Volunteering at Parque Ambue Ari

A baby kinkajou arrived to Jacj Cusi in early 2024, rescued from the fires near Madidi National Park by forest rangers. Her first sponsor gave her the name “Miski,” which means “sweet” in Quechua, an indigenous language of the area where she was found. Also known as a honey bear, this kinkajou sure is sweet!

The plan is to release Miski in the long run, so if all goes well this may be a short-term sponsorship.

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This little spider monkey was rescued by the Madidi forest rangers in Tumupasa during the wildfire season. Besides losing his home and family, he had many wounds on his skin and scars around his waist— he had apparently been tied up before being rescued. Fortunately, the rangers brought him to Jacj Cuisi Sanctuary, where he entered quarantine under the care of our veterinary team.

Romeo has come a long way since then. He has a VERY good appetite and will soon join the spider monkey area at Jacj Cuisi, where Negra, the grandmother of the area and surrogate mother to the babies, is waiting for him.

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This tiny baby peccary was discovered by community members while clearing their lands during the fire season.

Smaller, less mobile animals are often the most vulnerable to wildfires.

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This baby ocelot was brought to Ambue Ari Sanctuary on January 1, 2024. A couple said that they had nearly hit her with their car. She is very gentle and trusting, suggesting she had been kept as a pet.

Her first sponsor named her Rala, after a character from a German book. “Rala is an orphan and a mythical creature. She’s left alone in the woods, but since she’s brave and smart, manages to survive and grows up to be a fighter.”

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Valo was found as a tiny cub in a nearby community, alongside his sibling that had sadly passed away. With no signs of their mother, the authorities in San Ignacio de Velasco rescued the surviving cub and transported him to the Santa Cruz Governorate, where he stayed for 4 weeks for assessment and initial care. He was much too young to survive without his mother, and will unfortunately have to depend on humans for his entire life.

He came to Ambue Ari Sanctuary on July 4, 2023, where he will be rehabilitated and permanently live in an enclosure specially designed for him to enjoy his natural habitat: the jungle. Currently, he is under the care of our veterinary team and our specialized feline caregivers.

Valo needs different types of meat and special milk, vitamins and supplements to ensure that he grows up healthy and strong, especially since he’s not receiving his mother’s milk. Despite his difficult start, every day he explores the jungle and enjoys his enrichments with a lot of energy.

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Beep beep! As her name implies, this affectionate coati is always “beeping” around the volunteers that come close to her enclosure.

Beepers came to Ambue Ari when she was 2 years old in 2014. She lived for 2 years as a pet after being captured and sold in the black market. When her captor realized he could no longer care for her, she was brought to the Sanctuary. She didn’t have a problem adapting to her new surroundings. She moved into the coatis’ garden in January 2020, where she enjoys her individual enclosure and an exit to a big space full of nature.

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In June 2022 Ambue Ari welcomed these three pumas that were rescued by the Government of Santa Cruz and agents of the Forestry Police (POFOMA) from the property “La Bendita” in the Province of Guarayos. After being poached from the wild and kept as pets, not only were they malnourished, but they are sadly unable to learn the survival skills to ever return to the wild. They must rely on humans for food, but CIWY can at least give them the closest thing to freedom at Ambue Ari Sanctuary.

Even though they are not blood related, at least not all 3 of them, the “hermanitos” have been together since they were poached and that is the main reason we are keeping them together. They formed a unique bond and their sad but resilient history made them a family.

Frey is the older male who we believe was 2-3 years of age upon arrival. He loves people and from the start has been extremely calm with volunteers and always wanting lots of affection. He is the most dominant of the three, understandably as he is older and substantially bigger than the other two. He is fascinated by any wild animals we see on trail and will often run towards them excitedly, not displaying any stalking finesse at all. Frey loves water and can often be found splashing in his small pool or lounging in a flooded part of his trail.

