I have followed with interest Raquel Frame’s adventure with this howler monkey which she rescued. Here Cristina Olteanu writes of her experience when she visited Raquel’s Ark. Thanks for sharing this with me Raquel.
One day I went to Raquel’s Ark. As we approached the house of Raquel, all that I kept thinking about was the emotion of meeting the baby howler monkey. I was eager to see him.
Indeed, when she got out of the car she had Boomer around her neck. She took him and put it around my neck. Boomer was also curious about the meeting, he was hanging on my hair, he was climbing over our heads, and he jumped from one hand to another, to finally reach his place around his mother’s neck.
At home, Raquel gave him to eat a special formula: almond milk, enriched with vitamins and minerals. And dessert was unsweetened orange juice. I watched fascinated how cute he was, how he was heartily eating and how much he resemble a child.
One day, Raquel had to go to the airport to pick up a friend, and she had to leave Boomer with someone. So I went with her to the airport and I stayed in the car with Boomer. The moment she closed the door, the baby began to cry and stir to look for his adoptive mother. He was clinging his hands on the steering wheel, climbing on the board of the car, climbing the chair, going under the seat, climbing up my hand and down again. I tried to make him stay on my neck, patted, but I could not calm him, or make him get over the pain of separation from his mother. After an hour of agitation and crying constantly he got tired. I took him in my arms and this time he could not resist, he clung to my hand with his hands and remained there, where he fell asleep sobbing. I kept looking at his cute little face, so expressive. I watched his breath and I had a feeling of purity. Raquel came eventually and the baby felt her immediately. He opened his little eyes and started howl for her. Raquel reached out her hand and Boomer went immediately to his place on his mother’s neck. He was still crying softly, as if asking her not to leave, he could no longer endure such suffering.
It was an incredible experience. Animals have a purity that we will never find in people. The best and most beautiful man on this planet will never have the purity that I felt holding a baby howler monkey, which fell asleep sobbing, tired of crying and pain of separation from his mother. And I can not help thinking of all the babies in the world that no one knows about, that are falling asleep sobbing, for one reason or another.
A man shot Boomer’s mother to take him and sell him as a pet
They brought the baby to Raquel’s wildlife care center
I learned that baby howler monkeys hang up by their mother until 6 months old
It’s needed to take a very well care of it, as if they would let go, they would fall from a great height and die
They are highly dependent on physical contact, and if they do not have it, they fall into depression and die of sadness
For this reason, Raquel always has her baby monkey with her
Animals have a purity that we will never find in people
The best and most beautiful man on this planet will never have the purity that I felt holding a baby howler monkey
Wonderful article of expressing oneself, from both human and animal perspectives. Thanks for sharing. Michael