Wild spider-monkey remembers the man who helped rescue her from an illegal wildlife trade after two years.
The owner didn’t believe that the monkey would recognize him. The spider monkey went from being trapped in a cage to being wild and free.
Mikah, the spider monkey, once lived in a tiny cage in a tiny apartment alone with no other monkeys to interact with. Four years ago, a wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia rescued Mikah where she learned how to socialize with her same species and fend for herself in the wild. For this reason, Mikah is currently pregnant, which couldn’t have happened without the help of the sanctuary.
When a monkey arrives at a sanctuary, they have no social skills and is an outcast to their kind. Monkeys take years to accept any other monkeys into their troop. After two years in the sanctuary, Mikah is free to roam the Amazon Rainforest after being accepted into the wildlife troop.
@cooperlost Mikah the spider monkey once lived in a tiny cage inside a tiny apartment by herself with no other monkeys to interact with. She was in jail. 4 years ago she was rescued by a wildlife sanctuary in bolivia. She spent 2 years there learning how to socialize with other animals and fend for herself in the wild. Fastforward to today, shes wild, free and pregnant and gets to be a MOTHER SOON! Not all sanctuary stories are succesful but when they are, we remember why we do the things we do for each creature that gets a second chance at a wild life. #theamazon #spidermonkeysoftiktok #keepthemwild #wildlifesanctuary #wildliferehab #wildliferescue ♬ Tishomingo – Zach Bryan
ONCA (Organization for the Natives and Conservation of the Amazon)
ONCA is a non-profit organization that helps rescue and rehabilitate miserably mistreated animals and then release them back into the wild when they are better.
Mikah roams relatively close to the sanctuary since that is her troops’ territory. This makes it easier for ONCA to study and research monkeys that went through the rehab process.
Captain Casey Cooper met Mikah when he visited the ONCA sanctuary in Bolivia. She was on a leash attached to a lead between two trees. Animals are put on a leash when they get to the sanctuary during the beginning of the re-wilding process for a controlled introduction to the wild troop to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Cooper never worked with monkeys before, so he was nervous that Mikah would attack, yet she hugged him. Copper grew an attachment to Mikah after receiving the hug.
Illegal Wildlife Trading consists of the selling and harvesting of wildlife. This trade forces animals to become pets, fashion, and more. For this reason, whatever we can do to help these sanctuaries save these poor animals would go a long way.