Nena is the female of the group and was around a year old upon arrival. We believe that Nena and Naoki are siblings. She is the most adventurous and playful of the three. She loves to climb the trees within the enclosure and is able to scale some of the highest trees and jump nimbly from branch to branch. She often instigates games of chase with Frey and Naoki. She loves to hide in the bushes and jump out on them when they are not ready for it.

Naoki is the younger male. When the pumas arrived he seemed to be the most nervous of the three. He has proved us wrong on many occasions and has developed into an outgoing and very friendly puma. He is extremely inquisitive and interested in his surroundings.

*Note that you can sponsor one of the “siblings” or all three, but the updates you receive will cover all three.

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Teangi is a special member of the Ambue Ari family. This coati lives freely in the sanctuary and spends his days relaxing in the surrounding vines. He enjoys sunbathing and catching insects in the jungle. He sometimes disappears for a few days at a time, but when the smell of good food is in the air, you can be sure to spot a striped tail showing up and creeping closer; this is Teangi! He always returns because he is unable to survive by himself in the jungle due to his upbringing with humans. Yet he seems to have found the perfect balance between enjoying the pleasures of the jungle and the delicious food the volunteers prepare. What a lucky cheeky guy. Without your support, Teangi would not be able to enjoy this lifestyle that he has curated.

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Kevo was stolen from the jungle and ended up as a pet. Due to the poor diet that he received with his captors, he has decalcification problems. He needs special attention, but this does not prevent him from being an energetic cat who loves to walk for hours in the jungle.

Kevo is a very special ocelot who never misses an opportunity to thank the volunteers who care for him. His joy is simply contagious.

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Mariano, Beowolf and Boudica are CIWY’s geoffroy’s cats. Mariano came to us in 2008 and Beowolf and Boudica in 2014. All three were victims of the wildlife trade, separated from their mothers as cubs and sold on the black market. Beowolf and Boudica were left on our doorstep in a box, when they were still partially blind cubs.

The trio are affectionately known as the “cats” or “kittens”. Their volunteers take them for daily walks through the jungle and fill their enclosure with organic toys for them to play at night. They love to climb trees and run through the jungle. They are often a challenge for the volunteers as they don’t always want to do the same thing simultaneously.

During the rainy season, when their trails are flooded, they enjoy swimming in the swamp. They love grooming each other and spending time with their volunteers. Mariano is much older than the others. He receives daily supplements and regular vet check-ups, at a cost of US $ 26 per month. He suffers from weak bones as a result of being taken from his mother at a young age. His sponsorship will cover Mariano’s medical expenses and daily food for the three ‘cats’, which amount to US $ 56 per month.

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Lucinda arrived at Ambue Ari in November 2013, when she was approximately 12-18 months old.

Prior to that, Lucinda was owned by a family in Guarayos who bought her from a farmer. The farmer had shot Lucinda’s mother illegally and then stole the cubs with the intention of selling them. The family that bought Lucinda knew that there was a strong chance she may become aggressive and unmanageable as she grew older. Like so many animals in our care, the family purchased Lucinda anyway, knowing that they would probably give her away after a short amount of time. Actions like this contribute to the black market trade of animals in Bolivia. The family consisted of three daughters of varying ages who treated Lucinda like a toy – they would throw her about and be very rough with her. It was with these children that Lucinda started to bite and become aggressive. The household also had a number of domestic animals and Lucinda reportedly started attacking them as well. By the time they gave her up, even strangers could not enter the house as Lucinda would become aggressive with them.

Fortunately, with time Luci started trusting her volunteers and nowadays she is one of the most lovable characters from Ambue. She is always ready to enjoy a walk in the jungle and climb trees to get a better view.

Photos by Ella Wood.

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Miel was rescued from a house where she was chained in the courtyard, exposed to cold and rain, with dogs nearby stressing her. She was confiscated by an activist organisation and delivered directly to CIWY in 2006.

Miel is a quiet monkey, very smart and observant. She is skillful with her hands and loves to use tools and utensils, either to access food from other cages or to imitate humans. She is the only white-fronted capuchin monkey that has managed to open the tunnel doors and is believed to be capable of opening carabiners. Miel is the highest ranking female in her group.

