For several years the team at Wilder International have travelled to Belize to volunteer time and skills to aid a conservation organisation called Wildtracks. This wildlife rescue centre, located in Sarteneja specialises in rehabilitating and releasing spider monkeys, howler monkeys and manatees who have fallen victim to such impacts as the illegal pet trade, deforestation, dog attacks and boat strike.
In 2015 and 2017 work at the centre included basic husbandry (feeding, cleaning, collecting browse etc), aiding with new arrivals, monitoring and one on one care of young animals and record keeping. In 2019 five spider monkeys were ready for release and needed to be health checked and transported to their prerelease forest enclosure to acclimate to their new forest home. One by one the monkeys were caught, sedated and health checked, samples were taken for analysis to ensure no illnesses were present that could be transmitted to existing wild populations and that the animals were fit and healthy. The monkeys were also weighed and given a hands on health assessment before being returned to their travelling crates to recover.
The next morning they were loaded onto a truck and driven to the lagoon where they were transferred to a boat to access the fireburn nature reserve. Once across the lagoon, the five monkeys and the camping equipment, including extra kit for the trackers were loaded onto motorised trikes and driven deep into the forest to the release site. A temporary enclosure had been built alongside a camp. The five spider monkeys were offloaded and released into the enclosure. The animals were fed daily and observed regularly to ensure they were adapting well to their new environment. Several weeks later the door was opened and the spider monkeys were released back into the forest. Supplementary food was provided for the first few days whilst the primates got their bearings but soon started travelling further away in search of their own.
In the following months the trackers observed the spider monkeys who appeared to be doing well, however the oldest female was found several times to be away from the group and closer to the ground, concerned she wasn’t exhibiting the correct behaviours to survive and thrive in the forest. The decision was made to bring her back to the sanctuary where her condition was assessed and she could be re-integrated into another group to potentially try again at a later stage. The remaining four spider monkeys continue to do well in the forest.