Here, we are greeted not by Peruvian villagers, but instead by three very curious woolly monkeys.
These monkeys have names -- Durilla, Chepa, and Rocky. Durilla and Chepa are female. Rocky is the youngest, and he is male. Durilla, by far the largest of the three, scrambles down the trees toward the boat. But the driver immediately backs away, not wanting Durilla to get too close.
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| Papaya was very popular with Rocky |
Instead, we maneuver to a 3x3 wooden platform hanging from one of the jungle trees. Nelly places several pieces of fresh fruit on the platform. Durilla swings over to scoop up the fruit and then disappears back into the trees.
We steer toward the low branch of a tree that juts out over the river. Nelly tries to entice Chepa with a juicy piece of papaya. Chepa is intrigued by the offering, as is Rocky, but neither takes the bait.
Instead, Durilla comes scampering back through the trees, once again eager to socialize with our group.
As before, the driver instantly backs the boat into the river and away from Durilla.
*******
At a gathering prior to our Amazon trip, I recall Dr. Paul Beaver, one of the co-owners of the lodge, talking about how a gorilla had recently bit one of the visitors.
I remember being horrified at the thought ... what an enormous, painful bite that must have been!
Never mind the fact that there are no gorillas in the Amazon basin.
I didn't really think about that at the time. I was too focused on my fear of being attacked by a vicious, man-eating, 300-lb. beast.
Think Outbreak, but with me and Jack standing in for Rene Russo and Dustin Hoffman.
*******
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| The monkeys were just as interested in us as we were in them. |
Now, as we play this game of jungle hide-and-seek with Durilla, the woolly monkey, I begin to connect the dots.
It was Durilla that bit someone. Not a gorilla.
Oh.
Well, that's a little less terrifying.
Nevertheless, we avoid Durilla and continue to try and lure Chepa to the boat.
But Chepa is still leery. Instead, she climbs to a branch about 20 feet above us and hangs from her tail. Nelly grabs a piece of orange and tosses it high in the air. Not missing a beat, Chepa stabs her paw into the air and snares the fruit.
She devours the fruit, discards the rind into the river, and waits for more.
Over and over again, Nelly tosses and Chepa catches.
I am endlessly entertained.
When Nelly pitches the fruit too low and it splashes into the water, Chepa lets us know she is not pleased, unleashing a series of loud grunts.
I suppose it's just her way of coaching Nelly to throw the fruit a bit higher ... a little monkey talk.
Apparently this game of catch has made Chepa feel a little more comfortable with all the strangers. She swings and jumps her way toward the river and then carefully shimmies down the low-hanging branch.
And just like that, there's a monkey in the boat.
Chepa squats on the boat deck and finishes off the last of the papaya, and we humans take turns gently petting her back. She doesn't even seem to notice us.
*******
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| Up close and personal with the woolly monkeys |
After being rescued, Durilla, Chepa, and Rocky were rehabilitated and released back into the jungle. Durilla and Chepa lived together on their own for awhile.
BFFs, I suppose.
Recently, however, Rocky -- the lone male -- was introduced to the mix, and you can guess what happened next.
Durilla, the eldest female, has become a bit territorial and aggressive -- which is likely why she took a bite out of the jungle tourist. Just staking her claim.
Figures.
Even in the Amazon jungle -- and even within a troop of monkeys -- three is a crowd.
I guess you could call it a jungle love triangle.
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