There are at least a half dozen groups of howler monkeys on Isla Palenque. I visited the site probably 5 times before I ever saw one. Now that I am more used to the signs that they are around, I see them almost every day I am out in their territories.
People often ask if we are worried about scaring them off when construction starts, or about them becoming too used to humans: begging for food, breaking into buildings, etc. The answer to both questions is no. Partly this is because we will have specific plans in place to ensure that habitats and lifestyles are disturbed as little as possible during both construction and afterward (no feeding the monkeys!). But also this is because howlers are naturally lazy and highly un-domesticable.
On the other hand…
We are also investigating training the howlers to be our monkey butlers:
Photo credit: The Simpsons - Season 9 episode “Das Bus”
TAGS: Isla Palenque Panama Panama Wildlife President's Blog Wildlife