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Government officials brought Gaia to Ambue Ari in 2019, when she was only 7 weeks old. She arrived very scared, dehydrated, malnourished, lacking hair in several areas, filled with parasites, and with a filthy rope around her tiny neck. The officers told us she was found in Guarayos, in a cattle farm, where her mother had been killed by the owner for getting too close to his animals. They kept the baby tied up to a pole for several days.

Ambue Ari’s veterinarians immediately took her into the clinic, where they spent months giving her round-the-clock care and love. A baby puma cannot learn to survive in the wild without its mother, so we knew from day one that this beautiful orphan would have to spend her entire life in CIWY’s care. It breaks our heart that she was robbed of a life in the wild, but we aim to give her the next best thing. We are so proud of the progress she made as she recovered physically and learned to trust humans. She has grown into a big, beautiful puma, full of energy and great affection for her volunteers.

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Rosco came to CIWY in 2011 after being seized in Cochabamba. He is one of the calmest and friendliest male coatis that we have in our care. He has a very special relationship with another coati, Roddy, with whom he spends most of his days playing. Despite his advanced age, Rosco is very active and never tires of exploring the forest looking for insects. Many of the enrichments we give him stimulate that natural exploratory behavior — you would be surprised at the amount of time Rosco can entertain himself with a log full of critters and fruit hidden inside! Twice a week he gets one of his favorite foods, the oatmeal and banana ball, and when an egg is added, he goes crazy with happiness. Given his age, Rosco now receives special care and one of them is his favorite snack: a banana, carrot, oatmeal and honey juice that always brightens his day.

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Pablo is a blue and yellow macaw who arrived at CIWY’s Machia Sanctuary in 2009. His past is unknown, but we know that he was not under appropriate conditions for a bird, since Pablo unfortunately suffers from chronic stress.
Despite this condition, he is a calm bird, and days go by when he prefers not to leave his nest.

Pablo’s biggest incentive is food — he gets very curious when the volunteers prepare dinner, and is the first to show up to eat.

It is sad that Pablo, a bird that could be soaring the skies with his family, today pays the consequences of a wrong decision made by the human who captured him. Please do not encourage the illegal trafficking of species. Macaws were born to fly, not to decorate a cage.

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Budiman arrived in Machia Sanctuary in 2007 after being kept as a pet for about 10 months in nearby Shinahota. He spent a short time under quarantine before being released free to the Mirador group in November the same year. 

He is very smart, very good friends with Timo, and great with the new, young monkeys. Erwin and Duke are both trying to win him over for support in battle to be alpha. 

Budiman loves people and attention, though new volunteers need to take it slow, start at the end of his range, and give him treats (flowers, leaves), to slowly win his heart.

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As cattle ranches encroach further and further into jaguar habitat, problems between wild animals and humans are increasing. Jaguars, especially the old or injured and mothers providing for their young, often prey upon livestock. Large herds of cattle are seen as an easy target by the opportunistic cats. Cattle ranchers are not happy about it, and often hire people to hunt and kill jaguars in the areas surrounding their land.

Ranchers killed Katie’s mother when she was spotted stalking a herd of cattle. Upon reaching the body, they saw her belly was moving – she had been heavily pregnant. They cut her open and took out a baby jaguar.

Miraculously, the baby survived and the hunter’s family kept her as a pet until she became unmanageable, and they could no longer afford to buy enough meat to feed her. They had heard about the work of Inti Wara Yassi and contacted them for assistance. Katie was transported to Ambue Ari from La Paz in 2007. Today Katie is one of the four jaguars we care for at Ambue Ari. She is an excellent climber and loves getting her enrichment from the top of the trees in her enclosure.

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Niko arrived at Ambue Ari in October 2007 when she was just 2 months old. She came from Jaguaru, a small village close to Guarayos. She was brought voluntarily by a family who had her as a house pet. They realised that she was living in poor conditions and brought her to the sanctuary.

