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Mango Troop

Male , 4 years old

About Mango Troop

As the infants grew, they started to build confidence and develop essential wilderness survival skills such as climbing, jumping and foraging. Although there has been a caregiver inside the infant nursery previously, the monkeys no longer seek out their support. They are currently living in the Junior Nursery, where they receive more advanced enrichment items and human contact is limited to essential veterinary care. They will no longer be hand-fed instant formula and now their digestive systems are stronger, they will have mango included in their diet. Howlers absolutely love mango – which is where they get their name!

Even at this young age, a social hierarchy is beginning to become established and it won’t belong before we see who will be most eligible for alpha male and female of the group. There are currently 7 monkeys in Mango Troop between the ages of 1 and 2 years old. Two monkeys who had previously been a part of the troop have been moved into different family units that are better suited to their needs. We do everything possible to make their rehabilitation stress free and occasionally that means moving monkeys into different groups.

Mango troop were released in Summer 2021 and are now enjoying the life they deserve in the Costa Rican rainforest.

Mango Troop's Story

Mango Troop is comprised of 9 infant mantled howler monkeys whose ages range from 9 months old to 1.5 years old. They were all rescued when their mothers died. Most of these monkeys were orphaned when their mothers climbed onto uninsulated power lines and transformers.

Sadly, howler monkeys do not know the difference between natural vines and a dangerous power cable and are often victims of lethal electrocutions. When a mother monkey is electrocuted, she absorbs most of the electrical current and dies, and her baby is left orphaned and often badly injured.

Two members of mango troop
Mango troop

At our refuge, we take in these babies, help them to heal and teach them all the monkey skills they would have learnt from their mothers. Whilst in our care, Mango Troop have begun to progress through different levels of nursery before they will eventually be moved into pre-release enclosures to eventually be released into the freedom of a Protected National Park. The rehabilitation process takes a lot of time and effort from our expert carers but they are always so excited to watch baby monkeys grow into happy, healthy, howlers!

There was a human caregiver inside the nursery at all times to reduce stress for the youngest infants who require a surrogate mother. Generally, only the smallest infants required this kind of care, but the older infants felt more relaxed when there was a caregiver in the room. In the wild, infants would be clinging onto their mother for the first several months of their life. Because the youngest howlers became easily stressed without the comfort of a mother, the nursery was filled with furry soft toys, like teddy bears, that the infants clung to.

Hot water bottles were also provided which give soothing warmth similar to that of their mothers. The bottles were refilled several times a day and each time they were brought into the nursery, the infants would make a mad dash for them, fighting over the best spots. It only took a few seconds before each infant was settled, comfy, warm and ready for a quick nap.

Howler monkeys on a hot water bottle
Howley monkey cuddling a soft toy

Over the next 4-5 years, the monkeys will be cared for 24 hours a day by dedicated staff members. As they grow and develop new skills they will move together into 5 different enclosures specially designed to help them learn the skills required to survive in the wild.

Our 5-step howler rehabilitation programme is organised as follows: Infant Nursery, Junior Nursery, Juvenile Nursery, Pre-release Enclosure and Release Enclosure.

The troop are given enrichment items designed to improve their climbing skills and spatial awareness. Circular swings are made out of natural vines and empty coconuts attached to a rope which are excellent for encouraging jumping and coordination.

All of the infants in the troop were hand-fed infant formula every 2-4 hours depending on their age and requirements. As the infants grew older, they would prefer to eat more leaves and require less formula. Fresh leaves are bought to the centre several times a day and hung up around the nurseries to encourage natural foraging. The nursery is quietest when the fresh leaves arrive–the only sound you can hear is the ‘crunch, crunch, crunch’ of leaves being gobbled up!

Mango Troop Adopter Update Aug 2020

Liza, Jesús, Mía, Elle, Eva, Danna and Shalia are free at last! When the hatch at the top of our release enclosure was opened, the monkeys were cautious and took a few minutes before they started to explore outside. Jesús, the alpha male, was the first to venture out, but he stayed close to the enclosure, going in and out several times before he was ready to explore further. Eva, the smallest monkey in the troop, left the enclosure quickly and was the first to bravely climb high into the treetops!

We will leave the hatch open and continue to provide food inside the enclosure for several days so that the monkeys have more time to adjust if they need it.

Mango troop's release
Mango troop's release