About five or six capuchin (white faced) monkeys have moved into the Guiones beach area. A reminder has been issued to not feed them because of their aggressive tendencies. According to Brenda Bombard who runs the Nosara Animal Refuge, the capuchin monkeys, unlike the low-key howler monkeys that are a common sight in the area, are “hyperactive, very strong and can be quick to lose their temper and to bite.”
Bombard has received reports that people have been feeding the capuchins, which has emboldened them to come onto porches, patios and into open home areas. “People shouldn’t feed them,” Bombard says, “There’s plenty of food in the jungle for them to eat; they are not going to starve as they eat everything.”
In fact, the capuchins are meat eaters, hence they have sharp teeth and are aggressive. By comparison, the howler monkeys are vegetarians. Regardless, she says there is no need to hurt the capuchins and adds, “observe them and enjoy them but don’t encourage them”.
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The usual habitat for capuchins in Guanacaste, according to Bombard, is the deep thick forest area high in the hills on the outskirts around Guiones beach. Because food is plentiful where they usually dwell, it is unusual and hard to say why they moved from their habitat to this area where they have integrated with a family of howlers and two other capuchins that were former pets.
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