Several years ago, a circus abandoned several animal cages on the Periferico after it was prohibited for them to perform in the tents, and an orangutan managed to escape into the mountains of Xhuenkal. Now, the local residents claim to have seen it on multiple occasions.
Miguel Ángel Cauich, a local resident, explained that this primate has been spotted in the community, high up in the tops of enormous trees, feeding on a variety of regional fruits.
Some of the residents have taken photos of it and expressed their hope that hunters do not harm it, as this beautiful ape is unique in the area.
They recounted that the specimen was once part of a circus. However, with the laws passed in 2015 banning animal shows, the owner of the circus was informed that species were being confiscated. As a result, the cages were left behind on the road, and some of them were taken to zoos, while the orangutan managed to escape.
Xhuenkal still has a reserve of tall forest, according to reports, which connects it to Espita. It is in this place that the enormous primate has been seen swinging from the trees.
The inhabitants of this area hope that no harm comes to it, as the specimen is unafraid of people and even eats sapotes and other fruits it finds in the trees just a few meters away from humans.
For the residents of this small community, it is common to hear its howls at night and in the mornings as it approaches the village located along the Mérida-Tizimín-Valladolid section of the Periferico.
Finally, they mentioned that it is not unusual for them to coexist with the ape, as several spider monkeys in the area approach the population of Xhuenkal in search of food.
TYT Newsroom