The Amazon Rainforest - A Wondrous Place
- Lucy Luck
- May 10, 2020
- 7 min read
In 2018, during my BTEC Animal Care and Management studies, I jumped onto my first ever plane from London Heathrow to Puerto Maldonado, Perú!
I spent 2 weeks away from home in this new foreign land with people I didn't even know from college, completely out of my comfort zone having never traveled abroad before, not even for holidays. My holidays growing up were classic UK stay-cations to Cornwall, regularly visiting Rory the Tiger and his mates at the ol' caravan parks.
Jumping off the plane and feeling that exotic, humid heat slap me in the face for the first time we made our way to the final destination, which was now only a boat ride away along the The Madre de Dios River.
Everything just felt so surreal! Just around the river bend, I would be welcomed into my new home for the next 12 days in the heart of the Amazon rainforest to start my first Projects Abroad volunteering conservation experience!
“South America, it's like America...but south!”
~ Ellie (Up)
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Taricaya Ecological Reserve:
Who?
The Taricaya Ecological Reserve is a community of people - Peruvians from Puerto Maldonado and former volunteers from all over the world, living in the middle of the Amazon. Working together in a variety of different projects to create a positive impact towards rainforest conservation.
Why?
More than 20% of the world's oxygen is produced in the amazon – Hence it is referred to as the “lungs of the earth”, while also stretching across 9 countries, it is the world's largest tropical rainforest!
As a result of population growth and poor governmental law enforcement activities such as logging, poaching, smuggling, pollution, deforestation, and urbanisation are threatening the Amazon rainforest and causing loss of biodiversity who inhabit it.
Climate change is a growing concern too, with the forests ability to absorb CO2 being reduced while also, a higher presences of CO2 released from burning trees becoming more abundant – there is no balance!
Taricaya's goal is to contribute to wildlife rehabilitation, reforestation and vital conservation efforts by conserving the diverse plants and animals within the Amazon rainforest ecosystems.
Projects Abroad. (2020). Aims and Impact of the Conservation Project
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Black Spider Monkey Project: Just your friendly neighbourhood Spider Monkey
The Black Spider Monkey is a species which is extinct in the lower region of Madre de Dois River in Puerto Maldonado. This local extinction is due to human-made pressure (hunting, loss and disturbance of habitat).
In 2011 a population was re-established into the wild and to this day is stable and growing!
During my time at Taricaya, I experienced and learnt the processes that go into rehabilitating and caring for both young and injured monkeys to monitoring the released individuals.
Monitoring
Using an antenna and receptor (similar to a satellite), we were able to hear and locate the sounds of the monkeys, who are wearing tracking collars, in the distance to find them. Once located the monkeys are health checked (one monkey had a fat juicy botfly in its arm which was removed – slimy yet satisfying!) photos are taken for data collection and then the lanky limbed lads and lasses are left to explore the jungle canopies.
Did you know!
A group of Spider Monkeys are called a troop.
don't sing it, don't sing it, don't sing it
“SUPER TROOPER BEAMS ARE GONNA BLIND ME BUT I WONT FEEL BLUE. LIKE I ALWAYS DO, COS SOMEWHERE IN THE CROWD IS YOU!”
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Rescue Centre
“R-E-S-C-U-E Rescue aid society, heads held high touch the sky, you mean everything to me.”
Taricaya's main project is the Animal Rescue Centre, it is the first official rescue centre of its kind in Peru due to there being no legislation or laws in existence for creating a rescue centre! The animals at Taricaya belong to the Peruvian government, it is the role of the team at Taricaya to rescue, look after and release these animals back into the wild.
Residents of Taricaya included Teo the Tapir, Kira the Eared dog, Cholita the Spectacled bear, Sandy the Margey, Ginger the Jaguarundi and many many more!
Everyday food is prepared for the variety of animals, all catered for their specific nutritional needs. Enrichment is also incorporated into animals diets, to better understand and promote natural feeding behaviours while mentally and physically stimulating the animals during their rehabilitation process while preventing stereotypical behaviours developing e.g. pacing and bar licking.
The monkeys at the reserve would get enrichment feed twice a week - Protein balls! (yummy!)
Protein ball recipe:
• Mushed up sweet potato
• chopped up cooked chicken
• Mixed together and rolled into balls
I was able to get crafty and help make enrichment for Simba the Puma and the 4 spectacled bears, Lucho, Sabina, Cholita and Dominga.
Simba was given a large banana tree kebabed with meat and given a generous wash of meat juice (Bon Appétit). Big ol' meat sacks were also hung up around the enclosure for further enrichment.
