Bolivia: Inti Wara Yassi - Azara's Night Monkeys

Among the most interesting and enigmatic species that I have had the pleasure of seeing, enriching, playing with, feeding, walking (on a leash to their designated play ground) and being bitten by are the three amazing Azara's Night Monkeys (Aotus azarae) that are currently being rehabilitated by Inti Wara Yassi, Pete, Celine and Cucu. On our arrival at the park, due to their nocturnal nature conflicting with peoples down time, these three monkeys were largely forgotten about by the volunteers. But after one evening with them I was hooked.
I ended up spending almost every spare moment I had enriching their lives through enclosure development, toy manufacturing and just generally spending time with them and ensuring they were happy and healthy. In turn, they also enriched my life, making my life at Inti Wara Yassi all the better for their presence.

 

Azara's Night Monkeys (Aotus azarae)

Azara's Night Monkeys are one of 8 species of night monkey that occur throughout South and Central America. Although this species of night monkey is widely distributed through Panama, northern Colombia, northwestern Venezuela, northern Peru, southern Brazil, and eastern Ecuador much of its habitat is under threat due to clearing for agricultural purposes.

The 8 species of night monkey constitute the only fully nocturnal species' of primate in the world resulting in a reduced level of competition between diurnal primates that may otherwise compete for fruits, leaves, flowers, and insects.

The Azaras Night Monkeys of Inti Wara Yassi

All three Azara's Night Monkeys that were managed by Inti Wara Yassi at Parque Ambue Ari were surrendered to the park at a very young age. These monkeys all have had run ins with humans at one stage or another that resulted in them requiring the care and attention that is provided by the park.

Pete: Pete was the only male of the three night monkeys. He was separated from his mother when he was a baby during farm construction activities and was surrendered to the park by the farmer who found him among wood debris. Although a little moody at times due to the hormonal changes occurring as he was coming of age, he was generally a happy, inquisitive monkey who would mischievously play with your clothing, bounce around the cage like an energiser bunny, play with whatever toys we made or sit on your head holding your hair like reigns and ride you through the jungle to their play ground.

Celine: Celine was probably the most affectionate and beautiful of the three night monkeys and her back story is not very clear. Despite being blind in one eye as the result of an ongoing fungus infection which made here quite quiet and placid, she was always the first to welcome new volunteers to the family and climb up on their shoulder where she would sit happily for the entire evening just enjoying the company. Her blindness also did not slow her reflexes as, being partially insectivorous, she would be nothing but a blur of fur streaking across the cage to catch a stray grasshopper that made its way into the cage.

Cuco: Its sad to say but during my time at Inti Wara Yassi, Cucu was the night monkey that I got to know the least.  She was found by a lady in a marketplace in Santa Cruz and, after being purchased, was surrendered to the park. Her timid nature made her generally very stand offish, only coming over to greet you once you had spent a bit of time getting to know her. Once we had made a connection though she was more than happy to come out for a walk to the play ground, play with a toy you had made her or even come over and groom you.

 

Bolivia: Inti Wara Yassi - Me, Myself and My Puma (Koru)

 

I crouch down cautiously among the Patuhu leaves, my vision cutting desperately through the thick forest undergrowth in the hope that I might be able to catch a glimpse of Koru’s eyes so as to get some kind of indication as to his intentions, be they playfully malicious or distracted and benign. He remains hidden and the forest lies quietly still giving nothing away.  I steal a quick glance down the trail towards Paulette but she is sternly focused on the tiny gap in the shrubbery into which Koru darted only moments ago, her face riddled with concentration. She catches my eye and shrugs nervously before returning her gaze to the forest.

He has been in there to long, I have been here before, I know what happens next. I grab the slick, mud covered rope and begin to coil it up in my left hand to reduce the slack. Across the trail Paulette has begun to do the same….. Its game time.

 

Crash!

 In a flurry of motion a flash of brown fur erupts from the undergrowth.

Time stops.

The image of a male Puma becoming airborne as he attempts to playfully tackle you to the ground is not one that is easily forgotten. In my memory everything after each emergence is in ultra slow motion. His eyes are huge……..his teeth glitter with small droplets of saliva and the corners of his mouth are upturned into a slight snarl…………… His left paw gliding towards my face, impossibly close to connecting………. But Paulette’s rope always catches him at the last minuet, jerking the experience back into real time.

Thank god for our training and equipment. The double rope system is the only thing that stands between us and our beautiful cat when he gets playful. He gets playful allot. Sometimes with us, sometimes climbing trees after a squirrel, sometimes pawing around giant seed pods in the forest.

It’s hard to believe that this is my life.

Koru & Inti Wara Yassi

Koru is a playful, mischievous male Jungle Puma (scientific name) that was captured from a Bolivian military base back in 2008 at an age of 9 months. When he was taken into Inti Wara Yassi’s custody he and his brother were tied on a 2m chain and severely malnourished, having only been fed porridge. His brother soon died due to complications associated with his mistreatment.

At first, on arrival at the reserve, Koru was very aggressive towards males (particularly Bolivians) as a result of his mistreatment by men. After some careful management Koru begun to trust people again and, although still aggressive at times, his jumping slowly became more playful. This being said, he still remains one of the most threatening cats in the park due to his playfulness, intelligence, speed and power hence the reason he is double roped.

After hearing where he has come from and what he has gone through it is quite amazing what Inti Wara Yassi have managed to accomplish with Koru (and the rest of their animals) with little more than a group of uneducated volunteers. Considering they cannot ever be released, I have no doubt about the quality of life that these animals now have, a life in which they are walked everyday and cared for incessantly, is beyond anything else they would hope to find in any other form of captivity.

Today Koru is considered one of the wildest cats in the park. Unlike some of the other cats, he is not overly affectionate but instead waits until you earn his trust and respect…… and only then will he purr for you, head nudge you or allow you to scratch his head while he lays down. He had begun to show small signs of stereotypic behaviour when I arrived, but through the implementation of a routine randomisation schedule (of my and my new partners devising) he is once again the inquisitive and excitable animal he was as a kitten. He now stalks, hunts, climbs and plays throughout all 10km of his trails through swamp, over logs and up mountains.

Although there is plenty of room for improvement in a variety of areas for Inti Wara Yassi, improvement that can only be sought via increased education of staff on current best practise and increased funding, they are doing the best with what they have.

Anyone able to provide educational or monetary support to this organisation should contact Inti Wara Yassi