The Critically Endangered Margarita capuchin monkey Cebus apella margaritae is a sub-species endemic to Isla de Margarita in the Venezuelan Caribbean Sea, and is the only wild primate on the island. ...The major threats affecting its survival are habitat fragmentation and poaching for pest control and the pet trade. As part of the Margarita Capuchin Project, a pioneering long-term project for the conservation of this monkey, we characterised the pet-primate population on a regional scale in the state of Nueva Esparta (Isla de Margarita, Isla de Coche and Isla de Cubagua) to generate recommendations for conservation decision making. We conducted a survey of pet primates in the region, made an assessment of intestinal parasites in pet primates, and interviewed hunters. Information about species, current location, sources and trade routes were gathered. We found 162 pet primates representing 5 species; of this total, 35 were Margarita capuchins. We also found that at least 100 Margarita capuchins have been hunted for the pet trade in the last 25 yr; this is cause for considerable concern in terms of the conservation of a wild population of less than 300 individuals. Illegal pet-trade on both a national and an international level was revealed in this study. We detected pet primates infected with intestinal parasites common to humans and domestic animals (Strongyloides stercolaris, Ancylostomas sp., Toxocara leonine and Blastocystis hominis), and using GIS analysis, we identified areas of potential high threat of disease transmission and hybridisation if escaped pet primates were to reach the Margarita capuchin habitat. Preventing the illegal trade of all monkey species, law enforcement and the establishment of a Monkey Rescue Centre to conduct a management programme for the existing Margarita capuchin pet population are among the conservation actions urgently needed in this region.
Several primate species are currently threatened by the pet trade. Primate pet trade not only affects the animal that is kept in captivity, but is also a problem for wild primate populations already ...threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation. Local knowledge and perceptions of pet primates and the wild Margarita capuchin Cebus apella margaritae were assessed through a pet survey on a regional scale, on Isla de Margarita and Isla de Coche in the state of Nueva Esparta in the Venezuelan Caribbean Sea. This assessment was conducted to generate recommendations for developing effective management strategies to stop the primate pet trade, for improving the welfare of these primates and for conservation of the Margarita capuchin. A semi-structured interview was used to gather information about species identification, age, husbandry methods, diet, behaviour, health and respondents' knowledge and perception, for a sample of 50 pet primates. The majority of pets were kept under inadequate conditions, without appropriate space, nutrition and veterinary assistance. Most respondents had no basic information about the existence and characteristics of the wild Margarita capuchin. Effective environmental education programmes in the study area should consider the current motivation of people acquiring primates as pets, in order to stop this practice and to incorporate local people into the conservation of the endemic Margarita capuchin.
There are currently only two islands in the Caribbean that harbour Neotropical primates, Isla de Margarita with an endemic capuchin Sapajus apella margaritae; and Trinidad with two endemic monkeys ...Cebus albifrons trinitatis and Alouatta seniculus insulanus and the recently introduced brown capuchin Sapajus apella. These Caribbean monkeys live in habitat islands surrounded by towns, agricultural areas and roads, and their main threats are habitat fragmentation and hunting. In this case study, conducted on a fragment scale on Isla de Margarita, we report on the Margarita capuchin distribution and encounter rates of monkey groups and signs, as well the location of introduced primates in the Margarita capuchin habitat. We conducted reconnaissance surveys and interviews with local people and hunters. Line-transect surveys by distance sampling were carried out in the forest fragments where capuchins were found. Margarita capuchins live in four forest fragments; two of them are protected areas. The abundance of introduced howler monkeys and wedge-capped capuchins in the mountains could not be quantified and it is assumed they are likely to be low, but generates concern about resource competition, disease transmission and hybridisation. Capuchins on Isla de Margarita seem to prefer the evergreen forest when this is available, but they also live in a forest fragment entirely covered by dry vegetation. Corridors have been proposed to increase the capacity of dispersal of primates among forest fragments as an important factor for their long-term survival on the island.
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