Rescued spider monkey prepares for next chapter in rehabilitation journey

Image credit: World Animal Protection / Ecotono Institute

Cigarra, a spider monkey who was directly impacted by the fires in Brazil, is now gearing up to move into a temporary enclosure that was partly built with your support. The little one will now have more space to forage in an environment that is closer to her natural habitat.

She will continue being rehabilitated here for a couple of months until the final assessments to find out if she can be released back into the wild or if she will need to be relocated to a sanctuary that will take care of her every need and allow her to express her natural behaviours.

Since spider monkeys typically live in groups, Cigarra has progressively been introduced to two other white-cheeked monkeys, Formiga and Cupim, who were rescued by the Ecótono Institute before our partnership.

Cigarra’s story

Cigarra was all alone in an area severely impacted by the Brazilian wildfires. Sadly, she is only one of the many baby animals in Brazil affected by these man-made fires which are often created to clear forests for agriculture.

She was discovered by a person who brought her to the local environmental authority of SINOP municipality. After staying under their care for some months, she was brought to the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Mato Grosso, Sinop (UFMT SINOP HOVET hospital) for a health check-up and to begin her rehabilitation journey in February this year. This was done during the period of our partnership with the Ecótono Institute and HOVET, a veterinary hospital.

The veterinarian team ran several tests to ensure she was healthy. Thankfully, the curious and observant spider monkey has managed to recover and enjoys eating plenty of bananas (her favourite food) and many different types of nutritious fruits and vegetables. Sometimes she even vocalises when she gets her meal.

Thanks to you, Cigarra is getting ready for the next chapter of her rehabilitation journey and a potential re-release into the wild.

Together, we can rescue and rehabilitate more baby animals in Brazil like Cigarra and around the world and give them a life free from any pain and suffering. A life worth living.

Thanks to you, Cigarra is getting ready for the next chapter of her rehabilitation journey and a potential re-release into the wild.