Monkey Love

Communidad Inti Wara Yassi, in Bolivias south, is an animal refuge. Founded in 1994 in the house of Bolivian Juan Carlos and a group of orphan boys the organisation has swollen to provide care for hundreds of animals: pumas, jaguars, monkeys, birds, coatis and tayras, even a spectacle bear. The animals come from squalid zoos and circuses, the black market and even living rooms as families realize a jungle animal is a bad choice for a pet.

At the site the animals are fed and watered and provided with the best quality of life possible given the resources available. The ultimate aim is for reintroduction into the wild but in some cases this is impossible. CIWY is run almost completely by volunteers and relies on their donations for the upkeep of the park.

I worked with monkeys, over 50 of them, mostly Capuchin but also 4 beautiful spider monkeys. Our jobs as volunteers included cleaning their cages and play areas 3 times daily, scaring away wild monkeys that came to thieve their food, preparing them meals and snacks and providing enrichment and cuddles. Work continues regardless of the conditions so torrential rain, or worse, searing heat were a constant discomfort.

The monkeys had clear personalities, some affectionate, some bratty, some cry babies and a few biters. It was amazing to spend time interacting so closely with such intelligent and interesting creatures. Daily I would visit Vesti and Lucio. Vesti would squeal with excitement and demand a scratch whilst Lucio would insist on grooming me, face, scalp, hands, tummy, nothing was off limits. Then there was Romeo, who lived up to his name as a charmer, always wanting a cuddle. He liked to share things, particularly food and stones. Often pieces of day old fruit, pebbles and grass were stuffed into my gently protesting mouth. Camilla was the most hyperactive. She delighted in picking noses and once did so with such speed and force to give me a blood nose. A favourite of mine was Chispita, a bit of a cry baby, but she would drape herself luxuriously across your shoulders and spend time gently nibbling your fingers.

The spider monkeys were entirely different, bigger, less boisterous. Delilah and Marrucha loved to lie backwards across your lap for a tummy rub or sit quietly and be sung to. Their movement through the trees was astonishing. Their tails a fifth limb they would fly, fall and tumble through the canopy 50 metres above.

During my time at CIWY I was lucky enough to see pumas, a spectacle bear, giant jungle otter called Tayra and, most amazing, the wild sloth that lives on the site. She came down twice during my time there and remains the most beautifully ugly creature I have seen.

The animals were amazing but the heat, squalid living conditions, clouds of mosquitos, constant stream of mud, piss and shit, heat rash and 12 hour, 7 day working weeks have driven me away, back to Brasil where I continue my love affair with this country and it's people.