Red Howler Monkey Conservation,

Ecosantafe, Colombia

Colombia is special, it is the second most diverse country in the world with 10% of the world’s biodiversity, that means that 1 out of every 10 plants and animal species is found there. Habitat loss, poverty and a thriving wildlife trade are just a number of threats Colombia’s wildlife face. Red Howler Monkeys are the most trafficked animal in Colombia; the parents are often killed so that the poachers can sell on the cute babies into the illegal pet trade.

To combat this, Environmental authorities have dramatically increased their confiscations of wildlife but there is no national plan to rehabilitate and reintroduce them into the wild and zoos have become holding stations. People who made a living trading in these animals have to be found an alternative source of income. Fundacion Ecolombia – now Ecosantafe was set up in 1999 to organise these activities. South Lakes Wild Animal Park through our conservation charity The Wildlife Protection Foundation has proudly supported this project since 2002. The project rescues, rehabilitates and where possible, returns the monkeys to the wild. Voluntarily handed over or confiscated, in 2008 over 50 Red Howler Monkeys arrived at the centre, many of them babies taken from their parents but all ill and undernourished.

Ecosantafe - Santa Fe Ecological Foundation, a nonprofit, private institution, and sister organization of the Santa Fe Zoo in Medellín, was created with the following goals:

• To rehabilitate and release confiscated/donated wildlife, particularly primates and develop conservation studies and plans for these species.
• To reproduce critically endangered endemic species.
• To offer the individuals and communities involved in the illegal wildlife activity an alternative source of income.
• To promote environmental education programs to teach responsible behavior and attitude towards the environment.
• To create a sustainable future in which people and nature can live harmony.
• To promote sustainable economic alternatives to illegal wildlife traffic of fauna and flora, specifically for the communities that live off this activity.
• To promote and manage rehabilitation and reproduction centers for native wildlife particularly for those species with risk of extinction.
• To promote educational programs that prevent the hunting, capture and trade of wildlife.