Vet feeding infant monkey
Flora and Fauna

Monkey on my head #AtoZChallenge

“The responses of the baby monkey are very similar to those of a human baby.”
— Harry Harlow
A monkey climbed all over a guy in the courtyard. A woman fed it pieces of banana while she touched it here and there.

The monkey ran over to some dogs, climbed all over them, raced back to the guy. It was on top of his head in a no time. Bite of banana. To the dogs. To the man’s head. Rinse, repeat. So much energy!

My husband and I had stopped for lunch at a hotel near Cojimies. We were receiving quite a show with our meal! After lunch, we asked the woman about the scene. She was a veterinarian. The Lodge had asked her to come and do a check up.

Monkey on man's shoulders
Monkey on man’s shoulders while vet does check up
Coco Solo, Cojimies, ManabĂ­, Ecuador

The baby mantled howler monkey was found nearby with it’s deceased mom the day before. He was only a few days old. They were bottle feeding him and would keep him as wild as possible. They hoped a nursing female could be found to adopt him.

While we were talking, the monkey continued racing around. At some point, he ended up in the woman’s arms. I asked if I could hold him. Once she established that I had on no lotion, makeup or other products that could harm the baby, she let him climb on me.

Monkey on Emily's shoulders
He scampered up on his way to the highest location

He went straight to the top of my head and started kneading my scalp with his baby soft fingers. His cool, rough tail wrapped around my neck, providing added balance.

Baby monkey on Emily's head
Once on top, he settled in

As we left, we thanked them for taking care of the little orphan. I hope he’s running around in the trees today with some friends, having a ball.

2017 A to Z Challenge - M

If you are visiting from the #AtoZChallenge please include your blog link in a comment so I can check it out.

I am a US Expat in Ecuador. I grew up on a Minnesota farm, worked in IT in California's Silicon Valley, then moved to a coastal Ecuador fishing village. My goal is to share Ecuador with you, one snippet at a time. Topics include attractions, compassion, ecotourism, Ecuador products, everyday Ecuador, and flora and fauna. Please let me know what you would like to read more about!

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