The bears got a hollowed out banana tree trunk filled with a cocktail of fresh fruit and veg, dry feed drizzled with a sweet natural sugar syrup. The log was then hung like a piñata in the bears enclosures for the foodie celebrations to begin! To promote foraging behaviours, the same recipe was used to make leafy food packages and scattered around the enclosure to encourage hunting behaviours e.g. smell, tracking and foraging)
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Bio-Diversity Studies:
The Birds and the Bats
With expert ornithologists on camp site, data Is collected to study the birds of the reserve. This is done by fix point observation at different stations around the reserve to study bird behaviour, numbers and climates including up the tallest canopy in Latin America! 45 meters high!!
Mist nets for bird banding is another effective method, to further investigate population dynamics, seasonality of migrants and behavioural traits (mist net activities meant waking up at 5:00 am, raising before the sun to beat the sun!) I learnt how to correctly band birds, identify sex and age and practical handling techniques.
During my time at the reserve I encountered Scarlet macaw, (Ara macao) Rufous – breasted Hermit (Glaucis hirsutus), House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) Ivory Billed Aracari (Pteroglossus azara), Black Nunbird (Monasa atra) and many more!
Did you know!
Peru is the 2nd most diverse country of birds (Columbia is 1st) and home to 5% of the worlds known bird species!
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Bat Project:
Na na na na na na na na BAT GIRL!
Bats play a essential role in the ecosystems of the tropical rainforest – They are predators, Pollinators and seed dispersers.
Studying their presence and population numbers can give us an great indication of the health of the ecosystem.
Setting up mist nets, learning about the species of bats found in the rainforest, what a roost is and how to correctly safely handle them for health checking and photo identification.
Once the bats were bagged up (literally!) we also learnt how to identify the different species, taking measurements and determining the bats sex and age. Once all data is collected the bats are re-released back into the wild.
The best part of the bat project was we got to venture deep into the rainforest, during complete darkness, with nothing but torches and Hugo the Bat Man guiding the way and setting up camp to sit, monitor and admire the nightlife sounds of the jungle.
During these stake-outs we would pack a tupperware dish of spag bowl and garlic bread – wining and dining to an Italian cuisine in the middle of the Amazon rainforest in South America, sorry Rome, it just doesn't compete!
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Mingling with the locals
On the 6th day, we left the reserve and cruised up The Madre de Dios River to Palma, a real indigenous community.
We assembled with the local people to plant ironwood saplings in the forest. Ironwood takes 15-20 years to grow completely, which is then harvested by the community as building material. Each tree planted was baptised with a name – my tree babies were called Dolores and Barry.
In the village we visited the local school where we made donations to the school children – pens, pencils, hairbands, t-shirts and toys!
We met the teachers and the local crafts women who hand-craft bracelets, necklaces, key rings, earrings, baskets, fans all made from natural materials like coconuts, seeds, cotton, feathers and teeth!
The indigenous community were full of warmth, love and gratitude and when it came to saying goodbye a few tears did fall from such an overwhelming experience.
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A true wilderness explorer!
That is just the tip of the iceberg! I saw and did so much more!
From Caiman spotting at night, Owl butterfly (Caligo oedipus) conservation to herpetology hikes, camera traps, pitfall traps, enclosure management and trail cleaning with a machete (totally feeling like Lara Croft!)
During my short time in the rainforest, a collection of new species where discovered for Taricaya's conservation data that hadn't been registered previously before including a beautiful iridescent silver Mussurana (cleila cleilia)
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Covid-19 Affect on the Reserve
Peru's boarders have been closed as a result of COVID-19 pandemic with everyone in quarantine. The usual steady income of volunteers has stopped for the foreseeable future. The dedicated members of the reserve who are still there are working hard to keep things going – regardless of a pandemic and global lock-down the animals need care 24/7!
With monthly budgets dramatically decreasing, Taricaya need anyone and everyone's help to continue the crucial work during these strange and difficult times. Any donations are greatly appreciated, it all adds up! (find the link at the end of this blog)
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My time in the rainforest was absolutely life changing (urgh I know its soooo cliché). Hearing the distant roars of the Black Howler Monkey, it was like I was living in Jurassic Park!
I had the opportunity to literally live among the animals like Tarzan and for that, you'll be in my heart, Taracaya.
That concludes part 1 of my Peruvian adventure! Part 2 will tell the story about my time away from the jungle and experiences i had in Puerto Maldonado, Cusco and Machu Picchu!
I hope this has inspired you to reach out and volunteer abroad one day, push yourself outside of your comfort zone and go on an animal adventure of your own once the world opens its doors for the first time in forever!
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Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, until we meet again!
Stay safe,
Lucy x
#animals#amazonrainforest#volunteer#travel#peru#wildlife#conservation#projectsabroad#travel
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Links:
Taricaya's Donation Page: https://www.taricayaecoreserve.org/donate
Taricaya's website: https://www.taricayaecoreserve.org/
Projects Abroad website: https://www.projects-abroad.co.uk/projects/volunteer-conservation-amazon-rainforest-peru/
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