Daily routine

My day usually consists of a similar routine, with extra jobs thrown in for good measure. At 6.30am I am up and chopping fruit for the monkeys. They will be given this fruit and browse (they love prickly bush and secropia covered in ants which is great fun to hang in their cages!) and they are cleaned out. I tend to work with the 6 Howler Monkeys who can be great fun as they cling to the sweeping brush and jump on my head/ back as I clean, particularly Paz, Sparticus and Kofi. Concussion is a major concern at each feed!

I will then go and help Simon with the Curassow, big birds that are endangered and have been brought to the centre to breed. They get fruit and some bird food. I tend to stand outside the cage as I haven’t plucked up the confidence to go in yet – their beaks are huge!

I get a little time for breakfast which today was leftover pizza from last night (I’ve regressed to being a student again!) but is usually toast, peanut butter and orange juice. The toast is cooked in a pan on top of the gas stove and the water is boiled in the same way – it’s very old school! I love it!

The past couple of days I have had Duke Duty (or as Jamie says, Dukety) in the morning too, just before or after the 10am monkey feed. We alternate whether we are in the pool with him or whether we are sitting outside observing. I love my 30 minutes in the pool with him as he is getting brave with me now and playing with my ankles and knees with his whiskers. Usually I’d expect at least dinner from a man before they get that honour but I have let him skip that stage as he’s so cute! He has an inflatable boat in his pool for company (he used to have a manatee friend but sadly she passed away just before I arrived). A couple of days ago he was floating on the top of the pool, drifting down to the far end of the pool in the breeze and then swimming back to the inflatable to touch base before starting the whole process again. It was very lovely to watch. I have just done an hour long shift with him and he has eaten a lot of seagrass – so much so that we’ve actually run out!

Today I tended the banana patch just before lunch. Si helped me as he had just sharpened his machete and didn’t trust me with it (which, to be fair, was smart!). Paul has asked me to chop off all of the dead leaves and remove the flowers once all of the bananas have started to grow. I will be excited to see all of the bananas once they come through – I’m sure the monkeys will enjoy them along with the rest of their fruit.

After lunch I do the 2pm monkey feed and then head upstairs to play with the baby monkeys for a couple of hours. It’s amazing to see how much confidence the monkeys are gaining when they’re around Elliot. During yesterday’s play session the boys (Peanut and Sam) were getting on relatively well with Elliot. At one point they were all sharing the same leaves which was a big step forward. Sam was complaining a bit (which is strange as it’s usually Peanut) but he was happy enough. Funny, a man who’s happy moaning – shocking! The girls (Polly and Pebbles) were a little more scared. Pebbles lasted about 3 minutes before she was on my shoulder with her tail wrapped around my neck. I tried to put her back a couple of times but she complained a lot. Elliot tried to get her to play when I was sitting down but, once again, there were a lot of unhappy noises. Polly played for a while but then got tired and clung to my hip for the remainder of the play session. As much as it was bad for their developing relationships with Elliot, I loved the cuddles!

There is another monkey feed at 4.30pm and then it’s free time for the evening before dinner sometime between 8pm and 9pm.

All in all I’m having a great time! Paul and Zoe have created a great sanctuary and selflessly take in all animals that are in need of shelter. I’m really pleased that Belize was suggested to me and I’m so happy with the decision to come to Wildtracks – it’s a brilliant place!