testmeat photoblog

when i first started volunteering i intended to work the required minimum two weeks and then go from there. in the end i stayed for 26 days - although this total was also more than anticipated. the reason for this, or half the reason for this, was this little creature. the other half was an animal called a lion monkey that shared the same cage. in the 25 days before i'd seen plenty of the main 4 monkeys, capuchins, spiders, howlers and squirrels, but never the other two. this was because they were kept out of the way and didn't fall under the volunteers remit - also this guy was nocturnal so most of the time i was there he was asleep. as i was heading down to hitch a ride back to la paz i saw the vet walking into the cage with food in her hand. i asked if i could join her, and spent the next 20 minutes staring at these two weird creatures. the lion monkey was like a coiled spring, jumping and bouncing around the place at a frenetic pace. by contrast the owl monkey was more reserved, and for a lot of the time just peered out of his little house. it was only after he ventured all of the way out that i realised he only had one eye, and also a fairly chubby body. i enjoyed looking and listening to these creatures so much that by the time i returned to the main area my ride had left without me. and i didn't feel any regret from choosing monkey time over leaving on time.

here's the original