Woolly monkey release
(Lagotrix sp.)
Individuals
The group consisted of 5 individuals with various backgrounds. These individuals had been together for 2 years and formed strong relationships between themselves. There were 3 males and two females, all around the age of 3 to 4 years old. All of them had been kept as pets previously (apart from one who wanted nothing to do with people when he arrived) and arrived in bad states (loss of fur, underweight, no muscles, etc.). ​​
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Housing and care
The 5 woolly monkeys were housed in an enclosure of 18m x 6m x 6m. Caretakers entered the cage twice a day to feed and clean them. They were normally fed on a diet of various fruits, vegetables and leaves. Also, they got daily enrichments which varied every day. As they were getting close to release, they got more wild fruits/berries and flowers.
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Release site
The release site is located in the Merazonia wildlife rescue centre in Ecuador, which spans 100 hectares (250 acres) and situated between Llanganates National Park and Sangay Park at an altitude of 1300m above sea level. The site is made up of 60% secondary forest and 40% primary forest.
The group was released from their original cage and followed for days before reaching the release cage, which from then on served as their new basecamp. The area around the cage is equipped with feeders and shelters to support them during their initial release stage. Because they were pretty young and only just got to know the area, they were locked in that cage overnight for a week.
While there are potential predators in the area, such as birds of prey and different cat species, the abundance of fruit trees should provide ample support for the group.
Pre-release adaptations
Unfortunately, it was not possible to place tracking collars on the growing individuals. It was therefore chosen that 2 humans were going to follow them by sight.
Thorough health checks were conducted before their release. Blood tests were performed to check for diseases, and poo samples were taken to detect parasites. After the clearance, feeders were set up around the cage to guide them into the jungle, and shelters were built to protect them from the rain. Different access points to the feeders were created to trees to prevent the group from returning to the rescue center, and ropes were installed around the cage to help them reach the trees around.
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On the day of the release, the food was placed on the first two feeders and afterwards the hatch of the cage was opened.
Post-release
After being released, it took the group four days to find their way to the release cage. After a week, it was decided that their basecamp would be set up there. Initially, the group was not very confident and stayed close to the ground, at about 2 meters off the floor, and close to the people. They would go back to the cage at the end of the day for a month, but after that, the cage was left open overnight. They spent their nights up high in the trees all together.
At this time, the group started spending more time up high in the trees, and it was decided that to keep them progressing, they would not be followed the whole day anymore. This seemed to help the group, especially the females who were initially quite focused on food and kept trying to see if any of the tracking people had any food. They started to move off further, exploring their new environment.
Sadly, a week after release, one of the males disappeared and was not seen again. The other two males had disappeared after a month after an encounter with one individual of the wild group and were not seen for a month. However, they showed up again one by one, looking very healthy.
Gradually, the amount of food they were getting decreased until four months after release, they were not getting fed anymore. They were followed for a couple of weeks after to make sure they were eating a sufficient amount. After that, it started getting impossible to follow them as they were venturing further and further.
After seven months, they were seen with a big wild group of at least 20 individuals. They were not paying attention to people at all and were looking in perfect condition. It was a great success for the group, and it showed that they were able to adapt to their new environment and thrive in the wild. Sporadic checks are still performed to gain more insight into their new life in the wild.
