This pocket monkey decided to ride the back of my neck for awhile
We had heard there was a zoo here in Cuenca, but nobody we talked to had ever been to it, and most didn’t even know it existed. We decided to visit the Amaru Zoo today. It was an interesting experience, and one of the more unique zoos we have visited around the world.
For nine years, Amaru was a tiny zoo with only a half dozen animals. About a year ago they moved to their current quarters, in the hills outside town, just across from Hospital Del Rio. It was a $4 taxi ride from our apartment. After turning off the highway, the driver went up approximately another kilometer of rough, steep, ravined dirt road. After he dropped us off, we had another couple hundred feet of steep vertical dirt trail to reach the ticket office. The office has a gorgeous panoramic view of the city.
Their web site warns that the trails are not suitable for wheel-chairs or strollers. That turns out to be a massive understatement. They are not suitable for anyone not in fairly good shape. And don’t even think of going there if it is raining, or has recently rained. I’m not sure we could have climbed some of those trails if they were muddy!
The lions and pumas were inside behind heavy wire cages, and were probably the least interesting exhibit.
Most of the other animals were in open spaces. There were a few spaces where we could not see any animals at all, so they were probably hiding or sleeping in the rear areas. Others were easily seen, often with water moats around them to keep them inside.
When we reached the Macaw and Parrot section, the birds were free to move around at will, and we sometimes would turn in surprise to find a macaw inches from our faces. At one point, two macaws started fighting, apparently both wanting the same perch.
Probably the most interesting was the monkey area though. Initially we were photographing monkeys on an island, much like they would be in any zoo in the world. Suddenly I turned and saw this cute tiny monkey about the size of my hand, sitting on a post about 3 feet from me. I cautiously took a photo, then moved closer, then another photo, then closer, then… he jumped on my leg when I kneeled down in front of him for a better angle!
This was a “pocket monkey”, so called because it is small enough to be put in your pocket. They used to be commonly bought as pets and carried around town. When I stood up, he jumped from my leg to my waist pack, and then onto the back of my neck (top photo of this blog entry). While he was there, we continued to photograph some other small monkeys that had come onto the road and were as curious about us as we were about them. I thought I might have to carry this monkey all the way back to the entrance, but he leaped off my neck just as we were leaving the monkey area. Seems he knew where home was…
