Working With Monkeys in Costa Rica

In our previous wildlife articles, we’ve explored the different species of monkey in Costa Rica, the threats facing monkeys in Costa Rica, and current conservation efforts in place to protect them.

Today, I’ll be sharing my personal experiences with monkeys in Costa Rica. 

I have had the privilege of working with all four species of monkeys found in Costa Rica which, to remind ourselves, are: capuchin, howler, squirrel and spider. 

This blog is about real events. It involves animal abuse and cruelty, but also joy and hope. I am honoured to have worked with each and every monkey in this article. 

And, as much as I shouldn't, I do have favourites.
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Keep reading to find out more. 

JackJack the Capuchin Monkey

Jack & JackJack foraging

One of my fondest memories of my entire life is working with a young capuchin monkey.

Prior to launching Cecropia Travel, I worked at a wildlife rescue centre in Costa Rica’s Central Valley. 

As the manager, it was my job to assist with the rescuing and rehabilitating of a range of native wildlife to Costa Rica. 

One afternoon, we received a tip-off that a family had an illegal pet monkey living in their home.

Of course, we rushed to the scene - with the correct licences and government backing - to confiscate the young primate. 

It was a capuchin monkey, no older than two months old.

After some conversations between the family and ourselves, we discovered that the mumma capuchin had been directly targeted and killed, just for poachers to take the young capuchin. 

As brutal as this sounds, this is unfortunately a common occurrence. When there's a demand, people will do whatever it takes to get what they want.

The young capuchin, or JackJack as he later became known, was wearing diapers, fed cow milk and bathed together with the family's children. He had limited exposure to the natural world, and was showing obvious signs of shock and trauma. 

Of course, we confiscated JackJack and took him back to the rescue centre where he was under my care 24/7.

And I mean 24/7. 

In the beginning, we modified my bedroom to be able to facilitate JackJack. I would be up multiple times throughout the night to feed and comfort him. 

Being young, he still had to be bottle-fed, using a goat milk formula. Goat milk is a better alternative to cow milk, as it has a unique protein structure that makes for easy digestion and a reduced likelihood of gas and diarrhoea.

At first, he was skittish and unsure of his surroundings. He would refuse to leave his blanket, grasping onto it as if it were a surrogate mother. When he could be coaxed off it, he would cling to my top like his life depended on it. 

This went on for a few weeks. 

When he started showing signs of more confidence, I took JackJack to a small forest clearing at the rescue centre.

At first it was slow-going, gradually introducing JackJack to the wilderness in small steps.

Eventually, he started to explore. Cautiously. 

Tentatively, and always looking to make sure I was near, he’d edge away from his blanket. With every passing day, he became more and more confident.

Soon, we were practicing monkey life skills together. This involved climbing trees and teaching him to peel back the bark of old branches to find insects hidden within.

I let JackJack experiment with what insects he wanted to try. He soon learnt what he enjoyed, and actively sought out insects such as katydids.

Before I knew it, he was near fully independent. We continued to explore small patches of forests around the rescue centre. Soon enough, he was running up and down the trees and leaping from branch to branch. 

Despite his newfound independence, he would rarely venture far enough for him to lose sight of me.

I spent a solid year with him. Every day, we would be outside in the trees, learning new skills. I was amazed at how quickly he developed skills, as well as gaining almost instinctive behaviours - such as peeing on his hands to improve grip and cool down (but I assure you, I did not teach him this behaviour). 

Successful though my time with JackJack had been, he will never be released back into the wild where he belongs. 
Despite my best efforts, he will never learn the same skills he would in the wild. 

Although he is capable of foraging on his own, and aware of potential dangers, such as birds of prey, he is still too reliant on humans, and comfortable around their presence.

He will remain at the rescue centre, where he will be used to educate visitors of the negative impacts of the illegal exotic pet trade.
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Nevertheless, he has made a miraculous recovery, from a traumatised infant to an energetic, full-of-life juvenile.
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But JackJack is far from the only monkey we have rescued.

