MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Here is a list of animals that Moira and I feed and play with while we're at the animal reserve in the Amazon:

Squirrel monkeys (these guys are crafty--they're not in cages, so when we're feeding the other animals out of buckets, sometimes we'll have two or three squirrel monkeys perched on our shoulders trying to steal bananas)
Capuchin monkeys (three different varieties)
Woolly monkeys (so cute, but they pull your hair pretty bad while trying to be affectionate)
Spider monkey (poor Manuel is all by himself)
Bearded tamarin (which is about a third the size of a house cat, but totally has a feline-like face, even though it's a primate)
Agoutis (smaller relative of the capybara)
Coatis (look these up--they are hilarious looking)
Tayras (relative of the mongoose--these guys have sharp claws but are generally pretty docile. I had one on my back yesterday while I was refilling their water pond)
Kinkajous (terribly vicious--Moira and I don't go in this cage)
Guantas (Also capybara-like)
Olingo (this is a noctural, lemur-like creature and he is so, so cute, if not difficult to see most of the time because he sleeps inside a log during the day)
Parrots and macaws
The largest pigeons I've ever seen
Tortoises! (so funny to feed because they often get disoriented and move so slowly, so usually I'll just pick them up and turn them around so that move toward the food)
Porcupine (I haven't actually seen it, but Moira says it looks like an evil sorceress)
Wild boar

And of course...a margay, a tigrillo, and an ocelot! No one can seem to tell us what the difference is between a tigrillo and an ocelot, so they might actually be the same thing? Anyway, we can't actually go in the cages with them (well we could...but probably won't), but the ocelot is an attention hog and comes right up to the cage and lets us pet her. The margay is terribly grumpy (probably because she's noctural but is often disturbed during the day), and the tigrillo is relatively underwhelming. Mostly we love the ocelot and spend our time doting on her. Also, yesterday there were in fact discussions among the folks who actually know what they're doing about capturing a jaguar that's loose somewhere near Puyo (which is the town that skirts the Amazon and is relatively close to the reserve). So maybe Moira and I will, in fact, get to see all three. Unlikely though.

Anyway, our daily activities range from capturing escaped baby chickens to holding giant boa constrictors (true story--we got delayed from leaving for town today because some people brought in a wounded boa, which lead to a big dog and pony show wherein the Eucadorian owner of the reserve had me, Moira, and two other volunteers take a photos with a full grown boa in our hands). Mostly we chop fruit and get covered head to toe in mud, so it's not particularly glamorous. Still, I'm having an absolutely wonderful time and I know Moira is too. The animals are just so dang cute.

Our commitment at Yana Cocha ends on Saturday night/Sunday morning, and we leave for Peru from Quito next Friday, so we're not entirely sure what we're going to do in the intermittent time. It looks like we won't be able to go to Cuenca, so we will probably end up spending those few days in Baños or Ambato, both of which are much closer to Quito than Cuenca is.

Maybe one of these days I'll try to figure out how to post photos. In the meantime, just imagine us in thick rubber boots covered in squirrel monkeys and I think you'll get the idea.