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| Macho
(izq.) y hembra adultos de caraya pyta |
Hembra
con cría y dos machos juveniles |
 The
Brown Howling Monkey (Alouatta guariba) is a primate that
inhabits the Atlantic forest of Brazil and Argentina. These
monkeys weigh 5-7 kg. The males are deep reddish brown and the
females are darker brown.
Brown Howling Monkeys have powerful vocalizations that can be
heard clearly up to 1 km away. The males howl loudly to defend
their territories and to defend their females from males in
other groups.
Brown Howling Monkeys are generally passive and tranquil
animals. This behaviour is, in large part, a result of their
diet. Mostly, they eat foods that are low in calories, like
leaves.
They have to rest for many hours to digest these foods. They
live in groups of 6-11 individuals. Their social structure
varies but generally the groups are made up of one or two adult
males, plus various adult females and their young. Babies are
born throughout the year. The females give birth to just one
baby at a time, and it suckles until it is about 6 months old.
When they reach sexual maturity (3.5 years for females and 5
years for males), monkeys of both sexes leave their parents’
group and move to a new group. This transition is often
critical. The young monkeys have to explore unknown areas to
find a new group. Then they have to be accepted by the members
of the new group. The acceptance period can be long and
difficult. During this time, new individuals remain peripheral
to the group, with little access to food resources. Once they
are accepted into the group, they stay for the rest of their
lives.
Where does it live?
 Brown
Howling Monkeys are very selective about where they live. They
only live in the Atlantic forest. In Argentina, we only find
stable groups of Brown Howling Monkeys in Misiones. Within the
province, their distribution is, in large part, unknown. In
2007, they could be found in only a few places: Cruce Caballero
Provincial Park, Piñalito Provincial Park, and Caá Yarí
Provincial Park. After the yellow fever epidemic in 2008, this
species’ distribution has been reduced even further.
Why is it in trouble?
Deforestation. Every day the Brown Howling Monkey loses a
little more of its habitat. Deforestation and forest
fragmentation destroy the trees that the monkeys need for food
and resting. By removing many trees, we impede the monkey’s
natural movements through the forest. It is harder for young
individuals to find a new group in a fragmented forest. To move
through a fragmented landscape, they have to leave the tree tops
and cross open pastures or fields. There, they are easy victims
for predators. This situation is even worse when the monkeys are
near human populations, where they are often victims of domestic
dogs and hunters.
Pets. Monkeys are sometimes trapped as pets. In most
cases, to capture a baby Howling Monkey, people kill the mother.
Then, the baby is kept in a cage, isolated from its natural
habitat and family group, and given the wrong kinds of food.
Most of these babies die from severe digestive problems.
Hunting. Some people hunt Brown Howling Monkeys for food.
Yellow Fever. Like other monkeys of the Americas, the
Brown Howling Monkey is very sensitive to the yellow fever
virus. This virus is originally from Africa and came to the
Americas many years ago via the slave trade. Neotropical monkeys
did not evolve in the presence of this virus and they have not
adapted to survive this disease. When there is an epidemic,
mortality is very high. Populations of Brown Howling Monkeys
decline sharply during these epidemics, and take a long time to
recover. All of these factors operating together (habitat loss,
pets, hunting, and yellow fever) make a critical situation for
the survival of the Brown Howling Monkey. The species is in
decline.
What are we doing?
 Through
environmental education, we are trying to eliminate hunting and
capture of Brown Howling Monkeys in Misiones. We aim to generate
a commitment to the forest remnants where the monkey still
survives. The Brown Howling Monkey is the star of one of our
puppet shows, and we address its conservation through several
games and activities for children, as well as in pamphlets and
posters.
¿What else needs to be done?
We need to promote and support long-term research on
these monkeys, to better understand their biology, behaviour,
and dependence on the forest.
It is important to evaluate the impact of the latest yellow
fever epidemic on the population of Brown Howling Monkeys in
Argentina. To do this, the first step is to find out where
surviving groups remain, and estimate the population size.
Crucial to this research is the information provided by people
who live in rural areas nearest the monkeys. Any indication of
the presence of this monkey is now very important. Once this
basic information is gathered, we should monitor the existing
population over several years to ensure that the species
recovers from the recent yellow fever epidemic. For the Brown
Howling Monkey to survive this epidemic, we need to guarantee
that it has enough continuous, high quality forest to support
several stable groups of monkeys.
To preserve a large enough extension of forest to support Brown
Howling Monkeys, we need to reduce deforestation on farms
from San Pedro to Piñalito. To do this, the provincial, national
and municipal governments should provide technical support for
improving soil and crop management, diversification of farm
products, and market studies for new products. These governments
should promote and finance initiatives that imply a sustainable
use of resources, and provide incentives for small-scale farmers
to try growing different products. This is necessary to restore
the economy of the small farm, to improve the use of natural
resources, and to reduce illegal activities. For example, there
should be important financial incentives to maintain forest on
farms and to reforest pastures with native trees. Finally, the
provincial government needs to enforce existing laws, and should
contribute to the education of farm owners and workers.
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