Saving Howler monkeys with Kayla

Golden-Mantled Howler monkeys are some of the more labor intensive guests here at Toucan Rescue Ranch. While some arrive as adults, most arrive as babies, found on the ground after their mothers have been electrocuted or attacked by dogs, and it takes time for them to grow and learn the skills they need to survive in the wild.

As an animal care intern, part of my job is finding wild diet items for them, so the monkeys can learn what foods are safe for them to eat in the wild, and to practice their foraging skills. We've recently released two howlers, Kaleo and Malik, and it's been wonderful to watch them learn to navigate the forest canopy as they forage around the property. We have 4 other howlers not yet ready for release, but we hope they'll all be able to join Kaleo and Malik in time.

All the current howlers arrived before I got here. In the couple months I've been interning for Toucan Rescue Ranch, we've received 4 or 5 new howlers, all badly injured by dog attacks or power lines. All have died within hours or days of arrival.

With so few howlers that survive their initial injuries, it's even more important that those capable of surviving to be released receive all the resources we can throw at them! Their enclosures are large, tall enough to teach the monkeys to stay up in the trees. These enclosures need regular maintenance - there's nothing quite as destructive as a group of monkeys! Their diets are as varied as we can manage it, and not all items can be easily sourced in our backyard. Plus, every animal we receive needs medical care to one degree or another; broken bones, stitches, treatments for illnesses or parasites - all things that cost money.

So, here's a fundraiser! This is just my little page; to view the main fundraiser page, go here: https://www.mightycause.com/team/Saving-Howler-Monkeys-Together

To check out livestreams of some of the other Toucan Rescue Ranch residents, go here: https://explore.org/livecams/sloth/sloth-cam

I have set the end date for this part of the fundraiser to match up with the end of my internship. If I do end up receiving contributions here, I may post updates on how the monkeys are doing, pictures, or a tally of how many times they've managed to poop on me from the top of their enclosure while I'm cleaning (3)! If you can't donate, please consider sharing this page with others :)