Sad Day...

A few volunteers and I have today and tomorrow off, but Mary asked me to come in in the morning to look over a few emails before she sent them out. I went into Rainsong and found out that a new 2 week old pygmy skunk we had come in a few days ago, had died during the night along with a baby variegated squirrel. It was the first 'RIP news' I had experienced at Rainsong and at first, it was hard to accept the death of these two critters. I had spent many of my hours trying to syringe-feed the skunk and encouraging its bowel movements. It was just such a small and helpless animal and eventully refused the milk we were feeding it.

In other bad news, Thumbelina, the burn-marked howler monkey twin, died this morning as well. The past few days were rough. She had no interest in drinking and her fingers swelled up, even with the medicine and antibiotics she was treated with. She slowly lost movement in her arms and it spread throughout her body, causing paralysis. She rarely made any noise after that, and the look on her face was that of defeat. She had given up on her will to live, and with internal organ damage from the electrocution damage there was nothing more we could do to save her.

Mary and I have set up a facebook group called 'End Wildlife Electrocutions in Costa Rica' for people, mainly Costa Ricans, to post pictures and information about any sightings of electrocutions. The group is also for anybody who wants to prevent these horrid electrocutions and bring back Costa Rica's famous draw toward Ecotourism. Please join this group in support of the prevention of animal electrocutions! Also, search 'Isla del Coco, Costa Rica' on facebook and click 'Like'. We need 140,000 people to 'Like' this page before a proposal gets brought to the government demanding the insulation of electrical wires and/or the building of proper monkey bridges! It is my biggest challenge and hope while here for my internship, that we can all come together and put a preventative action to this upsetting situation.