I was in Las Catalinas last week and I need to catch up on some posts related to that very enjoyable trip. On Thursday morning I was out for a hike and as I was descending from Windy Peak I heard some commotion in the trees. There were at least a dozen white-faced Monkeys making their way through the tree tops. They were moving steadily, leaping from tree to tree and branch to branch. These are capuchin monkeys - like in Night at the Museum. Mischevious little fellows. This was an exciting sighting because we don't see these guys that often at Las Catalinas. We have lots of howler monkeys - but the white-faces are comparatively scarce.
We are investing a lot of effort into helping Las Catalinas regenerate a full-fledged, glorious tropical dry-forest ecosystem. The means planting lots of trees - especially native ones that retain leaves, wildlife food, and shade through the dry season. "Siempre verde" - always green - we call these. Preventing dry season fires, and fighting them if they do break out, is a big part of the job also. So, we are very happy to see such a nice large group of white-faced monkeys, and plan to make the habitat of Las Catalinas ever more welcoming for them!