Highest on almost everyone's wish list in the rain forest was spotting monkeys. Of course seeing a wide range of exotic and tropical flora was expected, as was the amazing variety of butterflies and birds. And no one was disappointed with the jungle scenery. But Wild Watch Peru's three-day trip from Cusco to a corner of Amazonia couldn't guarantee an encounter with our simian cousins in the wild.
Our guides certainly looked for monkeys on our approximately 90km descent through high mountain cloud forests into the lower jungle environment. Our two-night stay at idyllic Guadalupe Lodge, nestled near Manu National Park's wilderness, didn't provide an opportunity either. A round trip river boat trip on the Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon, struck out too. Even our muddy walk through dense forest to Machuhuassy Lake left us longing for a primate encounter.
However, thanks to a stop at Dos Loritos, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center (centro de rescate de vida silvestre) not far from Atalaya on the Madre de Dios river, we were not only able to see a wide variety of monkeys, but we were able to see a few other indigenous mammals. The center is run by a local family that cares for injured animals and houses others that for various reasons can't return to the wild. Interestingly, all the monkeys and birds we encountered at the site seemed to be their voluntarily; there were no bars or chains blocking their escape.
The curious simians we met included monkeys of the spider, squirrel, red howler, capuchin and owl varieties. Dos Loritos means "two little parrots," and we in fact met two of them: a scarlet macaw and a blue-and-gold macaw. We also saw some peccaries, a pig-like mammal that evolved separately from the Old World swine we know so well. Some sloths inhabit the grounds of the shelter, and a tapir is in a large, muddy pen. The tapir is also pig-like but its closest relatives are actually the horse and rhinoceros.
While magnificently entertaining, getting so close to local wildlife makes you wonder if you're exploiting them for your own selfish pleasure. Fortunately, as noted, most of the animals seemed to be on the premises of their own volition. It's not unusual for wildlife to be separated from their natural habitat under a wide range of circumstances, leaving young and vulnerable individuals unable to fend for themselves in the wild or in their normal social groups. Thanks to the care of Dos Loritos, many can survive in an educational capacity for those of us who want to learn more about some fascinating jungle critters near their native habitat.
Our guides certainly looked for monkeys on our approximately 90km descent through high mountain cloud forests into the lower jungle environment. Our two-night stay at idyllic Guadalupe Lodge, nestled near Manu National Park's wilderness, didn't provide an opportunity either. A round trip river boat trip on the Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon, struck out too. Even our muddy walk through dense forest to Machuhuassy Lake left us longing for a primate encounter.
However, thanks to a stop at Dos Loritos, a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center (centro de rescate de vida silvestre) not far from Atalaya on the Madre de Dios river, we were not only able to see a wide variety of monkeys, but we were able to see a few other indigenous mammals. The center is run by a local family that cares for injured animals and houses others that for various reasons can't return to the wild. Interestingly, all the monkeys and birds we encountered at the site seemed to be their voluntarily; there were no bars or chains blocking their escape.
The curious simians we met included monkeys of the spider, squirrel, red howler, capuchin and owl varieties. Dos Loritos means "two little parrots," and we in fact met two of them: a scarlet macaw and a blue-and-gold macaw. We also saw some peccaries, a pig-like mammal that evolved separately from the Old World swine we know so well. Some sloths inhabit the grounds of the shelter, and a tapir is in a large, muddy pen. The tapir is also pig-like but its closest relatives are actually the horse and rhinoceros.
While magnificently entertaining, getting so close to local wildlife makes you wonder if you're exploiting them for your own selfish pleasure. Fortunately, as noted, most of the animals seemed to be on the premises of their own volition. It's not unusual for wildlife to be separated from their natural habitat under a wide range of circumstances, leaving young and vulnerable individuals unable to fend for themselves in the wild or in their normal social groups. Thanks to the care of Dos Loritos, many can survive in an educational capacity for those of us who want to learn more about some fascinating jungle critters near their native habitat.
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| Red howler monkey. |
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| Spider monkey. |
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| Spider monkey. |
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| Capuchin monkey with baby. |
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| Capuchin monkey with baby. |
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| Squirrel monkey. |
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| Peccary. |
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| Is it a tusk-less rhinoceros? Not quite, it's a tapir. |
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| Sleeping sloth in his cage. |
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| Tortoises. |
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| Scarlet macaw. |
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| Blue-and-gold macaw. |
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| Monkeys are curious creatures. |
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