“In the tropical forests of southeastern Mexico, howler monkeys are being discovered dead or dying in the trees. In Mexico, monkeys are dropping dead from the trees because heat waves in the Southern states of Chiapas and Tabasco have caused temperatures to soar as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit on several occasions.”
Howler Monkey
“The howler monkey is a large monkey with a very loud voice, whose vocalizations can be heard even three miles (4.8 kilometers) into deep rainforests.” These howls are produced by the hyoid bone — a specialized bone in their necks unique to wolves which amplifies their sounds. “Their ability to odor-mark and vocally communicate is critical to navigating the social ethers and preventing inter-group hostility.”
A native of Central and South America, there are several different species of howler monkey. They are arboreal, because they live primarily in the forest canopy. Their diet mostly consist of leaves, fruits, and flowers, so they are a significant contributor to the process of seed dispersal in ecology. Applied as an additional limb to assist with the movement between the trees, their prehensile tails allow them to grip branches in another signature behavior of howler monkeys.
Howler monkeys play a vital role in keeping their forest habitats healthy. But deforestation and human encroachment and habitat destruction put them at risk. Measures to conserve these monkeys, but also the diversity of the tropical forests they inhabit, are crucial. By conserving their natural habitats, we aid the multitude of other animals that share their ecosystems.
Tabasco, Mexico
In Image: Tabasco, Mexico
And in light of the seriousness of what these monkeys are going through now, the relevant government authorities and the region’s environmentalists have taken action. In an effort to relieve some of the agonies of the monkeys and prevent more deaths, they have been patrolling, providing them with water and food, particularly fruit. Such projects are critical because howler monkeys are tree-dwelling primates native to the Central and South American rainforest who generally fear the ground and rarely leave the trees they inhabit to eat or socialize.
The Scale of the Problem
Howler monkeys are reportedly suffering terribly in the heat in the southeastern Mexican state of Tabasco. These monkeys have suffered from heat exhaustion, dehydration and starvation. The agricultural fumigants are not helping them.” A mass death of this magnitude has been referred to by the animal rights organization COBIUS as such, so we can be pretty sure that this is indeed a huge problem. Intense heat, drought and deforestation take large bites out of food and water resources for these monkeys.
This falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment, which will study it to make sure no infectious/viral disease is fatal. It was important so that no more monkey — and, by extension, human-settler — peace signs are thrown into jeopardy.
Monkeys are falling dead from the trees in Mexico due to heat waves
The environmental tragedy now unfolding in Mexico unfolds against a backdrop of climate horrors, record-shattering temperatures across the country. Early August temperatures were exceptionally high in ten individual locations — from megacities such as Mexico City to small towns. Horrifically, this pattern is part of a national environmental crisis engulfing the country, made worse by a debilitating drought and crippling breakdowns of Mexico’s water delivery systems.
The capital, Mexico City, with a population of about 22 million, has long been plagued by water shortages as reserves have been drained over time. The steep drawdown, which heads the city toward a water crisis and threatens the lives and livelihoods of its residents — in of growing environmental challenges, calls for an integrated approach toward water sufficiency and sustainability.
While making things an immediate challenge for human populations, these conditions on the verge have brought devastating weather events and natural disasters to the fore as impactors of the changing climate. The impacts have cascading effects on ecosystems, endangering not just human communities, but also threatening vast numbers of animal species. The Tabasco crisis is an important locus for this tension; a reminder that the health of our environments is contingent upon biodiversity, and biodiversity is contingent on the health of the systems that surround it.
Analytical Chart of Dead Monkeys In Tabasco
This is a conceptual graphic telling the tale of the Tabasco heatwave and how it would impact monkeys from 2022-2024. Graph depicts yearly increase in impacted monkeys with the highest spike for 2024. And preventive measures have evolved over the years. There were more water sources in 2022; there were more complete solutions, frozen fruits, and cooling places, around 2024.
Government and Community Response
Environmentalists and government officials patrolled affected areas and gave the monkeys food and drink, especially fruits. This is especially important because howler monkeys — normally tree-dwellers — are now scrambling for food on the ground. To help the monkeys survive, the kind citizens and organizations have been putting containers of food and water on the trees. But it’s still not good; environmentalists are calling for additional measures to protect animals from the impact of the heat wave.
“The Ministry of Environment is carefully observing the situation and will continue investigating to ensure infectious diseases do not cause the deaths,” This phase is important to identify further hazards to the monkey population and, thus, human settlements. During these months, monkeys cannot obtain enough fluid from their surroundings, due to both heat stress and a lack of rain. The Ministry of the Environment is in collaboration with the concerned municipalities, scientists and civil society organizations in order to establish guidelines for animal health and to get a clearer sense of what exactly caused the deaths of the apes.”
Infectious diseases might be an unfortunate driver behind the decrease in howler monkey numbers which is being monitored by the Ministry of Environment. A great explorer, an example for others Dangerous for both, for other human settlements Because of the searing heat and stagnant lack of rain, vitals water sources are cut off for the monkeys by habitat destruction. The Ministry is preparing Health Protocols for animals and participates in identifying the reasons for such deaths in close coordination with academic institutions, civic society and local authorities.
Climate Change and Biodiversity
The urgency of our challenges demands rapid, sustained action to soften damning impacts and protect vulnerable systems and species. This is an ambitious start, but it will need to be complemented by both immediate action and longer-term resilience-building. And responding to the many, interrelated facets of the crisis will require engagement, involving government ministries, non-profits, local communities and sometimes, international partners.
These initiatives are built on an understanding of the relationship between human health and the health of our environment. Not fairness as in equity in resources but actually laboratory solutions for conservation or adaptation or sustainability. Such a global-prescribed narrative on global sustainability would take into account the norms of stewardship and solidarity that underpins a more sustainable future that is resilient; both for Mexico and for the self.
Record-Breaking Temperatures
A rising tide of record-high temperatures nationwide is exacerbating the wreckage in Mexico’s ecological disaster. IN CITIES LIKE Mexico City, the water is running out, and a water cataclysm is looming. It underscores the urgent need for detailed, broad plans to protect adequate and reliable water supplies as a range of environmental threats escalates. Ten different hotspots — among them Mexico City and a handful of tiny villages — have melted during record- shattering heat waves. “Severe drought and major deficiencies in Mexico’s water distribution infrastructure have turned an alarming trend into an environmental disaster for the country,”
The time for leadership and collaboration has never been more evident than now. Environmental stability should always come first for the governments and sustainable investment in a good infrastructure will always be the best way to oppose growing threats posed by climate change. Ninth step: We continue to write, that civil society be brought to centre stage in the fight, calling for policies to protect natural habitats and to protect threatened wildlife.
In Video: Howler Monkeys are dropping dead in Mexico. (Source: Associated Press)
Summary
“The solution to this problem can only be a coop from government, the non-profit world, communities and foreign players. The right approach does not simply mean preserving our finite resources, it means that such resources are made accessible in a fair way and this can only be reached with sensible solutions. A better, sustainable Mexico and world are possible through our work together as stewards. And we should do this now because it is an urgent must to alleviate suffering and better position ourselves to withstand future crises. And to tackle the multiple facets of the problem we need to know how to unite government agencies, non-profits, local communities and foreign partners,”