Senior Monkey Attacked by Alpha Returned to the Forest
July 9, 2019
We are very pleased to announce that Bernard has returned to his forest home! 
Bernard is an older male howler who was rescued after he was found inside an auto repair shop in Samara. With wounds all over his face, he had been attacked by an alpha male. Because of his advanced age, it’s likely that Bernard was the alpha of a group and was challenged by a younger, stronger, rival. Although this kind of attack might seem harsh, this is normal behavior for howler monkeys.
We returned to Samara and released Bernard near the river where there are lots of big, green trees. Bernard was a little hesitant at first, unsure of what was going on, but once he realized he was back in the forest he ran and climbed high into the treetops and started to howl. Most likely Bernard will now find some females and start a new troop or he will take his place as a submissive male in another troop. Either way, he’ll be living out the rest of his days as a free and wild monkey.
