Esperanza Verde Update – March 2018

Lots of work with fewer volunteers means that the main focus of the project turns to feeding and taking care of the animals. Since we were joined by several new volunteers, more time is available for the important extra tasks, such as enrichment for the animals, constructions or maintenance. This month we also had the pleasure of being visited by Philipp Zerbe, the president of the international EV-association and veterinarian, his parents and his brother Adrian (also former volunteer of EV).

Monkeys

Darwin enjoying a tomatoe

Tawaki and Naka, the baby male and female woolly monkeys, are now staying outside for the whole night. Naka does not have any problems with this, but Tawaki needs a little bit more time to get used to it. He is now in a training period to teach him to sleep in the trees and not on the floor.
Mayantu also stays outside for the whole day and night. She likes to be carried by Kress, another female capuchin, who is only a bit bigger, and also hangs out with Macu, the wild male capuchin.

Luna and Otis, the baby night monkeys, are living together in the Lucia cage now. Luna is already drinking out of a bowl, but Otis is still drinking his milk out of the bottle.

Other Mammals

Lulu, the two-toed sloth, who was released some time ago, recently made an appearance and was weighed. As her weight was low, we made the decision to take her into the clinic for observation. Sadly and very suddenly she passed away. She was at Esperanza Verde for 1,5 years, and we will all miss her a lot.

Elmo happy outside

On the positive side, Elmo, the other two-toed sloth who was released years ago, showed up to check if any food was available for him. Last time we saw him was almost a year ago! He looked healthy and left a day later.
Ruena is doing fine and we hope to start the training for her future release soon. Until then, we try to keep her busy with enrichment to prevent her from getting bored.

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Philipp Zerbe, who has been part of the EV-family now for years now, recently visited us for a few weeks. We got a lot of work done thank to him as he likes to keep us all busy! Sitting still is not one of his best qualities but we love him for it! Thank you Philipp and Susy Utzinger for all the material you donated to our clinic.
Tara, the family dog, needed a castration, so who better to do this than our most trusted veterinarian, Philipp! Philipp and Douwe went to the village to deparasite several dogs, and gave our volunteers some training in hygiene and enrichment for animals. The volunteers also joined Philipp on several of his night walks. Thank you Philipp, for always being there for us. You are the best!
Ronya, the baby capuchin, is growing bigger and bigger. Last month, she was moved to a bigger enclosure inside the clinic. Every day, she is taken on the leaf walk with a volunteer. During our walks we try to stimulate her to climb in the trees. Although still a bit afraid, she does her best and is starting to climb the trees more often.

Koru, the purple gallinule bird which arrived last month, is growing really fast. However, he is still not as big as his feet suggest he should be. He already has his adult feathers and wings and he is sleeping on top of the branches in his cage. Soon we will have to decide where we will bring him, as releasing is not an option anymore for such a tame bird.