He was so far from home …
Alone on the side of a dirt road near Tambopata, Peru, a fuzzy brown animal hunched over and crossed his arms, perhaps trying to comfort himself.
When a local ministry official saw the weary ball of fuzz loitering on the roadside, the animal advocate immediately knew something was wrong. The official recognized the animal as a howler monkey — rainforest-dwelling animals known for their namesake screech. This howler should’ve been among the trees, deeper in the forest, with a larger group of monkeys. Why was he sitting here?
The official feared someone may have dumped the poor monkey on the side of the road. With help from volunteer rescue group GoEco, the official brought the monkey to the safety of Amazon Shelter.
The young monkey seemed familiar with humans and wasn’t aggressive. Timidly, he allowed authorities to move him off the road.
Once at Amazon Shelter, the monkey went to an infirmary, where a team of veterinarians checked to make sure he was OK. Once vets confirm the monkey’s blood tests look normal, the howler will continue his recovery with other monkeys just like him. From there, the wayward monkey will finally return home.
“He is doing well,” Jonathan Gilben, coFounder and director of GoEco, told The Dodo. “He has to spend a bit of time having health checks before we group him with other young howlers of his age. Once their group bonds and [reaches] maturity, we will release them into a wild and protected forest reserve.”
Off the roadside and into the caring hands of animal experts, this little monkey’s future is finally looking brighter.
