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Black Howler Monkey Centre

Placement number: 0156
Location: Argentina
Preferred Languages:  Spanish, English optional  (Beginners Spanish is fine and you will improve as you go)
Date: All Year Round
Experience:    A love of animals and the desire to protect them. To possess no fear of animals, especially not of dogs, because there are plenty. It’s not necessary to be a university or high school student. Only patience and dedication are required.
Minimum Period: 3 weeks

Introduction

 
The centre is located at around 80 kms from Cordoba in the province of Cordoba. It is situated in Tiu Mayu (from the Quechua words "Tiu" - sand; "Mayu" - river).

The centre occupies 360 hectares in mountains, rivers, waterfalls and forests at 1,350 meters above sea level. The region is very remote – 11 kms away from the closest village of La Cumbre.

For over 12 years the centre has been working with the species Alouatta Caraya (howler monkey or caraya) a species which inhabits the forests, jungles of Northeast Argentina . The centre depends upon a Non-Government-Organisation, ACPM Zoo-Cba , founded in 1985 and is recognized as such by the authorities but receives no financial support.

There are volunteers from the institution Guardazoo (many of them students of biology or veterinary medicine) who help us, as well as independent enthusiasts.

It is the first and only centre for rehabilitation of primates in Argentina and the only one, which works to rehabilitate the howler monkey.

The program of the centre consists of various stages of physical, psychological and social rehabilitation; that is, "we  teach the monkeys to be monkeys again". In the centre we work with orphan animals and monkeys turned "mistakenly" into pets.  All have been taken from their natural habitats to satisfy the pet trade and to be held as exhibits in zoo’s. All the monkeys have come from voluntary hand-ins, seizures by the government, zoo’s etc from throughout the country. All have been pet monkeys. Unfortunately the pet trade still exists in South America and although it is a protected species in Argentina, enforcement of this status is not effective. It is now listed in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix 2, as ‘vulnerable’. Continued hunting for the bush meat and pet trades and habitat destruction ensure that numbers in the wild are still declining rapidly.

  

 What is a Black Howler Monkey?

Howler Monkey – Genus Alouatta

The howler monkey is the loudest monkey and the loudest land animal. The howler’s call can be heard up to three miles (4.8km) away.

The howler is the largest New World monkey (monkeys from South, and Central America). These social primates live high in the trees of the rain forest of Southern Brazil, Northern Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia.  These monkeys are in decline due to a loss of habitat.

Adult male howlers are black to brown. Females and the young are lighter in colour – sandy yellow. Howlers grow to be about 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2m) tall and weigh from 8 to 22 pounds (3.5 to 10kg). They have a long prehensile tail which acts as a powerful fifth limb. It is easily capable of supporting the full weight of a monkey as it hangs from a branch, freeing the hands and feet for other uses such as collecting food. The underneath of the tail – about 2/3 rds of the entire length – has a palm of bare skin which allows a firm grip. The tail also helps the monkey to balance as it moves and is wrapped around branches as security against falling.

Howlers have a short snout and wide-set round nostrils. Adult females usually have one baby at a time. They eat mostly leaves but occasionally supplement their diet with fruit and maggots. Their only predator in the wild (apart from humans) are large birds of prey.

They live in the tops of trees in organised groups of between 3 and 20 individuals. When they feel threatened or in difficulty, the group is reorganised and they defend themselves screaming, cutting tree branches or defecating on the intruder. The communication is crucial. All the members of the group are joined by a complicated communication system that includes gestures and sounds. The roar or hoarse howl makes them one of the noisiest animals in the world. It’s communal howling (group roar) can be heard to an extent of more than 4km.

Role of Volunteer

The volunteer work at the centre

        Feeding and care of the monkeys

        Observation, study and data input of the free social groups

Attention and care of the orphan monkeys

        Cleaning and maintenance of the areas in the centre

        Construction and repairs to the refuges and airways

        Assisting in the capture and handling of the monkeys

 Working in the tree plantation for the monkeys (only in wintertime)

 Washing the monkey plates

 Cleaning of the volunteers dormitories and toilets 

 Care of other animals:
 Beside the monkeys, there are also a number of domestic and other wild animals that we care 

 for: pumas, lion, dogs, cats, geese, horses,  llama’s, donkeys, sheep, ducks, and chickens.

  

The work of the centre takes place all year round, every day of the week.

Care for the primates is from 9am to 6-8pm, more or less.

Skills

A love of animals and the desire to protect them. To possess no fear of animals, especially not of dogs, because there are plenty It’s not necessary to be a university or high school student. Only patience and dedication are required.

Other requirements

 Mandatory vaccinations are required: tetanus and rabies.

You should be in good health and have an average physical condition, because the work includes a lot of walking and carrying food. If you already had severe problems with your back before, the volunteer work in the centre is not recommendable for you.

  

Language

Spanish - English optional

A beginners course in Spanish will do it firstly and you can learn more during your stay. The volunteer coordinator, who will be working with you, knows some English too, so you will be fine.

There is a little Spanish-english  dictionary attached to this mail with the mostly used words in refuge. If you learn these before you come, you’ll already understand a lot.

Cost

 

What a volunteer is required to pay and when

For a duration/period of:

          3 WEEKS = 500 Euros per person

         1 MONTH = 600 Euros per person        

         2 MONTH = 800 Euros per person

         3 MONTH = 900 Euros per person

      For a stay longer than 3 months, you can make special arrangements with the volunteer  coordinator

What the centre offers

Daily room and board. Food is prepared and served by the family over there (you eat well - a diet is not possible if you like eating :-)

Toilet and shower in an outhouse      

         The water for the shower is heated by lighting a fire. Don’t worry, you will be shown how to do this! It is very quick and easy.

           

         Time off : days off can be arranged, depending on the number of volunteers

        In the area around the centre, you can go some nice trekking or bathing in private basins in

         the Tiu Mayu river beside the centre (only in summer)

The centre does not have urban comforts or luxuries. It is a really rustic area. Most of the time, the volunteer is isolated from civilization. There is no telephone, fax or internet service in the centre. However, these are available in the La Cumbre village, where you can go either by taxi or with the shopping car from time to time.

Travel

Flight to Cordoba Airport: If possible try to fly via Santiago de Chile.

 

 

 

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