Exciting animal encounters! The expedition is in full swing with five teams heading out in different directions for the morning surveys. While three teams leave base by boat to be dropped off at different trail starting points further up the Tahuayo river, two more teams walk the trail grid trails behind base. Our newcomers David and Julian teamed up for a trail grid survey with Alfredo and ran into a group of 20 coatis. Hidden in the undergrowth our surveyors were able to observe the animals for a while.
Andrew, Shelley and the boys were led by Segundo and found fresh jaguar scat that must have been from the night before. They also encountered titi and squirrel monkeys, learned how to drink water from leaves and had a taste of some exotic forest fruit.
Anh & David surveyed a trail leading to cocha (=lake) Yarina. Accompaigned by Julio, another local helper from El Chino village, who joined our team this week, they had a very rare encounter with two howler monkeys. While one of them disappeared very quickly into the thick green foliage, the other one took a second look…
I followed Ramon, our fourth local guide for this week, on a new trail leading from the Tahuayo to the Tangarana river. We encountered a group of five titi monkeys walking together with a larger group of saddleback tamarins. We were able to observe them for about 15 minutes, standing still as they crossed our trail just over our heads making funny faces and noises to chase us away.
Writing this, everyone else is on their afternoon surveys canoeing up and down the river and checking the track traps we have set on various trails. It has become a bit of a habit to be silent about the sightings tally until we all meet at 18.00 for the daily review. I’ll let you know when the teams share their secrets 🙂
From our conservation holiday volunteering with jaguars, pumas, ocelots, primates and other species in the Amazon rainforest in Peru, South America.
Biosphere Expeditions: blogs from the frontline of wildlife conservation and the fight for a more sustainable planet 