Thelma

Thelma was a juvenile Coati Mundi I cared for back in Ecuador in 2020. Coati Mundi’s are omnivorous mammals from the family procyonidae. They are closely related to raccoons and kinkajous. By that time, I had worked with the species quite a bit during my frequent travels into the Amazon over the years, and was therefore pretty familiar with them. In January of 2020 I had flown back to Ecuador for the second time to work with a wildlife sanctuary caring for dozens of different species, particularly primates. I knew the center desperately needed help with their animals, especially considering their limited staff and expired veterinary supplies. Still, nothing could have prepared me for Thelma’s situation.

I arrived at the wildlife rehab center by mid-day. The facility was owned and operated by a foreign resident originally from Switzerland with no professional background in conservation or animal care. Although I was shown around, my welcome was an interestingly brief one, probably because the director was quite displeased at my inability to transport tranquilizing darts from the United States, although I had given him no such promise. It was not until mid morning the next day that anyone even thought of introducing me to Thelma, an animal in critical condition. Her wrist was clearly broken. Exposed flesh around the entire area led to infection and necrosis of the entire paw. She had clearly began self-mutilation. I was both taken back and disturbed, as well as mildly irritated. Considering the limited supplies and resources in their clinic, tending to the wound was nearly impossible. I did what I could before insisting she see a local veterinarian. The next day, I was horrified but not entirely surprised to find that her paw had completely fallen off. It was probably one of the most devastating things I’ve ever seen in my career. I bandaged what I could, which was nearly impossible due to the exposed bone, applied antibiotic ointment and dosed an analgesic as best I could. Thankfully, later in the day the animal was transported to a local veterinary hospital.

Thelma needed to have the entire leg amputated from her shoulder down. This outcome was terribly unfortunate. My heart broke for her. As a foraging species that uses its front claws and paws for nearly everything, Thelma would obviously never be released, and how well she’d cope with the missing limb was to be determined. Initially I was pretty discouraged. However, Thelma quickly bounced back. I would conduct therapy sessions with her, teaching her how to play, capture insects and get around successfully. Her recovery was a beautiful experience, but her story is one I think about often. She is one of the many animals who has inspired the idea of Jungle Rescue Reform.