Howler Monkey Encounter

[Don Cohen]

This post is not so much for the photo, as for the story.

We were in Belize a few weeks ago, in a location where we came across a troop of Howler Monkeys. They were quite close, running around the branches of trees above and near us. I had my camera on the big 600L lens, on the tripod, and this was too big and cumbersome to shoot these quickly moving monkeys.

So I took the camera body off, and attached the 70-200 lens to shoot, leaving the 600 sitting on the tripod. After a little while, I noticed that a Juvenile Howler monkey seemed to be quite interested in the big lens, which happened to be set up right near a fairly low-hanging branch. It became clear that he wanted to have a close look at it. So I went over, and had to move it out of the way, as it could easily have knocked it over and destroyed it!

So I just stood where the tripod had been set up, right at the lowest edge of the branch. The Howler kept coming down the branch, closer and closer. At first I wasn't sure if he would be aggressive or not, but it just didn't seem that way. He seemed to be young, and just genuinely curious.

So I stood there, got a good grip on my camera, and held it out toward him. He cautiously came closer and closer, reaching out its hand. And then it fully extended, and very quickly touched the end of my lens good, then scampered back up the branch.

It was quite thrilling to have such a close encounter with a genuinely wild Howler monkey! I don't know if any of you have seen the old movie "2001, A Space Odyssey," but if you did, think of the scene near the beginning, where the chimps encounter the monolith. They were also quite curious, getting closer and closer to it, and finally quickly reaching out their fingers to touch it.

This Howler had the same exact behavior that I recall being displayed in the movie. It was really pretty cool.

I was hoping somebody else was watching and photographing this encounter, and one of the participants was, and gave me this shot. I would have preferred a wider angle, but we were shooting the monkeys, and a long lens is all he had. The shot was taken a split-second or so before he actually touched the lens hood.

 

[Murray Foote]

A wonderful encounter! Perhaps you should have put on a 14-24mm (or whatever the Canon equivalent is).

 

[Asher Kelman]

This post is not so much for the photo, as for the story.

We were in Belize a few weeks ago, in a location where we came across a troop of Howler Monkeys. They were quite close, running around the branches of trees above and near us. I had my camera on the big 600L lens, on the tripod, and this was too big and cumbersome to shoot these quickly moving monkeys.

So I took the camera body off, and attached the 70-200 lens to shoot, leaving the 600 sitting on the tripod. After a little while, I noticed that a Juvenile Howler monkey seemed to be quite interested in the big lens, which happened to be set up right near a fairly low-hanging branch. It became clear that he wanted to have a close look at it. So I went over, and had to move it out of the way, as it could easily have knocked it over and destroyed it!

So I just stood where the tripod had been set up, right at the lowest edge of the branch. The Howler kept coming down the branch, closer and closer. At first I wasn't sure if he would be aggressive or not, but it just didn't seem that way. He seemed to be young, and just genuinely curious.

So I stood there, got a good grip on my camera, and held it out toward him. He cautiously came closer and closer, reaching out its hand. And then it fully extended, and very quickly touched the end of my lens good, then scampered back up the branch.

It was quite thrilling to have such a close encounter with a genuinely wild Howler monkey! I don't know if any of you have seen the old movie "2001, A Space Odyssey," but if you did, think of the scene near the beginning, where the chimps encounter the monolith. They were also quite curious, getting closer and closer to it, and finally quickly reaching out their fingers to touch it.

This Howler had the same exact behavior that I recall being displayed in the movie. It was really pretty cool.

I was hoping somebody else was watching and photographing this encounter, and one of the participants was, and gave me this shot. I would have preferred a wider angle, but we were shooting the monkeys, and a long lens is all he had. The shot was taken a split-second or so before he actually touched the lens hood.

You're quite the brave fellow, Don, but we think of different moments. You 2001, Myself, I recall a fighting encounter due to using needles and not pipettes in handling dangerous viruses at the New England Primate Center in Worcester Mass.

I have a respect for their teeth and the fact that they carry a number of viruses which can infect humans, including perhaps, their particular strains of herpes viruses.

I have such things on my mind from my time as a virologist, when I got accidentally stabbed with a billion doses of herpes saimiri , from the squirrel monkey. I drive 90 miles per hour from the primate center in Worcester Mass to Boston University Medical Center, , and ordered the bewildered resident to carve out the injured ellipse of my hand that I had marked with a purple marker. He thought I was crazy as there were no such things to his knowledge of herpes leukemia viruses, as I was claiming. Well finally his boss ordered him to, "Do whatever Dr. Kelman demanded!" Finally the disorientated resident carved out the designated part of my hand and I was, at last, much less anxious and maniacal!

Asher

 

[Don Cohen]

Murray,

Thanks; it was quite exciting. Remember, though, that this is not my photo, but one taken by a friend on the trip with us, who had been photographing the same monkeys. That is my arm and lens in this shot.

Asher,

Perhaps, in retrospect, my actions were ill-advised, based on your scary story! At the time, I was blissfully ignorant of such potential for harm! Fortunately, it seems like both our stories have a happy ending.

 

[Don Ferguson Jr.]

Wow ! and I mean WOW ! Don, really cool photo and story.
Don