Corcovado National Park, December 2005

The Park has reopened to visitors, but the full extent of the damage won’t be clear for quite some time.  Some estimates suggest that half of the endangered spider monkey population died over the past two months.

The park was closed in mid-November amid fears that a viral or bacteriological pathogen was killing the animals and it might be transferred to humans.  Nature lovers were ignoring warnings not to handle wildlife, showing up at biological stations carrying monkeys too weak to move in hopes that the rangers or scientist might be able to save them.

Central American Spider Monkey, Ateles geoffroyi (Spanish-Mono Colorado or Mono Araña). We often saw monkeys launching from one tree to another but it required fortunate timing to get this dramatic picture along the banks of the Río Frío. (©Toucan Guides)

Laboratory tests ruled out disease, and careful observation of the live animals and study of the bodies revealed that the true cause of death was starvation.