Month: October 2025

Monkey Forest Tales: News from the field

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In today’s post we have some news from our field samplings in Meta and Guahinia departments from our project about the distribution of two species of squirrel monkeys in Colombia. We continue with our samplins by land and river.

During our samplings in Meta department, several groups of the Colombian squirrel monkeys were observed. Despite the high deforestation in the buffer area North of Sierra de La Macarena national park, several species of monkeys still can be seen in this area.

However our sampling in Guainía department, still in progress, had prove to be more challenging and with some contrasting surprises. First, some incredible aquatic mammals, giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) let us see it, something not so easy. Few monkeys up to now, although we still have few more days in the field and an unexpected amount of cattle farms in an area where 28 years ago, when I first came, there was none. We still have several areas to sample and hopefully more monkeys to see in an area of contrast and incredible rock formations from the Guyana shield. Forest in this area shows the contrast of the white or black waters that runs nearby and the confluence of rivers with white and rich water versus black and poor waters is evident in the forest height and the animals you can found in each river. This samplings wouldn’t be possible without the logistic support of Fundación Biológica Aroma Verde, a local NGO who help us to organize our samplings. This project is fund by Rewild (Primate Action Fund). More news about this sampling in the following posts…

If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1? © Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com

Monkey Forest Tales: A recent publication: new information on the geographic distribution and conservation status of ornate titi monkeys (Español abajo)

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In today’s post, we are going to talk about our recent publication on ornate titi monkeys (Plecturocebus ornatus). As some of you may remember from several posts from last year, we were reviewing the geographic distribution of the endemic ornate titi monkeys. This new paper presents all our results on these samplings. You can find the article here. There are three main results from this paper that I want to highlight:

A change in the northern limit of the distribution. Ornate titi monkeys currently are only found up to Río Guacavia, therefore its distribution is mainly in Meta department.

It´s altitudinal limit is still up to 500 m a.s.l

I suggested a change in its conservation status from Vulnerable to Endangered under criteria A4c: the estimated and inferred population reduction due to continuous deforestation within its distribution

Some of the main recommendations from this study are:

Efforts to protect riparian forest in private reserves and cattle ranching areas would benefit the connectivity inside the species’ range.

More connectivity is necessary in some parts in the center of its range, where cattle ranching is one of the main activities.

Living fences can increase connectivity of forest fragments remaining in cattle ranching areas

Efforts to create management plans for regional and municipal protected areas where P. ornatus need to be done

Other strategies such as silvopastoral practices in cattle ranching areas can also improve connectivity in these landscapes.

In the southern part of its range, efforts are needed to focus on protecting the two national parks, Tinigua and Sierra de La Macarena, which are suffering the highest deforestation rate in the country

Connectivity and sustainable activities in the surrounding areas of the national parks should be prioritized

More effective control of deforestation around Tinigua and Sierra de La Macarena national parks should be implemented

Economic alternatives including regenerative tourism, primate-watching and environmentally friendly agricultural practices would provide opportunities to conserve areas surrounding Tinigua and Sierra de La Macarena national parks and private nature reserves in other parts of the range of P. ornatus.

Although it was not mentioned in the paper, I want to highlight that it is important to increase the general public awareness about the importance of this endemic species in the department of Meta. Therefore, Zocay Project started in October an education activity that consist on an education tent called “El Zocay y sus amigos” (The ornate titi monkey and its friends”) in which games and mask painting is done with kids during town festivals, We started in Acacias, thanks to the support of the promotion and sustainable development secretary from Acacias mayor office, with the support of the biologist Yesid Rojas. We hope we can take this activity to another towns in the department in the following months and during the next year.

Español: Una publicación reciente: nueva información sobre la distribución geográfica y estado de conservación del mono zocay

En el blog de hoy vamos a hablar sobre nuestra más reciente publicación sobre el mono zocay (Plecturocebus ornatus). Como algunos de ustedes pueden recordar de varios blogs del año pasado, estabamos revisando la distribución geográfica del mono zocay, mico endémico colombiano. Este nuevo artículo muestra los resultados de esos muestreos. Pueden encontrar el articulo aca. Hay tres resultados principales de este artículo que quiero resaltar:

Un cambio en el límite norte de la distribución. El mono zocay actualmente solo se encuentra hasta el Río Guacavia, por lo que su distribución es principalmente en el departamento del Meta.

