Release news and healthcare plans
3 September 2024
The sad truth is that we are seeing an increase in the number of animals coming in, especially woolly monkeys and howler monkeys. This is a worrying trend and an indication that the rain forest is under greater threat again in Ecuador.ο»Ώ
At the same time, we are achieving our biggest rehabilitation successes. In Decemer 2023 we started with the gradual release a group of five, young woolly monkeys in our reserve. They are adapting extremely quickly to the wild and are now often hanging out with a wild group of woolly monkeys. On the photo you can see Pedro Jr. Back in 2021 he was the timid 'child' star of the Vice TV show
Unknown Amazon. But now he is a boisterous young man who roams free within our reserve.
Released red howler monkeys are thriving
After woolly monkeys, the species we most receive is red howler monkeys. We have had several neonates arrive that are still in need of special care. At the same time there is a group of juveniles that is being prepped for reintroduction into the wild. And we are monitoring our already released group on a daily base. And something amazing might be happening there. Several months ago, we introduced an adult male, Floki, to this troop. With success it seems, as we believe that within a few months we are going to witness the birth of a free born howler monkey in our reserve!
Yes, that's right: we suspect that the alpha female, Emuya (on the photo), is pregnant!
The force of nature - New quarantine needed
The care of trafficked wildife is a result of human intervention in nature. But we have also experienced firsthand that nature itself can be destructive.
Our quarantine was largely destroyed by a severe river flooding and building a new quarantine is now our most urgent challenge.
We have already started 'Operation Phoenix' and signed a contract to buy a small plot of land bordering our reserve. The advantages are numerous. Firstly, we can keep new animals outside the reserve (and away from the other animals) until they are declared healthy by the veterinary team. Other advantages of tis plot are that there is easy access, it is connected to the grid, and has a building on it that can easily be transformed into a quarantine.
The video shows the building amd location well. We have received a big grant from the Dutch 'Jaap van der Graaf' foundation to buy the land. But we lack funds to remodel the existing building into a quarantine and to buy equipment such as heat lamps and medical tools.
So, please contact us if you like to contribute to this dream or donate here. Later on, we hope to build our new clinic here too, so our old clinic can become a research centre. We try to keep making dreams reality.
Oxymoron champion: the baby giant anteater
One of the more challenging rehabilitations was that of baby giant anteater Goliath. He arrived at Merazonia at just two months old back in 2022. He was found orphaned and confused on a road deep in the Ecuadorian jungle. His mum was presumably hit by a car.
He was brought to Merazonia for his neonate care and rehab. And he did incredibly well! Initially he slurped up more costly goats milk than any other smaller anteater species we've housed. But soon his days were spent exploring the jungle with his surrogate mum/dad and his instincts to find termites, ants and grubs grew more powerful by the day.
We found a private reserve where he could be released, as close as possible to location where he was originally found. A team of Merazonia set out to guide his release. Goliath was kitted with a radio tracker so we could follow his movements during those important first weeks, and a local team was trained to monitor him.
After 3 months of tracking, he had proven his complete independance and the radiotracker was taken off him. Be well Goliath!
A huge thank you goes out to
Instituto Tamandua in Brazil, for sharing so willingly their expertise with us. Also to John Castillo and his team in Loja and Sacha lodge for assisting with and facilitating this release. In the world of wildlife rehabilitation it is so, so important to share knowledge and work together and for this we are incredibly grateful!
The popular mediasite The Dodo made a very cute compilation video that shows Goliath's road to freedom.
Not to forget all the other animals that passed through Merazonia in 2023:
In 2023 the following animals were rehabilitated and released in Merazonia: 5 woolly monkeys, 1 red howler monkey (added to a previously released group), 1 giant anteater, 3 boas, 14 sloths (3 two-fingered and 11 three-fingered sloths), 1 porcupine, 1 agouti, 2 striped owls and 1 palm tanager. A total of 29 animals were rehabilitated. Sometimes animals arrive to us too weakened or injured; 3 newly arrived animals unfortunately died. For 6 animals we have founud a more adequate centre to be live in or be released from. And added another 10 animals to the number in our care at Merazonia - totalling 78. One of the rehabilitated and released animals was giant anteater Goliath.
A reserve with a view: Our new platform
We have also built a platform overlooking the Amazon has also been built. Here you have a beaitiful over our reserve, the Pastaza valley and the two national parks that we are in between: Llanganates and Sangay. Volunteers can relax here in their spare time or practise yoga. And for the caretakers of baby monkeys it is a place to shelter when it rains. One of our volunteers turned out to be a very talented artist; she painted us several information panels that explain the work we do and the problems we face. These have been installed here too, so we can teach regional schoolchildren about conservation. Education is an element of conservation that Merazonia is intending to spend more time on in the future.
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