It’s so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees.
At least 138 of the midsize primates, who are known for their roaring vocal calls, were found dead in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco since May 16, according to the group, Biodiversity Conservation of The Usumacinta. Others were rescued by residents, including five that were rushed to a local veterinary surgeon who battled to save them.
“They arrived in critical condition, with dehydration and fever,” said Dr Sergio Valenzuela. “They were as limp as rags. It was heatstroke.”
While Mexico’s brutal heatwave has been linked to the deaths of at least 26 people since March, veterinary surgeons and rescuers say it has killed dozens and perhaps hundreds of howler monkeys. Around a third of the country saw highs of 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.
In the town of Tecolutilla, Tabasco, the dead monkeys started appearing Friday, when a local volunteer fire-and-rescue squad showed up with five of the creatures in the bed of a truck.
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Normally quite intimidating, howler monkeys are muscular and some can be as tall as 90cm (3 feet), with tails just as long. Some males weigh more than 13.5kg (30 pounds) and can live up to 20 years. They are equipped with big jaws and a fearsome set of teeth and fangs. But mostly they’re know for their lion-like roars, which bely their size.
“They [the volunteers] asked for help, they asked if I could examine some of the animals they had in their truck,” Valenzuela said Monday. “They said they didn’t have any money, and asked if I could do it for free.”
The veterinary surgeon put ice on their limp little hands and feet, and hooked them up to IV drips with electrolytes.
So far, the monkeys appear to be on the mend. Once listless and easily handled, they are now in cages at Valenzuela’s office. “They’re recovering. They’re aggressive … they’re biting again,” he said, noting that’s a healthy sign for the usually furtive creatures.
“They were falling out of the trees like apples,” wildlife biologist Gilbert Pozo said. “They were in a state of severe dehydration, and they died within a matter of minutes.” Already weakened, Pozo says, the falls from dozens of yards (metres) up inflict additional damage that often finishes the monkeys off.
Pozo attributes the deaths to a “synergy” of factors, including high heat, drought, forest fires and logging that deprives the monkeys of water, shade and the fruit they eat, while noting that a pathogen, disease or other factor can’t yet be ruled out.
For people in the steamy, swampy, jungle-covered state of Tabasco, the howler monkey is a cherished, emblematic species; local people say the monkeys tell them the time of day by howling at dawn and dusk.
Pozo’s group has set up a special recovery stations for monkeys and is trying to organise a team of specialised veterinary surgeons to give the primates the care they need.
By May 9, at least nine cities in Mexico had set temperature records, with Ciudad Victoria in the border state of Tamaulipas clocking a broiling 47 degrees Celsius (117 Fahrenheit).
With below-average rainfall throughout almost all the country so far this year, lakes and dams are drying up, and water supplies are running out. Authorities have had to truck in water for everything from hospitals to firefighting teams. Low levels at hydroelectric dams have contributed to power blackouts in some parts of the country.
Consumers are feeling the heat as well. On Monday, the nationwide chain of OXXO convenience stores said it was limiting purchases of ice to just two or three bags per customer in some places.
