Wildtracks will be releasing its first group of Central American spider monkeys into the North East Corridor, starting in December - Duma, Charlie, Mattie, Mel and Penny. We will be using cutting edge technology - Icarus transmitters that are lightweight, and transmit to a new antenna on the International Space station, installed in August of this year. As with all the inhabitants in rehabilitation, our spider monkeys are important to us - they deserve the best chance they can get for a life in the wild.
Meet out first release group...
Duma - the first spider monkey to arrive at Wildtracks in 2011 - much loved and a real character. She is integrated into the Charlie's tight knit group, and ready for freedom...This group has been selected as the first because they are all young, and more adaptable than some of the other groups in rehabilitation at Wildtracks at the moment. They will be leading the way...
Find out more about Duma's story...
(Photo: E. Gissis).
Mel hanging around in the Central Enclosure - with access to real trees to hone her skills for a life in the wild.
The release protocols are designed to give these highly intelligent primates time to know and map their environment. They will have three months to settle into a pre-release enclosure at the release site and become comfortable with the new sights, sounds and smells of the Fireburn / North East Corridor area, then once released, will have continued provision of food and water until they become independent. The Wildtracks Post-Release Tracking Team will be monitoring the release success for a full year as the monkeys mentally map the location of fruiting trees in the forest they will soon call home.
Learn more about the rehabilitation process through this report...."Why is rehabbing spider monkeys so difficult?" by Alysha McGrattan - the Wildtracks Primate Rehabilitation Manager...
(Photo: J. Parsons)
Mel...just hanging out...
We have worked hard to ensure these primates are constantly challenged through enrichment in their enclosures throughout their rehabilitation...we use bamboo water holders to encourage them to use their hands to access drinking water from small cavities in trees, swinging platforms and ropes to improve their balance, and branches that encourage them to practice bracheating hand over hand through the enclosure. Access to the Central Enclosure ensures that they are also familiar with moving branches, foraging for fruit, and using palm trees.
(Photo E. Gissis)
Penny - Don't let her beauty fool you. She's Charlie's favourite play-wrestling opponent!
As we move towards the release, we are launching an appeal to meet the remaining release costs. We have had support from Wildtracks supporters through donations to Wildtracks USA, our USA-based partner, for equipping the post-release tracking team with the semi-permanent field camp - tents, cooking equipment etc. for one year of life in the field, and from Wild and Free for the construction of the Release Enclosure. We still have a significant financial gap to fill - covering purchase of the monitoring collars, logistical costs for moving into and out from the remote release site, and maintaining the monkeys through the acclimatization period.
(Photo: V. Jacke)
Our campaign "Returning spider monkeys to Belize's forests" has gone live!
Over the next few weeks we hope to raise US$10,000 towards the remaining release costs for Duma, Charlie, Mattie, Mel and Penny, our first release group of Central American black handed spider monkeys. This species is declining across the region, and moving towards critically endangered - it is only through conservation action that we can ensure their long term viability.
Charlie, Duma, Mattie, Mel and Penny - all rescued from the illegal pet trade. These five endangered spider monkeys, now a close knit family, will soon be released as part of Belize's first structured reintroduction for this species, establishing a new population in the north east forest. This ground breaking approach will produce a replicable model for future spider monkey releases in Belize and the region, returning them to the wild.
A huge thank you to Wildtracks USA for funding towards the support camp equipment and monitoring supplies, to Wild and Free for funding the materials for the release enclosure, and to all those Wildtracks supporters and volunteers who have contributed to the care of these amazing primates since the programme started. Let's ensure that this release is as successful as the Wildtracks howler monkey releases!
Be part of the challenge...be a part of the Wildtracks Team and help us reach our target...
(Photo: T. Lister)
Join us on our journey to keep the Wild in Wildlife!
A huge thank you to our Wildtracks Team (Wildtracks Belize, Wildtracks USA, Wildtracks volunteers and supporters), the Belize Forest Department and grant partners for your support.
Contact Us: office@wildtracksbelize.org
Credits:
E. Gissis, J. Parsons, S. Iwanicki, Wildtracks