December 2023 Newsletter
December in the jungle is always busy, just like the rest of the world. But instead of stressful Christmas shopping and loud fireworks, we’ve been transporting wild cats across the country, welcomed 20 teeny tiny turtles and eaten way too much tasty food (just like most of you).
Animals
The time finally came for Azura and Nairi (juvenile female jaguars) to go to their forever home – Hoja Nueva. A rescue centre in the south of Peru, that specialises in wild cats. But they didn’t make the journey on their own, Douwe, Arthur, and Hortencia (a representative from Ucayali Authorities) tagged along to make sure they arrived safely.
Thanks to Hoja Nueva’s dedicated team, the two youngsters now have a beautiful and spacious enclosure to continue their rehabilitation in (and hopefully be released from).
This translocation was made possible with the help of UPA (Unidos Por los Animales), local authorities and LATAM Airlines – wildlife rescue is always a team effort!
Moana and Mushu (female and male woolly monkeys) made big moves this month – their door was opened, and they seem to be loving the freedom to roam, socialise and play. Mushu quickly found a new form of transportation: the adult female woolly monkey Almira’s back! (Until she had enough.)
Under the watchful eye of a volunteer, Mina (juvenile squirrel monkey), makes her way outside from time to time. She’s doing very well, playing with some of the white capuchins and hunting down any insect that crosses her path.
The time has come for Ronin, the cute yet ferocious jaguarundi that has been living in Olivia’s office, to start exploring the outside world. With the Zambo and Pedro enclosure free from Jaguars, this is where Ronin will grow and get closer to the jungle. Whenever possible, we spend time with him. As he’s young he still needs company, playtime and enrichment, and boy oh boy you can bet the team is excited about this job.
For a moment Carlotta and Arthur thought their cabin would be a chill place free from animals, how naïve… Rala (baby female collared peccary) has joined them in their tower of solitude. She is very young and needs a lot of looking after; stimulation for food and milk (several times a day) and the company and care of a “parental figure”. As if that wasn’t enough, Dina, a baby female squirrel monkey rescued from Bello Horizonte, also joined the crew. Lucky for these two babies, they’ve got a top-notch duo looking after them.
Lyanna and Leto the two tamarins that were released, are doing very well outside. Sometimes they show up for a small snack in the enclosure they were released from, but they spend most of their time off scavenging and exploring the jungle.
Susy Utzinger Orphan Animal Hospital
After Panchin’s (male woolly monkey) successful parasite treatment and release, the clinic was very empty with only the baby turtles to look after. But alas, we know it never seems to stay that way for very long…
With so many different monkey species co-existing, fighting is inevitable. This time Manok (juvenile male woolly monkey and Maruja’s son) got in the middle of some capuchins, ending up with a deep wound in his leg. He is not a happy monkey in the clinic. He was born at Esperanza Verde in semi-captivity, so this is his first (and hopefully last) time being enclosed. Lucky for him, he’s in good care with Carlotta meticulously cleaning his wound regularly to get him out and about as quickly as possible.
Quarantine
32 yellow-footed turtles came into our care, talking about a turtle-galore. But only 12 stayed in the quarantine and 20 of them were so small they went straight to the clinic for intensive care.
Also new are Yoni (mealy Amazon parrot) and two pale-winged trumpeters, Ludi and Hubi, who all were handed over by a local family.
Construction
With no major construction projects planned, the team has focused on the often-neglected small repairs and maintenance jobs. The bodega (where we prepare all the food for the animals) was the first to get some love. It was built in 2012, so we quickly realized it would need more than just some repairs, so that’s the next big project for 2024!
Volunteer life
We were sad to say goodbye to the returning volunteers Irene and Kees, who are always a big help.
Not long after they left, we also saw Catelijne, Olivia’s childhood friend, go. She stayed with us for 3 weeks and she’s not the one to sit still. She helped both the family and the volunteers with their daily work. She also fell in love in the jungle, Kelso (two-toed sloth) stole her heart. Who’s to blame her? She directly decided to become his adopting parent.
Want to adopt yourself? Check out our website or as ex-volunteer drop us a message and find out if your favorite animal is still up for adoption. https://www.esperanzaverdeperu.com/en/adoptions/
Kayla surprised us all when she decided to come back to EV and join us for the holidays! For the past months, she’s been exploring Europe and making the Netherlands her home. For now, she’s back spoiling the volunteers with delicious food, while Craig is enjoying a well-deserved holiday.
Per tradition, the Dutch version of San Nicolas was celebrated; we read beautiful poems and solved ridiculous riddles! Then came Christmas and all its trimmings with tasty food and a big party where everyone danced their heart out. And we can’t forget our pre-New Year’s lunch to mark the end of 2023, cooked by Kayla, and enjoyed by all! A pretty great way to start 2024, if we may say so ourselves.
Thank you to all the volunteers, organizations, supporters, friends, family, and fans for this turbulent, brilliant, testing, and marvelous year. We appreciate every single one of you.
Happy New Year and we hope to see you in the jungle soon.
¡Hasta proxima!
