Monkeys and parrots and snakes, oh my!

A little ways outside of Boquete is a wildlife rehabilitation and refuge center. They have some common animals--goats, a horse, chickens, and a wild rabbit--as well as exotic ones. Some of the animals have permanent injuries while others stay while they heal (if injured) or until they can be released elsewhere (if their habitat was disturbed).

The friendliest of the inhabitants was a spider monkey named Daisy.

She would reach out to hold or wrap her tail around your hand...

Wenley makes Daisy's acquaintance.

Next door were white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus). They're energetic little buggers, jumping around the enclosure, swinging from a tire, bouncing on a trampoline-like net, and shaking the cage walls.

They can also have quite the attitude...!

In with the capuchins was my favorite, the white-nosed coati (Nasua narica).

When we first walked over, the coati was sleeping and the capuchins were wreaking havoc. I felt bad for the coati until it started playing too!

"Wake up! Play with me!"

"Come on!"

"One, two, three, wrestle."

"Ha!"

"Where'd you go?"

There were also some gorgeous birds:

...one of which wanted to open backpack zippers. First Chhaya's backpack (on Wenley) and then mine.

And the most spectacular bird in residence, the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao).

Lastly, there were snakes: several boas and a ball python (Python regius) that we were allowed to hold.

Wrapped around Chhaya's arm.

And when we thought we were done, we looked out over the surrounding forest and saw these two pretty little blue-grey tanagers (Thraupis episcopus) flitting around: