Adult Howler Electrocution Rehabilitation and Release

Henry was injured in Esperanza when he climbed onto uninsulated power lines near the mango tree he was visiting. The jolt of electricity threw him to the ground where he hit his head.

Locals immediately called Refuge for Wildlife and our emergency team was there within minutes. Henry was still on the ground when we arrived, clearly shaken up by the event. Although he is a very large and strong adult male howler, Dr. Francisco was able to place him into our rescue kennel without any struggle – Henry knew he needed help.

At the Refuge clinic, Henry was sedated and his wounds were checked.Unfortunately the wound on his forehead was very deep and needed suturing. Thankfully Henry showed no other signs of injury from the electrocution and he healed very quickly. As soon as his wounds had closed, we made the decision to release him back to his home in the jungle. Henry’s age and strength meant that he would have no problems getting back to normal life again.

We released Henry in the hills behind Esperanza, far away from the power lines. The location was close enough to where we rescued him that the location was probably part of Henry’s regular habitat. The moment we opened the kennel, Henry raced out and across a fallen tree to freedom. After a brief glance back at us, he found a nice spot to rest and started eating some leaves!This behavior shows us that Henry was very calm, relaxed and not at all stressed or bothered by the kennel or the car ride. This is what we like to see when doing a release. Henry stayed near to the location where we released him so our photographer was able to get several photos and videos of him looking super handsome back in the wild where he belongs.