KSTR – January 2017
Happy New Year, Kids Saving the Rainforest Hopes That All Your Wishes Come True!
Hello again! It’s me Lexi, KSTR spokeskid, here with another article. This time we’re going to talk about a subject that I have talked about before, but that I believe deserves another chance to be in the spotlight: Feeding the Monkeys. As I mentioned in a previous article, my family didn’t know any better when we arrived years ago in Costa Rica either. We were encouraged by tour guides to reach out with seeds and get the monkeys to come onto our kayaks in the mangroves. We have since educated ourselves and others, but there is much more work to be done.
The fact that people are still feeding monkeys saddens me, as KSTR has tried their best for years to stop people from doing so. I was just at a favorite restaurant yesterday, and one of the staff pulled out a banana and entertained some tourists by feeding the Squirrel (Titi) monkeys visiting the balcony. My mom and I of course said something, but the staff member didn’t see anything wrong with doing it. We followed up and sent the restaurant manager KSTR’s reasons not to feed the monkeys, and we will have to watch developments since our family doesn’t support businesses who feed monkeys. Here is the link to the list of reasons so you can always have it handy!
kstr.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/please-dont-feed-the-monkeys/
Feeding the monkeys could cause many problems, even death for the monkeys. Our hands carry diseases that could very well kill monkeys, or at the very least, make them very, very sick. And not only do we pass on diseases to animals when we feed them by hand, but they can pass diseases to us as well! Also, feeding them could cause them to think that they no longer have to search for food, causing them to lose the ability to feed themselves in the wild. Overall, there are many risks to feeding the monkeys, and touching them in general, and I would advise telling others to not do it. KSTR is doing all they can to help the monkeys, doubling the population of the Titi monkeys in the area in just a few years with monkey bridges and other programs. It makes me feel very happy whenever I see someone who helps animals and supports our cause. But it also disturbs me when I see someone feeding monkeys, or touching them, unaware of what that will do to them. So here I am, trying to raise awareness, in hopes that these beautiful creatures will stay safe.
I know that there have been a few incidents where people have caught others feeding monkeys, and have publicly shamed them on social media websites. This is not what we want, as our purpose is to educate those who feed the monkeys, not shame them for being unaware. I would advise to tell them before shaming them. If they are told that it is harmful and still continue to do it, then we may have a problem. As I mentioned, our family stops supporting businesses if we find they continuously feed monkeys, and that is an easy way to start to change behavior. Let’s support those businesses who care! Help me identify them and we will include a list of them in a future article!
I hope that KSTR finds more ways to raise awareness for this particular subject, and that fewer people feed the monkeys so that their population continues to grow stronger. I hope the same for all of the wildlife of Costa Rica, and that KSTR will continue to be an asset to them, as we continue doing what we’re doing. Thank you for listening!