Citizen's Perceptions on Urban Black Howler Monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in the City of Palenque (Mexico): A Case Study to Aid Policy Decisions

The outcomes of human-wildlife interactions depend largely on how animals are perceived by humans. All American primates are forest specialists, but due to habitat loss they are increasingly using urban areas. However, relatively little is known about people's perceptions of urban primates in American cities. Our goals were to (1) determine the locations used by black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in the city of Palenque, Mexico; (2) describe the perceptions of citizens about the monkeys; (3) identify current and potential risks faced by the monkeys; and (4) describe the opinions and actions of key stakeholders regarding the management of the urban monkeys. We administered questionnaires to 85 citizens, verified howler monkey locations, and interviewed key stakeholders. Citizens identified > 40 locations and identified several risks to the monkeys, including electrocution, road accidents, and dog attacks. Most people (58%) mentioned that howler monkeys were food-provisioned; tourism was the most-commonly identified benefit of the urban monkeys to the community. Key stakeholders reported that the risks faced by urban monkeys are worrying because of the new railway project ( "Tren Maya "), which is likely to cause urban expansion in the region. In general, citizens' perceptions of urban howler monkeys in Palenque are currently positive. These results indicate that human-howler monkey coexistence in Palenque might be possible if context-specific policies concentrate on minimizing the risks to both primates and humans and involve multiple stakeholders in decision-making. Policy recommendations that arose from our case study include insulating electricity cables, increasing arboreal connectivity, and promoting peer-learned positive practices.