In the last two and a half weeks, Nosara Wildlife Rescue’s Brenda Bombard has received or rescued more than 41 howler monkeys that have been electrocuted on many of Nosara’s uninsulated power transformers.
Many have had to be euthanized and many others have had a limb amputated. Most of the power lines in the Playa Guiones area have been exchanged for the insulated type but now the monkeys and other arboreal wildlife are using them as a direct route into the deadly, uninsulated transformers.
There are many areas throughout Nosara where mangos are growing right into uninsulated transformers and power lines. It’s like a dinner bell, calling the monkeys to seek out the delicious mango fruit, but they use the power lines as a replacement for the vines that used to grow before the electric lines were installed, and these direct them straight into the deadly transformers.
This is preventable! You can help. A major campaign is now underway to educate not only the locals and those who visit Nosara, but also others through the Internet, of this horrific suffering and to ask for donations to purchase the necessary transformer insulation kits ($400 each) and hire help for their installation.
Approximately 93% of Costa Rica’s energy is produced sustainably. That’s something to be very proud of. Now we must help in getting this energy delivered to the consumer in a safe, sustainable and responsible way.
Please help our campaign by donating to this very worthy cause. For donations of more than $100, your donation can be U.S. tax exempt through the Friends of Nosara’s 5013C. However, any amount is so very much appreciated. Please go to www.nosarawildlife.com and click on the “donate now” button on the left of the page. Paypal is accepted. Additionally, please visit the Nosara Wildlife Rescue Facebook page and click “like.” Please spread the word through the very powerful World Wide Web.
There are other ways to help out too. Any time you see a monkey being electrocuted or hurt on the side of the road, please note its exact location and call Brenda at 2682-5049 or 8824-3323. If there’s no answer, please call Vicki or Steve Coan at 2682-1373 or 8866-4652. PLEASE stay with the animal until help arrives. If it was because of a power line or transformer, please write down the pole or transformer ID number. This is vital information that will be used to remedy this uninsulated location. Remember if these deadly locations are not reported, we cannot prevent continued electrocutions at these sites. DO NOT take it upon yourself to trim back trees growing into the transformers and power lines. This is a job for ICE ONLY.
Many of us have chosen Nosara as our home because of its natural beauty. The whole of this community must accept the responsibility of preserving that which has drawn us here. We should be proud to be the stewards of our spectacular area.
“Our task must be to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty” – Albert Einstein
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