Starting the census

Hello again from the depths of Peru!

Well, that’s us back in La Esperanza with some new data, photos, cuts and bruises. Each group had some successful encounters with the monkeys, including the yellow-tails, the night monkeys and even a very brief encounter with some capuchins. Andrew rattled out a few thousand more photos of all of them, just see below for a yellow-tail, night monkeys, and a young capuchin...

One thing that has really been brought home to all of us is the level of deforestation in the area, and the impact that it has on all the species that rely on the forest. It is one thing to see it on TV, but to actually sit amongst the trees and hear chainsaws nearby is truly heartbreaking. The study site and the surrounding forest is sadly not protected, so farmers are able to slowly expand their pastures by removing one tree at a time. Although this may seem like a drop in the ocean, it all adds up to create vast grasslands in which very little can survive. However, it is not the farmers who are at fault: they are merely trying to earn a living in an environment that offers few alternatives. We can all help by supporting NGOs such as the NPC (Neotropical Primate Conservation) who provide employment opportunities and sustainable alternatives for local people, working in harmony with the forest and all the wildlife that it supports.

As for my own study on the yellow-tailed woolly monkeys (Oreonax flavicauda), I’ve had some ups and downs - I had a great encounter with a group whilst measuring trees (see below), but as soon as I picked up my notepad to collect some census data, they were nowhere to be found...oh well! Nicola has also had some mixed success - after finding some night monkeys (Aotus miconax) on one trip, the thunder and lightning put a fairly quick end to her second session, resulting in an interesting walk home down rivers of mud!

We’re heading back to the jungle tomorrow with our newest recruit, Esme - we’re very happy to have her with us, but she looks a little bit too clean for our liking - we’ll work on that. I hope you are all doing well wherever you are, I’ll be back with more news in five days!