Trade Insights: Red Howler Monkey
“His head was cut, like they had him in the cage and they were afraid to touch him, because you know how he would be at that point. So he was bruised up and stuff.” - Concerned Wildlife Keeper.
The Guianan Red Howler (Alouatta macconnelli) is the largest monkey native to Trinidad where it typically lives in family groups of 4 to 8 with very strong social bonds. They are an iconic part of our forests with their distinct call and shy demeanor. But sadly, their populations have been declining in T&T since at least the 20th century due to illegal hunting and collection for the pet trade.
© Mark Gibson
To get a “pet” baby howler monkey, poachers will often kill its mother and even other protective family members. The slaughtered family of monkeys may be eaten at the hunting camp, while the possibly injured baby is crammed into a sack or cage to be sold. The baby will carry that trauma for the rest of its, often short, life. If it actually survives, it will endure countless more abuses, all alone without its family to guide it.
In 2019, several incidents involving Red Howler poaching and abuse generated public outcry for greater protection. This included reports of baby howlers left dying in the pet trade and poaching incidents where the skin and bones of howlers were scattered around hunting camps. The EMA subsequently began a process to add the Red Howler to T&T’s list of Environmentally Sensitive Species (ESS). The endangerment of or causing any other adverse impact upon these species carries a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for two (2) years.
Until the ESS listing process is completed, Red Howler Monkeys remain protected under the Conservation of Wild Life Act (CoWLA), and it is illegal to keep captive, or sell any monkey species in T&T without special state issued permits. Any person found in possession of a Red Howler Monkey without a permit is liable to a fine of $5,000. Globally, Guianan Red Howlers are protected under Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).
More Resources
Agoramoorthy, G., & Hsu, M. J. (1995). Population status and conservation of red howling monkeys and white-fronted capuchin monkeys in Trinidad. Folia Primatologica, 64(3), 158-162. Link.
Hsu, M. J., & Agoramoorthy, G. (1996). Conservation status of primates in Trinidad, West Indies. Oryx, 30(4), 285-291. Link.
Phillips, K. A., & Abercrombie, C. L. (2003). Distribution and conservation status of the primates of Trinidad. Primate Conservation, 19, 19-22. Link.
University of the West Indies (November 2nd 2020) Alouatta macconnellii (Red Howler Monkey) Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad & Tobago (OGATT). Link.
