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Heat-Related Monkey Deaths Are Now Reported In Several Mexican States
MEXICO CITY — Heat-related howler monkey deaths have been reported in two more southern Mexican states, following two other reports earlier this month, according to environmental authorities.
The Environment Department of Mexico said late Tuesday that monkeys had died in Chiapas and three Gulf of Mexico states: Tabasco, Campeche, and Veracruz.
The department also stated that testing revealed the primates died of heat stroke but that the country’s current drought and a “lack of water in the streams and springs in the areas where the monkeys live” looked to possibly play a role.
Monkey | Pixa Bay Image
Heat-Related Monkey Deaths Are Now Reported In Several Mexican States
The government could not provide the most recent estimate of the number of deaths but previously reported at least 157 monkeys have died since the die-off began in early May.
A wildlife researcher and a veterinarian from Tabasco reported the fatalities two weeks ago. Howler monkeys, medium-sized primates living in trees, were falling lifeless from tree limbs.
The environment agency first assumed that an unnamed disease or chemical caused the deaths, but testing has subsequently ruled that out.
A few monkeys have been saved, rehabilitated, and returned to the wild. Experts have cautioned people of the four southern states not to try to adopt or house the monkeys, as they are wild creatures and susceptible to diseases spread by cats and dogs.
Monkey | Pixa Bay Image
Heat-Related Monkey Deaths Are Now Reported In Several Mexican States
Last week, an animal park in northern Mexico reported that at least a hundred parrots, bats, and other animals had died, most likely due to dehydration.
A heat dome, an area of strong high pressure centered over the southern Gulf of Mexico and northern Central America, has prevented clouds from forming, resulting in widespread sunshine and high temperatures throughout Mexico.
According to the agency, authorities have begun distributing water to the howler monkeys and established a mobile veterinary facility to treat seven newborn monkeys and five adults. Several others have already been released into the wild.
However, with heat, fires, and deforestation threatening the trees where the howler monkeys live, it was unclear whether even releasing them would assure their survival.
Howler monkeys are robust and can grow up to 90 cm (3 feet) tall, with tails that are just as long. Some males weigh over 13.5 kilograms (30 pounds) and survive up to 20 years. They have large jaws and a terrifying set of teeth and fangs. But they’re best recognized for their lion-like roars, which defy their size.
Monkey | Pixa Bay Image
Heat-Related Monkey Deaths Are Now Reported In Several Mexican States
With below-average rainfall across the country this year, lakes and dams are drying up, and water supplies are running low. Water had to be trucked in for hospitals and firefighting teams. Low levels at hydroelectric dams have contributed to power outages in certain areas of the country.
SOURCE – (AP)
