Oh no! Whelps (proper term) aren't usually abandoned by their troop, especially if they're extremely young, but it does happen on occasion. Lucky for you mammalian harpy whelps don't imprint in the way avian harpies do, so having one in your care won't threaten its ability to return to its troop if they do show up. For now, i'd recommend the following steps.
1. Search the whelp for injuries. If it's got broken bones, appears sick, or is at the age where it should be able to fly but can't (about 6 months old), I'd recommend taking it into a local wildlife rehabilitation center because those are some pretty serious issues that I wouldn't recommend a non-professional handling. If it appears uninjured, it may just need to recover for a little bit before it can leave.
2. If it's younger than 6 months old [you can usually tell this by how bald they are and how strong their wings are. Weak wings and a bald body suggest a very young whelp], it shouldn't be away from the rest of its troop or its mother at all and could die without proper care. Once again, taking it to a wildlife rehabilitation center is your best bet. If they're closed, put those animal care skills to good use! Mammalian harpies can drink baby formula as a substitute for their mother's milk, but shouldn't have it long term. If it's got teeth, you can try soft fresh fruits [oranges, berries, bananas] or small insects.
3. Search for any signs of the troop nearby. Mammalian harpies don't nest in the way avian harpies do, but there will be signs a troop is living in your area. Look for fruit waste, droppings, and pawmarks [their feet look a bit like raccoons, just wider planted and a bit smaller]. Also listen around for chittering or whooping, most species of mammalian harpy sound like gibbons, so if gibbons aren't native to your area, that's a good sign you have a troop of harpies.
4. If you do end up finding the troop, you can place the whelp within their earshot and observe from a distance. Mammalian Harpies have strong senses of smell and will be able to smell the whelp, and should come pick them up. If they reject the whelp again, take it to a wildlife rehabilitation center. They'll likely either return it to the wild, or shuffle it into the care of a national park nearby.
Good luck with the whelp, and definitely keep us posted on how it goes! - Janne Bergstrom, Wildlife Technician.
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