Su límite altitudinal aún es 500 m sobre el nivel del mar

Sugerí un cambio en su estado de conservación de Vulnerable a En Peligro bajo el criterio A4c: reducción estimada e inferida de la población debido a continúa deforestación dentro de su distribución

Algunas de las principales recomendaciones de este estudio son:

Los esfuerzos para proteger los bosques riparios en reservas privadas y áreas ganaderas pueden beneficiar la conectividad dentro del rango de distribución de la especie.

Más conectividad es necesaria en algunas partes del centro del rango de distribución, donde la ganadería es una de las principales actividades económicas.

Las cercas vivas pueden incrementar la conectividad de los fragmentos de bosque que quedan en las zonas ganaderas

Se deben hacer esfuerzos para crear planes de manejo para las áreas protegidas a nivel municipal y regional donde P. ornatus esta presente

Otras estrategias como prácticas silvopastoriles en zonas ganaderas también pueden mejorar la conectividad en estos paisajes.

En la parte sur del rango de distribución, los esfuerzos se deben enfocar en proteger los dos parques nacionales, Tinigua y Sierra de La Macarena, que están sufriendo las tasas de deforestación más altas del país

Conectividad y actividades sostenibles en las áreas alrededor de los parques deben ser priorizadas

Control más efectivo de la deforestación alrededor de los parques nacionales Tinigua y Sierra de La Macarena debe ser implementado

Alternativas económicas incluyendo turismo regenerativo, observación de primates y prácticas agrícolas ambientalmente amigables pueden proporcionar oportunidades para conservar áreas alrededor de los parques nacionales Tinigua y Sierra de La Macarena y en reservas privadas en otras partes del rango de P. ornatus.

Aunque no fue mencionado en el artículo, quiero resaltar que es importante incrementar el conocimiento del público general acerca de la importancia de esta especie endémica en el departamento del Meta. Por lo que el Proyecto Zocay inicio en octubre una actividad educativa que consiste en una Carpa Educativa llamada “El Zocay y sus amigos” en la que se hacen juegos y se pintan mascaras con los niños durante los festivales de los pueblos. Empezamos en Acacias, gracias al apoyo de la secretaria de fomento desarrollo sostenible de la Alcaldía de Acacias, con el apoyo del biólogo Yesid Rojas. Esperamos poder llevar esta actividad a otros municipios en el departamento en los próximos meses y durante el próximo año.

If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?

© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. Pictures in this blog from Cesar Angel, Francisco Gomez, Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón and Gabriela Luna. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com

Monkey Forest Tales: Remembering Jane Goodall

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In today’s post we want to remember and celebrate the legacy of Jane Goodall, a pioneer female researcher in primatology, who make us change the way we see humans, chimps and all primates. There are so many lessons Jane taught us…from never give up if we really wanted something, to appreciate nature and the value each living thing has just for being in this planet and to have hope that we can have a better future in which humans and the rest of the planet can live in peace…

Life has given me many opportunities, one of those was to have a few minutes chat with Jane Goodall in 2010. At that time I was feeling frustrated for not being able to talk with the different productive sectors that converge in my study area (palm oil, cattle ranchers, among others), in just a few minutes she just listened me and said to keep going and continue trying, just don’t give up…a lesson she always were repeating as one of the reason to continue working for nature and keep having hope for our planet. I’m not sure I’m exactly in speaking terms with those productive sectors but I keep trying and continue to try for as many years as I’ll be able to do it, our monkeys and other native fauna needed.

Another of the many stories she used to tell in her talks was how many of the professors in Cambridge told her that she shouldn’t say primates have personalities, even after three decades some of my own professor used to tell me the same thing. When I started, I was studying the development of red howler monkeys and I remember that for me, part of the differences that I was observing in the way the females were behaving around their infants seems to be related to their own personalities, their own life histories, but my professor though I was not scientific enough by saying that. I still agree with Jane that primates had personalities and that definitely influence the way in which they respond and behave in different situations…

Thank you, Jane, for your inspiration, for giving us hope and for sharing your love for animals with all of us. Rest in peace…

If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com