Hurricane mauled PR’s renowned Monkey Island research center
One of the first places Hurricane Maria hit in the
The storm destroyed virtually everything on the island, stripping it of vegetation, wrecking the monkeys' metal drinking troughs and crushing the piers that
"All of our tools were destroyed," said
Incredibly, as far as the scientists can tell so far, the monkeys survived the direct hit from the hurricane, perhaps by seeking high ground and clustering together at the base of trees.
No bodies have been found and a census is not detecting large numbers of missing macaques.
The island's history as a research center dates to 1938, when the man known as the father of American primate science brought a population of Indian rhesus macaques to
Since then the 400 or so macaques have reproduced and expanded their numbers, becoming the world's most studied free-ranging primate population and something of a living library.
Every animal born on the island is tattooed for easy identification, and the skeleton of every one that has died over nine generations has been saved for future reference. About 100 have had their entire genetic makeup sequenced, and hundreds more have had at least some of their DNA analyzed.
Researchers from Yale, the
"It's completely unprecedented in its breadth and size," said
Now the university staff and local employees who keep
Mainland scientists are bringing in equipment from chain saws to a portable pier, funded by tens of thousands of dollars raised so far in university departments and online.
Complicating the effort, the monkeys all carry herpes B, a version of the virus that is harmless to macaques but can be fatal in humans. Anyone who comes into contact with monkey saliva or urine must undergo rigorous decontamination and treatment with antiretroviral drugs.
Humans also pose risks for the monkeys. Because the hurricane destroyed the island's chemical toilet, researchers and workers can stay only until they need a bathroom break: Human waste could start an epidemic that could wipe out the monkeys.
While the rescue effort is heroic, "it's not sustainable," said Higham, who is bringing in a container full of supplies, possibly on a ship that would anchor off the island. "They're doing the best they can do under very difficult conditions, but it needs help and attention."
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