Mango Season and Monkey Safety
Keep Our Monkeys Safe During Mango Season
Mango trees are now filled with irresistible ripe fruit that are a favorite among our howler friends. Monkeys will do anything to reach the fruit including climbing on electrical wires, running across the roads, and through deforested areas on the ground. Unfortunately, at this time of year, we have the most howler deaths due to electrocutions, dog attacks, and car strikes. Please be aware!
Here’s what you can do to help keep our monkeys safe:
A transformer insulated with wildlife protection equipment
1. Insulate your electrical cables and transformers. Unfortunately, the electricity that supplies your house is not automatically safe for wildlife. In fact, the majority of cables and transformers in Costa Rica are installed with bare high voltage cables that kill and fatally injure wildlife with surprising frequency. Let us know immediately if a monkey is injured (8824-3323 is our emergency number) or you find a dead monkey so we can report the problem area to the authorities and try to have the location made safe for wildlife. If you’d like to know if your cables and transformer are dangerous, please contact us and we’ll be happy to advise you.
2. Keep your dogs at home, preferably inside if you have mango trees on your property. It’s hard for dogs not to follow their instinct to chase and injure wildlife, so keep an eye on your pets and keep them away from temptation! Never let your dogs wander around unsupervised. This is dangerous for them and for the wildlife.
3. If your mango tree is in the middle of your property with no treetop access, install a rope bridge so the monkeys can easily reach it without bumping into predators on the ground. You can buy the rope at the hardware store and there are plenty of expert tree climbers in town who can help you put it up. Do not attempt to install a bridge near electrical wires – only the electric company can safely do this.
4. Drive slowly and be ready to brake for wildlife, especially near mango trees. If you hit a monkey, let us know – we can look into putting up a rope bridge.
5. Remember that it is against the law to harm wildlife in Costa Rica. So do not throw rocks at monkeys who are in your mango trees! Just let them eat the fruit and enjoy nature. The monkeys will drop most of the mangoes and make a huge mess, but it’s only once a year and the dropped fruit will grow into more mango trees!
