Meet the furry little angel that survived tragic consequences
On Sept 7, 2020, Murilo Reis, director of the Tapiche Reserve, was driving up the river through the reserve when he noticed a mark on the riverbank left behind by a boat that had pulled up into one of our trailheads. The mark was not from one of our Tapiche boats. Since tourism was suspended in March 2020, we haven’t had income to maintain staff for regular monitoring around the reserve. Combined with the fact that the local population has been out of work during the pandemic and scrounging for income, we've seen a marked increase in poaching on the reserve both during the day and at night.
Murilo parked the boat and noted human boot prints along the trail. Following the footprints, he arrived to a spot where he heard a single uakari monkey calling from ground level, which was unusual; normally we see this species traveling in family groups in the canopy. After searching the underbrush, Murilo found the body of an adult female uakari monkey that had been shot. Her baby was still alive, clinging to the mother’s body, and it was this baby that Murilo had heard calling. Poachers can't always find all the bodies of the animals they’ve killed; the bodies may get stuck too high up in the trees to be easily retrieved, or they may be hidden by the underbrush after they fall. Or the poachers may just choose to leave extras behind if they've shot more than they can carry at one time. Judging by how the mother's body had already begun decomposing, she'd been killed a day or two prior, and her baby had been tightly holding on to her body ever since.
Murilo brought the baby uakari monkey, a female, back to the lodge. Her face was pale, and she was too weak to protest or resist being moved or carried. There were so many questions to address: what's the best way to care for a baby of this rare species about which very little is known? Could she be re-accepted by her family group if we could locate it? Would a different group take her in? In some primate species, an established group may be hostile towards a lone female trying to join. We consulted with primate experts for advice and found out that, luckily, it's possible that this baby could still rejoin a family group.
But what if she can't successfully rejoin a group? What would be the best place for her? The environment at our remote reserve is better than anything that could be simulated at a rescue center near Iquitos, yet we don't want to keep her as a pet at the lodge. For those of you who are familiar with the Tapiche Reserve's conservation philosophy and lodge policies, you know that we pride ourselves on not domesticating or manipulating jungle animals, and we do not keep jungle animals as pets for photo opportunities at the lodge. Promoting the touristic value of domesticated jungle animals perpetuates a destructive cycle, teaching local people that wild animals are valuable only when caught. An important part of the Tapiche mission is to demonstrate by example the short and long-term economic and ecological value of healthy animal populations thriving free in their natural habitat.
We settled on a plan of supporting this little uakari as best we can until she is strong enough to re-join her family group. One of the things we do know about this scantily studied species is that the fruit of the moriche palm (known as "aguaje" in Peru and "buriti" in Brazil) makes up an important part of their diet. In our region, aguaje is typically collected by felling the whole tree, but since we've been protecting the aguaje groves inside the reserve over the past 10 years, they've grown immensely tall and are producing large, high-quality fruit. These palms are an important feature of the natural landscape and provide food and shelter for a myriad of primates, like uakaris and titis, and birds, including rare macaws and parrots. We wanted to mimic the baby uakari's natural diet as closely as possible, and since we didn't have any fresh aguaje fruits on hand at the lodge, it was time for Murilo to climb a tree. Despite his fear of heights and some physical health challenges, he made it up a 50m-tall aguaje palm (taller than a 10-story building) and was able to harvest a large supply of beautiful fruits.
A bird/monkey’s eye view of aguaje fruit growing just under the crown of the palm
Murilo climbing a towering aguaje palm to collect fresh fruits for the baby uakari
Over the past few weeks, Murilo has been making sure that the baby uakari practices climbing trees and forages for her own food every day. Initially she was reluctant to go back up in the trees, but each day she is gaining confidence and going further and higher. She peels and eats a few aguaje fruits each morning from the batch that Murilo harvested, and then she spends hours on her own foraging. Luckily it seems that she already learned a lot of foraging habits from her mom, because she knows exactly what to do and what to look for. She has taught us an immense amount of new information about uakari eating habits, especially during a season when most trees are not fruiting and the uakari family groups typically retreat deep into the forest. She consumes a much higher volume of protein from spiders, grubs and insects than we ever would have guessed; in fact, most of her time foraging is spent catching and eating spiders and insects! Mantises are her absolute favorite, and she forages tirelessly for spiders and grasshoppers. She also eats flowers and searches the ground for sprouting seeds, consuming the active green sprout and tender leaves. To give her the best chances of reintegrating into the wild, we do not give her any human food; she eats what she would be able to find on her own in the wild. Her body has gotten stronger, the flesh on her face has filled out, and her skin looks vibrant and is developing the trademark red hue of a healthy uakari monkey.
During a dark time full of frustration and challenges, this little baby monkey has lit up our world with her big, expressive brown eyes and a message of hope and inspiration. For her and all of the animals and plants that depend upon the protected habitat at the Tapiche Reserve, we strive to continue our conservation work through the toughest of times.
You can help! Since we haven't had any income since March, our dear friend Louisa started a GoFundMe. Initially focused on supporting our turtle rescue project, the goal is expanding due to the evolving needs of the reserve. Moving forward, the funds will be used for caring for the baby turtles, supporting the baby uakari, and more regular monitoring of the trails to prevent other baby animals from being orphaned. Normally the trails would have visitors on them, which automatically keeps poachers away; this is how the physical presence of each visitor directly contributes to the conservation of the land. The absence of visitors combined with the increased pressures of poaching means that every donation right now, big or small, really makes a difference.
We hope you enjoyed meeting this little uakari angel. We’re sending out warmest regards, love and appreciation to all of our Tapiche family and friends, wherever in the world you may be.
