We apologize for the lack of blog posts. It was difficult to get internet out in the rainforest! Today was a busy day for us, we woke up around 5.45 am every morning and begin work soon after. If there is a lot of veterinary cases, we can work up to 12 hours per day! ARCAS survives because of it's volunteers and in addition to vet work, we are assigned to certain animals for which we are responsible for feeding, monitoring, and cleaning. A lot of disease can be prevented in wild animals if you are feeding them the proper diet. We feed our animals better than we feed ourselves! We cut their fruits and vegetables fresh every morning and the workers cut down wild berries and leaves each day. I am currently working with a spoonbill who had an injured wing, a howler monkey with an injured leg, a toucan, and white fronted parrots who were caught in the illegal pet trade. All of these animals will be rehabilitated and released back into the wild if they make full recoveries.
Today one of the vets named Fernando gave us a presentation on proper handling and restraint techniques for wild animals. In a couple days we will put our knowledge to the test and practice safe restraint and physical exams on howlers, kinkachous and parrots.
Unlike domestic animals, each species as well as the age of the animal determines your restraint technique. We were taught to go in with confidence, never hesitate, and take the first chance the animal gives you to grab it. For my howler monkey, it is important to grab the back of her neck first. Once her head is stabilized, you can grab the back of her arms and hold them behind her back. This causes considerable restriction of head movement (try doing it to yourself!) and enables you do change bandages and give injections.
-Sabrina
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