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Researcher launches alert about the slaughter of endangered howler monkeys in Rio Grande do Sul state

Júlio César Bicca-Marques, full time professor and researcher of Primatology Research Group, from PUC/RS Bioscience Faculty, has just launched an alert pointing the slaughter of howler monkeys (already threatened to extinction) in Rio Grande do Sul state caused by yellow fever outbreak in the state. He writes:

"Yellow fever is an infectious disease caused by a virus that is transmitted by mosquitos. There are two types of the disease: the urban yellow fever, which was vanished in Brazil around the 60’s, and wild yellow fever. The vectors (elements responsible for the transmission) of the wild type are mosquitos of the genus Haemagogus and Sabethes, while the urban type can be transmitted by Aedes aegypti, the same vector of dengue fever.

Wild yellow fever has already caused the death of some people and of a lot of howler monkeys in a large area of Rio Grande do Sul since the end of 2008. However, different from the majority of people, howler monkeys are extremely sensitive to the disease and die a few days after they contract it. These monkeys are already threatened to extinction in the state due to the destruction of their natural habitat (the forests), to hunting and to illegal trade of baby monkeys. Unfortunately, howler monkeys are also turning to be victims of the disease and of the lack of information of the population. Several reports indicate that people who live in areas of occurrence of black and red howler monkeys are killing the animals, mainly through poisoning, because they are afraid that the disease could spread.

Apart from the fact that this leads the conservation status of these animals to be more critical, the attitude is extremely harmful to men. The death of howler monkeys by yellow fever alerts local health departments about the circulation of the virus in the region and these promote vaccination campaigns of human population, which is being observed in almost 200 cities of the state. Health Ministry considers these monkeys important guards of the circulation of the virus.

Therefore, howler monkeys are our "GUARD ANGELS"! If they are killed by men, we are going to discover that yellow fever arrived in a region only when people contract it. And maybe it will be too late to some (or a lot)ωHowler monkeys are not only responsible for the quick spread of the disease in the state, but also do not transmit the disease to men. They are the main victims. Climate changes and environmental degradation caused by men are the main reasons for the appearance of infectious diseases in the state. Specialists believe that the advance of the disease was higher because of displacement of infected persons or because of dispersions of mosquitos or other vector. Then I ask: Would you kill your guard angelω"

http://www.rsurgente.net/2009/04/pesquisador-lanca-alerta-contra-matanca.html