Description
The least stable population is the brown spider monkey, found in Colombia and Venezuela. These animals are critically endangered, a distinction that places them just two steps away from extinction. They are a favorite target of hunters, who shoot them for sport and to make medicine to treat a variety of maladies from rheumatism to snake bites.
Their forest homes are also being cleared for cattle ranching, agriculture, logging, and human settlements. Pockets of forest that are left may no longer be sustainable and only 20 percent of the species’ historical distribution remains. Some protections have been put in place for this species, including local awareness programs in Venezuela and ongoing surveys to find the species and forests that could potentially be protected in Colombia.
