The loss of habitat, the scarcity of water sources and the increase in heat waves are some of the causes of the death of more than 200 mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata Mexicana) in Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas and Veracruz.
At least 17 other specimens are under protection in the Chontalpa area, in Tabasco.
This was reported by the scientific team made up, among others, of biologist Braulio Pinacho Guendulain and Gilberto Pozo Montuy, PhD in Sciences from the Institute of Neuroethology of the Universidad Veracruzana, who are responding to the emergency in the Mexican southeast.
In interview with The Conferencethe specialists said that the autopsies carried out on the dead monkeys, molecular analysis, symptomatology and clinical studies of those rescued and under observation, outline that the loss of habitats would have induced a change in their diet, which keeps them with low levels of muscle mass and hydration, which make them vulnerable to high temperatures.
They warned that the area remains on alert since the hot season will continue in the following days. Although there are travel brigades to identify the vulnerable and give them medical attention, they considered it insufficient to address the emergency.
The authorities of Cunduacán and the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conap) have supported us with lodging, food and work equipment, but it would be important to provide additional support to evaluate the state of the populations that survive this contingency and acquire medical supplies.
Pinacho Guendulain, a biologist at the Technological Institute of the Valley of Oaxaca, said that he received the first reports of the death of howler monkeys on May 15, and a couple of days later he was transferred to the Medical Unit for the Care of the Primates in Cunduacán, Tabasco, where he participates in the rescue brigade.
Together with other specialists, he daily enters the Chontalpa region, in Tabasco, made up of the municipalities of Huimanguillo, Comalcalco and Cunduacán, to search for vulnerable species within the fragments of tropical forest.
In the 15 days of emergency, it has participated in the rescue of 17, of which seven are infants (five males, two females), nine adults (three males, six females), and one juvenile, pending sexing. These primates were recovered in a comatose state, with breathing problems and a lost look.
Braulio Pinacho pointed out that the cause of this mortality could be related to the loss of surface area and the quality of the habitat, which began to decrease drastically since 1970, when an economic development plan based on livestock was promoted, as an alternative to the loss of the value of cocoa plants.
We believe that this has decreased the quality of the habitat, while the heat waves are becoming more intense.
Metabolic breakdown
Gilberto Pozo Montuy, executive director of Biodiversity Conservation of Usumacinta AC and who, together with local authorities, organized a working group to address the emergency, pointed out that this deforestation allows the sun’s rays to penetrate the forest to ground level and leave the monkeys exposed to heat. In addition, the loss of habitat quality impacts the composition of their diet.
The amount of tannins, secondary metabolisms, and the water content in the leaves they ingest is not the same, so we have specimens in metabolic decomposition that leaves them vulnerable to high temperatures.
highlighted the specialist.
To attend to the emergency, a group of primatologists tours the Chontalpa area, where they go into the forest islets to place aerial drinkers with serums and fruits. They also sweep the region to observe populations in the wild, and locate a suitable area to release the animals that until now remain in protection.
Of the more than 500 species of monkeys identified in the world, there are three in Mexico: the black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra), the spider monkey (represented by two subspecies, Ateles geoffroyi vellerosus y A. geoffroyi yucatanensis) and the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata Mexicana).
Located in the southeast of the country, the mantled howler monkey plays a crucial role in the balance of Mexican ecosystems. Its importance covers ecological aspects, since it contributes to the dispersal of seeds and controls the growth of certain cultural plants, because its howl is distinctive of tropical forests and its presence can attract tourists; and scientists, since they are the subject of numerous studies to address their behavior, ecology and physiology.
Despite their importance, mantled howler monkeys face significant threats due not only to habitat loss, but hunting, illegal animal trafficking and now the heat wave.