Mia The Howler Monkey ​

Jack sitting in a tree whilst Mia becomes acclimatised to her new home

This is a "buy one get one free" kinda story. 

At the same time we rescued JackJack, a guy from the neighbourhood took it upon himself to try and impress one of our female volunteers. 

"How did he do this?" you may be thinking. 

He brought out his pet monkey. 

That's right. At the same time we were rescuing an illegal pet monkey, someone decides to bring another illegal pet monkey to us. Unintentionally, of course. 

Again, after a civil conversation, we confiscated her and took her, along with JackJack, back to the rescue centre. She soon become known as Mia - after the volunteer who was unsuccessfully courted. 

Like JackJack, she had also been taken from the wild as a baby. 

She was older than JackJack, and possibly taken from the wild when she was on the verge of independence, as she was already displaying signs of instinctive climbing and foraging. We do not know what happened to her mother or troop. 

However, she was confident - with or without us humans nearby.

So, we decided she would be a viable candidate for reintroduction. 

Mia spent 6 months at the rescue centre, under observation. She was deemed suitable for release and joined a troop of other rescued howler monkeys that were part of a reintroduction programme in Guanacaste, the Northwestern province of Costa Rica.

The reintroduction period was spread over many months, first separated by a soft introduction. Here, food and a place to sleep were provided for the newly formed troop, as well as access to nearby wild spaces. 

Overtime, food was reduced and sleeping places became closed-off, which encouraged the troop to move away and forage on their own. 

And it worked. To this day, Mia is thriving in her new troop in the hills of Nosara. 
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But not all stories are as happy as JackJack and Mia's.

The Abuse Of Gandhi and Lolo

Gandhi has become a more chilled monkey but sometimes needs to be seperated when eating

Over the 4 years I was working at the rescue centre, we have experienced a range of species and stories. Two particular stories have stuck with me over the years.

Two spider monkey's - Gandhi and Lolo -  were rescued from two seperate bars. 

Both monkey's were kept under extremely stressful and cramped conditions. 

Their cages, no larger than the owl cages you’ll see on the Harry Potter films, were covered in old faeces and cigarette butts. 

And, considering spider monkeys are one of the largest primates in Costa Rica, I’m sure you can imagine the stress they were under. 

Gandhi was an extremely aggressive monkey. We soon learnt that customers at the bar were being encouraged to give alcohol, cigarettes and cannabis to him.

Gandhi became an alcoholic, which explained his irrational and aggressive behaviour. We tried the “cold-turkey” route, cutting out alcohol altogether, but his aggression increased, especially towards other spider monkeys - a side effect of withdrawal. 

Overtime, Gandhi became healthier and happier. But with such a troubled past, he still had outbursts of sudden aggression. 

Lolo, on the other hand, was allowed out of his cage. However, he was kept on a chain. A collar was so tight around his neck, the skin was furless and red-raw.

Whilst the exact timeframe of how long he’d been chained was unclear, we suspected it had been for a very long time. 
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At his new home at the rescue center, Lolo could often be seen clinging rope and vines, dragging them with him wherever he went. Perhaps this was imprinted trauma at having the chain around him for so long? 

Despite their trauma - which as affected them ever since their rescue - both Gandhi and Lolo are adapting to a peaceful life. Our onsite vet care team regularly monitors them and records their behaviour. 

Final Thoughts

The examples of Gandhi and Lolo are extreme cases of monkey abuse found in Costa Rica. 

Fortunately, the times are changing and animal laws are becoming more strict. 

I feel so lucky to have been able to work with such amazing monkeys, but it shouldn’t be necessary in the first place.

However, if rescued in time, some young monkeys can make a full recovery and be released back into the wild with a troop of their own.
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With Cecropia Travel, you can visit rescue centres across Costa Rica and see first-hand the amazing work staff are doing to safeguard native fauna. 

If you would like to learn more about the monkey species mentioned in this article, see our guide to Costa Rica monkeys. ​