Initially Niko lived in quarantine where Herbie the tapir was also living, and for a while Niko thought that Herbie was her mother. After a while, Herbie moved to his new enclosure and Niko became depressed. When Niko was young, she climbed a tree and fell, breaking a bone in her leg. She needed to have a number of surgeries, and the trauma that she suffered during this time causes Niko to still be a nervous cat today. Nevertheless, when Niko gets to know her volunteers, she is a sweet and playful puma.

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Jaguars are prized by hunters not only for their beautiful furs but also to sell them as pets on the black market. They are seen as status symbols, especially for people involved in illegal activities. The animals are often chained up to impress and intimidate others.

Amira, which means princess in Arabic, was owned by drug dealers. She was kept in the front yard of a house in the north of Bolivia. Upon hearing of her existence, people, especially children, came to the house to harass and annoy her – it was entertaining for them to get a reaction out of her. People would tease her with objects such as keys and backpacks, poke her with sticks and throw things at her.

Amira arrived in Ambue Ari in 2008, and she is one of the smartest cats we have. She always pays attention to her surroundings, she has a goofy personality and loves greeting her volunteers every day at the fence, running around and rolling on the floor in anticipation of food.

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Peanut was taken from the wild as a cub by a local farmer who gave him to his children to keep as a pet. He was approximately 1 month old. We do not know if he was stolen directly from his den, or scared out of his den by the noise of the farmer working and then found and brought home, but either way he was taken when he was extremely young and would have still been living with his mother, father and siblings.

He lived with the family for approximately two weeks before CIWY heard about his situation. We spoke to the family and thankfully they understood why it was wrong to have a wild animal as a pet and they gave him up to Ambue Ari to be cared for.

Sadly, because Peanut was a baby he could not be released back into the wild.  In the wild he would have still been receiving his mother’s milk, as he was not yet at the age of weaning (approx. 90 days old). He now needed to live with us permanently because if he was released into the wild, he would not have survived all by himself.

Today Peanut has a large enclosure and the attention and care from his volunteers. He loves to run around and to search for the enrichment we prepare for him every day.

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Negra lived as a pet from a very young age with a family in Ascensión de Guarayos. She remained tied to a tree by a chain, surrounded by a group of pigs. The staff of Parque Ambue Ari used to see Negra every week when they went to buy fruits and vegetables for the animals at the sanctuary. They tried to explain to Negra’s captors that it is illegal to keep monkeys as pets and that they should release her to CIWY’s care. The family refused, until one day Negra freed herself, entered the neighbor’s house and caused great damage. After this, the family allowed CIWY to take Negra.

Negra initially came to Ambue Ari, but was transferred to Machía so that she could integrate into the group of spider monkeys there. Spider monkeys are very social animals and fortunately Negra was immediately accepted by the group.

Despite being over 20 years old, Negra is a very active monkey. Everything arouses her curiosity and she enjoys exploring the area for new stimuli. Her intelligence never ceases to amaze us, like when she learned to open bottles and carabiners with her opposable thumbs. Negra has a very strong character, a stubborn personality, and always gets what she wants. We loved seeing her blossom as part of the social group, after years of being tied to a tree.

A few years ago, Negra’s health declined. She lost interest in her surroundings and could barely move. The veterinary team discovered that Negra was suffering from congestive heart failure. She began a long but steady road to recovery, and thanks to the care of her volunteers and veterinarians, Negra is back to being her usual cheeky self. She takes daily medications to control her heart problem — she does not like the medication, so veterinarians have to engineer a thousand ways to hide the pills.

Negra is the oldest monkey in the sanctuary and continues to explore the jungle with the spider monkey group.

Please help cover the cost of Negra’s food and medications by sponsoring her today!

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When Balú was still a young cub, hunters killed his mother and captured him, with the intention of earning money for both. The poachers were attempting to sell Balú to a circus when law enforcement authorities confiscated him. The authorities brought Balú to Parque Machía, where we provided the necessary veterinary care and a large space to live a healthy life.

