At Cango Wildlife Ranch, every day offers new lessons in conservation, care, and connection. Through our Wild Animal Volunteers (WAV) Internship Programme and partnerships with organisations like Loop Abroad, students from across the globe gain first-hand exposure to the vital veterinary work that underpins wildlife conservation.
Meet our Agoutis!
Similar in appearance to Guinea pigs, only larger and with longer legs, Red Rumped Agoutis are members of the rodent family.
They have coarse, glossy fur that is typically brown, with orange to red fur on their rumps, and a little tail no longer than 6cm.
They are important seed dispersers for tropical plants in their native South American region, and they have a special relationship with the towering Brazil nut trees. These trees produce fruit or pods known as “cocos” that can weigh up to 2kg and fall to the ground at 80km per hour. Agoutis have ever-growing chisel-like incisors and are one of the very few animals that can chew through the woody, coconut-like pods to get to the nearly two dozen nuts inside. After eating their fill, agoutis bury extra nuts to eat later. Forgotten nuts and seeds will germinate and grow into new trees. Without agoutis to disperse seeds, Brazil nut trees could disappear, and these giants of the forest (reaching up to 60m in height) provide food and shelter to countless species.
Agoutis are remarkable animals worthy of much praise and appreciation! Please stop by and say hi to them during your next visit.
Further Reading
As the Ranch has grown over the years, so too have the needs of our team and the animals in our care. One of the very first “buildings” on the property was actually a set of containers that served as our cold meat storage and freezer. These containers worked hard and outlasted their lifespan, but as the ranch expanded and more enclosures were added, it became clear that we had outgrown them.
When we launched our Like, Share & Subscribe competition on social media, we were blown away by the enthusiasm and support from our community. After all the entries, we were thrilled to announce Anchen Killian as our lucky winner. Even more special, she chose to redeem her prize on her birthday on 13 August when she celebrated her 56th year.
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