Naturgy Panama Implements Innovative Solutions for the Conservation of Howler Monkeys in Herrera

The fragmentation of natural habitats and the proximity of electrical infrastructure and roads pose a constant threat to howler monkeys in Paris de Parita.  To mitigate these risks, Naturgy Panama has installed special rope bridges that allow the monkeys to move safely between the trees, avoiding contact with power lines and vehicular traffic. 

At the same time, warning signs have been posted to encourage drivers to reduce their speed in areas where these animals frequently pass through.  In addition, the company is promoting the planting of fruit trees to ensure food sources within the forest, preventing monkeys from approaching urban areas in search of food.

These actions are part of a program that will also be extended to other communities in Herrera, such as Tonosí, Macaracas, and Ocú, reaffirming Naturgy Panama’s commitment to environmental conservation. 

Pictured above is a male capuchin monkey kidnapping a baby howler monkey.  Capuchin monkeys in Coiba are involved in strange kidnappings of offspring of another species.  These are white-faced capuchin monkeys that kidnap and carry live young howler monkeys, a species with which they share their habitat.  An international team of researchers has documented for the first time unprecedented behavior among primates on Jicarón Island, in Coiba National Park, off the Pacific coast of Panama.  The phenomenon was captured using camera traps installed since 2017 by the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), which were originally studying tool use in capuchins. The first images of this behavior emerged in January 2022 and were repeated until mid-2023.