Kalima, the agouti that lives in Terra Natura Benidorm, has started to move normally after being medically treated by our team of veterinarians. A few days ago, this agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) began to have a very marked limp in the right foreleg, which made it difficult to move around its facility.

Once the problem was detected, the team of experts proceeded to anesthetise him to see what was happening in the palm of his limb. Veterinarians discovered that he had a splinter stuck in it, causing him pain when he stepped.

First, the splinter was removed, the area was cleaned with serum and an exhaustive cure was carried out in the affected area, also giving parenteral antibiotics and oral anti-inflammatories for a few days in order to avoid infection in the wound.

Despite all this cures, Kalima’s limb worsened with an abscess, so this time, after the cures and disinfection of the area, it was decided to bandage the limb and continue with oral medication and now the agouti shows an improvement so it is already in its facility which shares with two female golden-headed lion tamarins, both species native to Central America.

New friend

At the end of September, a new agouti will arrive to Terra Natura Benidorm. Agoutis are big rodents and they are herbivorous; their diet is based on fruits and seeds that they get from the trees in the wild.

Sometimes they forget where they hide these seeds so this favour the conservation of ecosystems through new plants. They can measure up to 60 centimetres long and weigh up to 5 kilos depending on the species. There are 12 species of agouti in Central and South America.

As a curiosity, they usually mark their territory with urine to keep others away from it.

Currently their populations have been reduced due to hunting and deforestation, leaving some of the agouti species in a vulnerable state according to the IUCN.