Balú has grown to weigh more than 120 kg, remains very patient and enjoys spending time with his volunteers. In fact, he has become one of the sanctuary’s most beloved residents.

Balú is a very calm bear that enjoys exploring his enclosure, climbing trees on rainy days and swinging from the treetops. Despite his large size, Balu is incredibly delicate when he peels bananas, eats grapes, and cracks open peanuts or coconuts. Like every good bear, he loves fish and honey.

Balú requires a special diet, which does not come cheap. Parque Machía spends more than US$130 each month on his food alone. A contribution towards the cost of his diet would be a great help for the future of Balú.

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Carolina was confiscated from her captors at the Urkupiña Festival in Quillacollo. She arrived at Parque Machía with many health problems, including a fractured and mutilated wing.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for birds to arrive in similar conditions. Birds that are illegally trafficked are stripped from their natural habitats and smuggled in deplorable conditions. Traffickers often break their bones to prevent them from flying away. Over half of these birds die before being sold.

Due to her injuries, Carolina will never be able to fly again, and she often loses her balance and falls from branches. It is a great shame that freedom and flight were taken from her, but volunteers and staff at Parque Machía work very hard to give Carolina the quality of life she deserves. Carolina sleeps in her cage at night and spends the day outside exploring the area and interacting with other parrots.

Having lived with people most of her life, Carolina has copied many human behaviors – she screams, cries and sings. She often confuses her volunteers, who think they hear a person calling to them.

We would be very grateful if you would consider helping to cover Carolina’s food, daily environmental enrichment and medications by sponsoring her today!

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Iván was born in a zoo, where he lived for almost a year. He was brought to CIWY together with his father in 2008, due to lack of space and health problems. Iván suffers from motor incoordination and osteoarthritis, which causes him to move in a very particular way.

Despite his mobility challenges, he loves to explore his enclosure. Ramps and caves have been built in his living space to accommodate his condition. He especially enjoys enrichment with meat and eggs.

To remain active and walk without pain, Iván takes daily medications, such as chondroprotectors (which help regenerate cartilage), anti-inflammatories and other supplements.

We would be delighted if someone wanted to help maintain Iván’s quality of life by sponsoring him today!

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Jaguars are a Near-Threatened species. Their pelt, teeth, and skulls are used as trophies and sold on the black market. Kusiy is one of the many victims of illegal wildlife trafficking. Poachers decided to keep Kusiy as a pet – they held him in a small yard alongside dogs and cats in terrible conditions. Neighbours notified the authorities, who rescued him and brought him to CIWY in 2015.

Our veterinarians diagnosed many medical problems due to lack of maternal care and poor living conditions. He suffered from skin infections caused by a flea infestation, and excessive scratching had removed all the skin from his tail. He also had intestinal parasites, and at some point, he received trauma to his right eye which almost led to blindness in that eye.

Kusiy recovered his health at Machía, and once he was strong enough, he was transported to Ambue Ari, where he could enjoy a much bigger enclosure in the middle of the jungle. Now he can run, play and develop his strong jaguar character in a more natural environment. Our little Kusiy has transitioned into a strong imposing jaguar that steals your heart with just one look.

His volunteers spend time with him daily to ensure he receives exercise and mental stimulus. Your sponsorship will help us provide food for Kuisy. He eats 2kg of meat every day and receives environmental enrichment. This alone costs US$130 per month.

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Marley is another victim of the illegal wildlife trade. Hunters killed her mother and sold her to a family at a market in Cochabamba. Soon after they brought her home, she showed serious health problems, such as seizures and diarrhea. The family brought her to a veterinarian, who explained that Marley’s condition was very delicate and that they should bring her to CIWY for proper care and veterinary treatment.

Marley arrived at Parque Machía when she was just two months old. Here she received a proper diet, and her health improved rapidly.

