Abstract
The increase of ecotourism operations within Costa Rica during the last 20 yrs has brought more and more humans into close, direct contact with several wildlife species. One of these species is the white-faced capuchin (Cebus capucinos), highly gregarious, and with exposure over time, willing to come into close vicinity of humans and their developments. Such contact has its advantages and disadvantages for the ecotourism industry. We observed white-faced monkeys in order to assess the impact of human presence and development on monkey behavior, with a focus on aggressive, affiliative, and foraging behaviors in Curú Wildlife Refuge (CWR), located in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and to ascertain the degree of over-habituation of capuchin popula- tions at CWR. Though there exists no discrete behavioral parameters that measure over-habituation, it can be defined as an extreme state of habituation in which non-human primates not only lose fear of humans, but also actively include humans in social interactions or treat them as a food resource. We used instantaneous focal animal and group scan sampling during 8 wks in March and April 2012. Two groups (approximately 20-30 individuals each) of capuchins were observed; the first near the tourist development at the Southwestern area of CWR, representing a habituated population that regularly foraged, rested, and groomed in the presence of humans. The second, was observed in the Northeastern area of CWR, did not visit the center of human activity and exhibited fear of humans. The habituated group exhibited significantly fewer instances of threatened behavior in response to human presence (p < 0.0001) than the non-habituated group, and spent significantly more time eating and foraging (p < 0.0001). While the habituated monkeys at CWR may not be over-habituated, they could become that way as development, especially ecotourism, increases. Over-habituation is a problem that affects capuchins in certain ecotourism sites in Costa Rica. It is critical that the consequences of habituation be studied more carefully, primarily in areas where ecotourism operations draw visitors to wildlife habitats.
Highlights
Primatologists have largely ignored anthropogenic influences on nonhuman primate communities
To determine potential anthropogenic threats to primates, this paper focuses on habituation—the gradually lessened response to an outside stimulus—and over-habituation, defined here as the behavioral state in which a primate has lost fear of humans and includes humans in social interactions or interacts with humans as food sources
The study resulted in several recommendations regarding ecotourism, including that “ecotourism would be most effective as a component of a broader conservation strategy,” referring to the need for firmer and more transparent planning and policies on the national level (Stem et al, 2003)
Summary
Primatologists have largely ignored anthropogenic influences on nonhuman primate communities. Primatologists and biological anthropologists have shifted their thinking: humans are a critical factor in any primate environment and must be assessed for potential influence on primate health, behavior, and long-term viability, especially in cases where the primates are already assessed as threatened, endangered, or critically endangered. This paper represents a case study examining two groups of wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) that inhabit Curú Wildlife Refuge and Hacienda, a small, private ecotourist site in Costa Rica. Stem, Lassoie, Lee, Deshler, and Schelhas (2003) focused on Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica and reported “mixed” findings regarding the effectiveness of ecotourism as a conservation and community development tool. This paper examines the potential impacts of the interactions between humans and primates on the behavior patterns of white-faced capuchins in an ecotourism setting
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