In just one week Somos Congos has attended to 15 cases of monkeys that have suffered accidents due to electrocution, run overs or dog attacks. Two survived and were taken to Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center in Alajuela.
The month of February has begun with an unprecedented number of deaths of wild animals. While in January 8 accidents were recorded, in February there were more than 15. We have spoken with Daniel Gutierrez, president of the Non-Profit Association Somos Congos to find out more about this situation that has the association's volunteers and officials from the different institutions involved in wildlife working tirelessly.
Daniel explains that last rainy season was very long, which caused the monkeys to stay longer in the coastal forested areas and now, when migrating to higher areas where there are species of trees that remain green during the dry season, they have found that many of their usual paths have been interrupted by logging and construction, which forces them to use electric cables or go down to the ground.
The monkeys have routes that they know and that they repeat with each season called phenological routes, through which they travel knowing which trees are in their flowering season, fruits, etc. In addition, monkeys are arboreal, they do not need to go down to the ground, and when they do they are exposed to being run over and attacked by dogs.
In addition to this tragic situation of accidents, the Somos Congos ambulance recently suffered a mechanical failure in the engine that caused it to have to be sent by crane outside the peninsula to be repaired. Despite not having the “Mobile Congo”, the reported accidents have been managed thanks to private transportation, the Tourist Police and the prompt response of ICE.
The role of ICE, explains Daniel, is fundamental, and although the staff is very aware of the protection of fauna, they do not have sufficient vehicles or human capital to face all the challenges. In the same way, and although two new officials have joined the SINAC office in the last year, they currently do not have a vehicle with which to make transfers and inspections.
In January 2024, Executive Decree 44329 - MINAE for the Application of the sustainable electrification guide was published, which indicates guidelines to be followed by electrification companies and new users of the electrical network so that the lines are safe for wildlife. The commitment that led to the preparation of this decree was signed on December 24, 2022 in Cóbano and this event was attended by the Minister of Environment and Energy Franz Tattenbach and the President of the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity, Marco Acuña, as well as representatives of Somos Congos and the local government.
A year later, this decree has not yet been put into practice due to the lack of training dependent on MINAE, without which the electrification companies cannot implement the electrocution prevention guides, and most importantly, their compliance cannot begin to be monitored. Currently it is legal for any construction to install unprotected wiring and transformers, with voltages that can exceed 20,000 volts.
This collaboration between Somos Congos and ICE is not new, they have already been working on the protection of wiring and transformer sectors as well as the placement of wildlife flyovers. These flyovers, the association warns, should only be placed in emergency situations since the preference will always be trees and in addition, their placement must always be done by ICE in safe conditions to avoid human accidents and future wildlife accidents.
Somos Congos is a non-profit association whose purpose is to protect the Congo monkey (Allouatta paliatta) through educational work and the conservation of its habitat. They are funded by donations and have organized an event that will take place on February 22 at 4pm at the El Carmen restaurant. All proceeds will be used entirely for the maintenance and repair of their ambulance, the “Congo Móvil”.
Santa Teresa Hoy is a hyperlocal media outlet whose main objective is to promote the culture, social initiatives and conservation programs that exist in the Cóbano district in order to involve the community and draw attention to various threats that rapid growth and mass tourism can cause.
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