After four years at Parque Machía, Marley began to show signs of severe stress, particularly around loud noises, such as those made by passing trucks, tourists and neighboring dogs. Her handling became complicated and she sometimes refused to leave her enclosure for her daily walk.

For Marley’s wellbeing, CIWY decided to transfer her to Parque Ambue Ari, where there are no tourists nearby and less noise. Marley has improved immensely in her new home. She is calm and playful, and shows no signs of stress. Her new enclosure is much larger and she goes out daily with her volunteers to explore the jungle.

Marley is one of the most intelligent pumas that have passed through CIWY, she is very agile and seems to be aware of how beautiful she is. She loves to walk her new trails and she enjoys all the enrichment that volunteers prepare for her daily.

The cost of food and enrichment for Marley is US$80 per month. Please consider sponsoring this beautiful and intelligent puma.

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A family bought Monchito for his beauty and kept him as a pet, even though macaws are wild animals and should live freely in the jungle. They quickly tired of his cries and of having to clean his cage, so they brought him to Parque Machía in 2010.

The veterinarians discovered that Monchito’s right wing had been fractured and dislocated – a sadly common and cruel practice of captors to prevent birds from escaping. These injuries are irreversible and Monchito can never fly again.

Despite efforts to socialize Monchito with other birds of the same species, he does not know how to behave like a macaw and prefers to interact with volunteers, especially females. Monchito seeks constant attention and enjoys following volunteers around the area and saying “hello”.

If you want to help Monchito, please consider contributing to his costs as his sponsor.

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Pepa was the pet of a family in Cochabamba, until she became too difficult to handle and the family brought her to CIWY. This is a familiar story, especially among Capuchin monkeys, which seem cute but become aggressive or destructive at an early age.

The family later returned to Parque Machía to ask for Pepa back, as they missed her and did not want to buy another monkey. We explained to them why they should not keep wild animals as pets: not only is it illegal, but it also harms the animal and poses a risk to family members, especially children.

Pepa continues to live in Parque Machía in one of the areas dedicated to Capuchin monkeys. She is very friendly and often regarded as a favorite among volunteers. She always surprises us with her intelligence and ability to solve problems. She is very protective of the other Capuchin monkeys in her group and exhibits strong loyalty to them.

CIWY spends over $US 40 per month on Pepa’s food and enrichment. Please consider sponsoring the friendly and playful Pepa.

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Rio was rescued when he was only a few weeks old by the park rangers of Madidi National Park. A family of hunters had killed his mother and kept the margay kitten.

Rio arrived with many health problems due to the lack of breast milk, the poor conditions in which they kept their captors and having ingested pieces of synthetic leather and plastic. He was vomiting and defecating pieces of synthetic leather for several days, which caused serious lesions in his stomach and intestine. He began to recover, but within a few days his condition worsened. All the lesions that his intestines had suffered resulted in a serious infection. He also presented with severe anemia, and a blood transfusion was needed.

He was kept in intensive care for many days, until he started to show signs of recovery. But the struggle didn’t end there. Due to the fact that he didn’t receive his mother’s milk during his first months of life, his calcium levels, along with other essential elements, were low. As a result, his bones were very fragile and, as a 4.5 month old infant, he broke a leg just from walking. He had to be operated upon immediately in order to walk again, but he will limp forever.

Río is now recovering from all of his injuries, but he will need supplements and medication for the rest of his life. You can help brighten his future by sponsoring him and contributing towards his veterinary expenses and food. Additionally, you would be helping us provide an appropriate enclosure for the needs of this lively margay.

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Poachers often target howler monkeys for their meat and their young. They shoot an adult in the treetops, and when the mother falls to the ground they pull off her baby, which is still clinging to its mother’s body. The adult will be sold for its meat and the baby as a pet or an attraction.

Ambue Ari specialises in the care of young howler monkeys and runs a successful re-release programme. For those that arrive very young, the first few months at the sanctuary are critical. Deprived of their mother’s milk and care, baby monkeys need round the clock care to recuperate.

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