, so that he could have some contact with the other 5 scarlet macaws. After a week we opened the door for him towards to enter the main aviary area. We were curious how it would go since we have two bullies amongst our macaws (Mebi and Ruiz (the only green winged macaw), but Manto is a good flyer and has kept his distance.

Ewia, the ruddy ground dove with the broken wing, has had an amazing recovery. After some time in a bigger cage at the clinic to strengthen her muscles she was successfully introduced to the birds in Igor, joining her friend Hercules again. She has been doing well ever since.

 

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Ezra (young female white fronted capuchin) and Daytona (young female large headed capuchin) were brought to the new outside cage, Lulu, so Ezra could meet the outside monkeys. Tonka, the only Andean saddleback tamarin joined them, so they can all be released together. Although in nature tamarins and capuchins don´t always do well together, Tonka proved to be tough enough to handle some young capuchins. He gets a pick of which capuchin he sleeps on, as both seem to enjoy his company a lot.

The clinic became busy when some of our white winged parakeets developed problems, prolapsed cloacas. We decided to catch all 65 of them and take the ones with symptoms to the clinic. The majority were moved to the quarantine. These can all fly and didn’t show symptoms. Two groups moved to the clinic, ones that can’t fly and a group requiring treatment. All groups got a generalized treatment, as we have still not determined the cause of the illness. Even with all the help from our International network of veterinarians, we have not been able to determine the cause. In the jungle we can only do so much with the techniques we have available to us.
Fortunately, with all of the help we were able to set up a good treatment protocol, with specific hygiene rules, and we seem to have stopped the spread and contained the problem. These poor parakeets have been through a lot already, as these all are the last of a group that arrived in March 2019, with the fungal disease Aspergillosis. We hope by telling this story people will have less incentive to buy animals from the wild. For every animal that survives being caught many don’t make it.

Chosko (male kinkajou) moved out of the clinic to the Lucia cage. The first day, the outside monkeys kept him awake as they all wanted to introduce themselves to the new animal. As if this was not enough excitement for Chosko, the outside male kinkajou, Kiko, visited him and was chasing him around the cage, from the outside. Finally it all calmed down and he could go to sleep in his box.

 

New arrivals

Alaya was the first arrival of the year. She is a young female howler monkey. She was handed over to Kayla in Bello Horizonte, where someone left her in a box. She had a rope tied around her, and was most likely recently caught from the wild. This means her mother was probably killed and eaten, and she was taken to be held or sold as a pet. Whilst she was clearly not used to being handled, without our intervention, she would not survive on her own.
At first she did not want to eat anything, but as soon as we brought in Armando, our youngest male howler, she started eating within minutes. Since then, she has spent many hours, day and night, with him. She eats well and is already trusting enough to take some milk, which is a vital step for her continued health. Recently she also joined the other males, Darwin and Ramon, during the late afternoon and night. For now she stays in during the day, but soon we will let her out together with the rest during the mornings.

One night, Douwe and Olivia heard a sound coming from the stream near their house. Douwe went into the water and found a very young night monkey trying, but unable, to climb out of the water. After taking her out and drying her, they put her outside in a tree in the hope that the mother would show up and take her with her. The baby was calling out for almost two hours but her mother didn’t show up. The attempt continued as the baby continued to call and was avoiding human contact. Unfortunately only Moira (our recently released female nightmonkey) was seen nearby. So at the end she was taken in. We have named her Kira and she is now in care of Douwe and Olivia.

Sakura, an adult female paca and Rimona, a green winged macaw, were brought by the Ministry, who confiscated them from an individual traveling by boat to Pucallpa, most likely to sell them. They are both tame, especially Rimona, so have probably been in captivity for some time already. For now they are at the clinic, where they will stay for their quarantine period.

 

Construction and other

The kitchen extension Douwe and Geiler started to build last month was painted by the volunteers and soon will be enriched with the football table Douwe got Olivia for her birthday. It was thrown away in the bushes in the village, and Douwe could get it for almost nothing. He restored it beautifully, and the family already got to enjoy it a lot at their house.
Apart from the kitchen, maintenance took most of the work of Douwe, fixing water problems, upgrading the structures in several cages, while Geiler also worked a lot at the quarantine, doing the fine cementing (walls and floors).
As if there was not enough to do, something else came up… A night of very heavy rainfall, even worse than usual, resulted in a collapsed bridge, the one that connects the family house to the rest of Esperanza Verde. Douwe and Olivia and the kids will have to take a detour for the coming months, as it will take some time to rebuild.
For more than half a year now we have been looking for someone who can assist Geiler, but unfortunately most people here only want to work short periods of time. Luckily one of the volunteers with us now, offered to work more days of the week on construction instead of with the animals. This will really help us to get things done.

 

Volunteers

The daily work that is done by volunteers is divided into different tours, each volunteer being responsible for several animals. For many years now they were divided into 3 tours: Resident tour, Monkey tour and Baby monkey tour. This month we decided to change this and divide the work into 4 tours. This has several advantages, of which the most important is that now there is more time for creating enrichment for the animals. It is great to see how the animals enjoy the enrichment projects made for them, from smelly tubes for the cats to a tent for the young capuchins.

December is always a busy time at Esperanza Verde with Saint Nicolas, Christmas and New Year. Christmas presents came early for us with a new baby spider monkey being born and the arrival of a juvenile kinkajou.

