Last time I was in Peru, everyone else at the lodge saw this particular woolly monkey. I did not. This time, however, more than made up for it, as he granted me two photo sessions striking all sorts of interesting poses. His name is Mowgli and he has an interesting back story. Both of his parents spent time in captivity at rehabilitation centers. After their release back into the wild, Mowgli was conceived and born. He has never been fed by humans and he has never lived in captivity himself. But his parents must have passed on a trust of humans and he often visits the lodge to seemingly say hello. Mowgli is a Poeppig’s woolly monkey, also known as a red woolly monkey or silvery woolly monkey, a subspecies of the common woolly monkey. They are considered endangered mainly due to loss of habitat. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm), ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/100th of a second.
What a beautiful monkey. That coat looks extremely luxurious & his fur is a deep rich reddish-brown. Quite a lovely creature! I’m glad he accommodated you & your Nikon.
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What a beautiful monkey. That coat looks extremely luxurious & his fur is a deep rich reddish-brown. Quite a lovely creature! I’m glad he accommodated you & your Nikon.
Thanks, yes, he was a fine looking monkey. And I think he knew it.
Man mowgli’s got one lush fur coat. What kind of animal is it made from? Minx? Ferret? Chinchilla?
Great image and what an interesting story. I imagine there’s a lot we don’t know about how animals communicate and share information.
Yeah, it’s pretty interesting that he just intuitively knows we’re not going to pose a threat to him. At least not individually anyway.
The story often extends the actual photograph. Love it!
Thanks Rachel, this guy is one of the reasons I went back to the same lodge 6 months later. I was determined to find Mowgli.
Maybe Mowgli heard that he missed you too and wanted to show his appreciation for your return visit! I am very envious of that gorgeous coat!
It certainly appeared that way. He was performing for me.