Their number is decreasing continually, because of the loss of their jungle habitat due to lumbering and fire clearance for fields and plantations.
Black howler monkey babies are caught for the illegal pet trade. To catch a baby, many members of the monkey group, who wanted to protect their youngs, are killed, too.
The babies were sold and held as "pet" often under the worst conditions. A monkey baby can only survive when it is cared for like a human baby. But then it learns to act like a human and forgets how to behave like a monkey.
Very often their owners want to get rid of their "pet" monkeys after a while, especially when the monkeys get too big and aggressive. |