 

Monkeys

This month saw a new arrival when Cumala (Black faced spider monkey) gave birth! We haven’t been totally sure about her being pregnant after her time with Rimaq and Lucio. The volunteers were delighted when they woke up to find a small baby attached to the side of Cumala. The baby has been named Chula and is a female.

Last month we saw Nera give birth to her second baby Nawi. They are seen a lot and are doing very well with the group of capuchins which is continuing to go further away for longer periods of time with the lead of the wild male Macu.
Daytona (young female large headed capuchin) was released this month to join the other monkeys outside. After spending time acclimatising in Pepe cage she was ready to go outside and has been playing with the other monkeys. She is doing well and socialising with the other monkeys but still every now and then sleeps in Pepe cage with the other baby monkeys. Her introduction was without problems and the monkeys were quick to accept her within the group. At the end of the month we decided to move her to the clinic to socialise with Ezra (a young female white fronted capuchin) to aid in the introduction of her to the group.

Chiquita, Lupa, Samara and Maruja (adult female woolly monkeys) and the adult males woollies Monano and Moyo continue to thrive at Esperanza Verde. They form a group of 12 woollies, together with the younger male and female woolly monkeys, living outside.

Armando, Ramon and Darwin (male Howler monkeys) continue to put on weight and play with the other monkeys outside. As howler monkeys are more sensitive than the other species they spend their nights in Arana cage with a diet rich in fresh leaves picked by volunteers on a daily basis.

This month was not all great news and we unfortunately lost one monkey, Tito (saki monkey). He was found under the volunteer house one morning after a volunteer was looking for materials for construction. His necropsy was unfortunately unable to find a cause of death. The other saki monkey, Yuria, is still doing well and has been seen often interacting with the other monkeys.

 

Other Animals

Diego (young male margay) has been cared for by the family at their house for several months. As Diego will never have a chance for release, being raised from so young by humans, it was important to socialize him sufficiently with humans and offering him enough space for growth. This month we decided to introduce him to Grety, the female margay in Zambo cage. Introduction of animals can be problematic; however, Grety was accepting of Diego and their initial introduction was successful. The introduction was a slow process with a period in which Diego was in 1 part of the Zambo cage while Grety was in the other compartment of the cage. After that, they were introduced to each other in the same cage, spending a few hours together each day supervised by Douwe and volunteers to ensure that the introduction went well. They now spend longer periods of time unsupervised and seem to be settling in well together. Till we have built new enclosure to give them more space, we will leave them together during the day while being separated at night.

Delta (orange winged amazon) was moved into Igor cage after her quarantine period in the clinic. There she met with Sayani, the orange winged amazon with only one functioning eye, and they seem to have found friendship as you will see them sitting next to each other most of the time.

The two ground doves, Hercules and Ewia, and Dido, the tanager, were also moved to Igor cage, Dido (tanager) and Hercules are doing fine. Ewia unfortunately was found with a broken wing and was taken back to the clinic with Hercules (for company). After her transition to the clinic and some good signs of recovery we moved Hercules back to Igor cage, leaving Ewia to recover in the clinic.

 

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

The clinic has been fairly quiet this month for the Esperanza Verde animals. Douwe and Emile (our long term veterinarian from Belgium) carried out an emergency operation on a dog from Bello. The dog, Pucca, had deceased puppies inside which were unable to pass. Unfortunately as all of the puppies were already dead the uterus was removed by Douwe and Emile so the dog would survive. The dog made a speedy recovery and was running around Bello within a few days.
One of the white winged parakeets was brought into the clinic with a problem to its cloaca. Its problem remains uncertain and it is being kept at the clinic until the cloaca is healed and fully functioning.

Manto, the scarlet macaw, remains in the clinic after arriving last month, he is a favourite with some volunteers and is a picky eater, preferring to eat just pepino fruit and tuna.

Ezra (female white fronted capuchin) has finished her quarantine period at the clinic, however has remained there to settle in. Daytona was brought up from Pepe cage where she stays to keep Ezra company and hopefully Daytona can convince Ezra to move and explore a bit more, as most of the time she is laying in her hammock. Their introduction went without problems and we are confident that Ezra will be joining the group of wild monkeys soon.

 

New arrivals

This month we have had one new arrival, a juvenile kinkajou called Chosko. He was weighed and given a health check as all new arrivals receive. He was estimated to be a year old when he arrived and is doing well in the clinic in his quarantine period.

 

Construction and other

Douwe and Geiler have been constructing an extension to the back of the kitchen. They are extending this space for volunteers and the highly awaited football table. This extension is likely to be finished within the new year.

While still work is being done at the quarantine, the Lulu cage has been completed this month, replacing the old Roko cage. Thank you Wild futures in Looe, UK, for making this happen.

 

Volunteers

The volunteer house has been full for most of November and December. There was a large group change with 10 volunteers including Alex (assistant manager) leaving and 5 arriving. This large change went well, with new volunteers learning their jobs quickly and settling in at the volunteer house. Both Sean and Lauren returned for short term visits spending Christmas at Esperanza Verde.
With a Dutch family running the place, Saint Nicolas was celebrated the Dutch way. It turned out to be the favourite event for many volunteers, with a lot of (self made) presents, Douwe going on a treasure hunt and Marlon receiving a beautifully decorated machete. As always there was a lot of dancing and partying, Dutch sweets and good food.

Christmas was celebrated at Douwe and Olivia’s house with all the volunteers. A total of 20 people for the festive dinner saw every table and chair being obtained from all over EV. The effort was worth the celebration. Once dinner had finished the tables were cleared to make way for cocktails and dancing!