ADVENTURE SOUTH

0:06
We're far from home.

0:07
We are all the way in the iconic Yucatan Peninsula in eastern Mexico.

0:12
We're here for a special reason and I'm so excited that we are on a monkey journey today.

0:18
A monkey journey to a very rare and endangered monkey.

0:22
The spider monkey people seem to be the problem when it comes to spider monkey conservation, right?

0:26
Cutting down the forest, engaging in the illegal pet trade.

0:30
But luckily, we're going to have the chance to meet some people who are part of the solution, right?

0:34
Scientists who are studying them, local people living here who are protecting them.

0:39
We're going to learn about all the good things.

0:41
Seven species of endangered spider monkeys and habit jungles throughout Mexico and Central America.

0:47
They require large, intact old growth forests for movement, foraging and social interactions.

0:54
Tragically, the towering trees they've called home for generations are vanishing.

1:00
But in a special protected area here in the center of the Yucatan Peninsula, they're thriving.

1:06
We met up with ethologist Filippo Arelli and Mayan local Elohio Apon, the world's foremost experts on the species that live here.

1:15
This is one of the best place here in the Yucatan Peninsula to see them and it's a place that where I've been study for a very long time.

1:22
But the best part of this one that's been conserved for a very long time thanks to the local community.

1:27
Longio has been spending more hours following spider monkeys than anybody else.

1:31
Well, thank you for showing us around.

1:33
That's a big honor.

1:34
Well, I think we're ready to do what you do all the time, immerse ourselves in this beautiful forest and maybe see some spider monkeys.

1:40
Is it right?

1:41
Time of the day is the the monkeys are coming closer in the area, so I think we have a good chance to go and see them.

1:47
Perfect.

1:48
Let's go.

1:50
In Mayan.

1:50
The locals call this reserve Ottok Maya Yatelku, which translates to home of the spider monkey and the Puma.

2:00
The reserve is named for monkeys and Pumas.

2:03
So are there also Pumas here?

2:05
What do you think?

2:06
There are Pumas here in the other side of the lagoon.

2:11
Puma, Jaguar, Puma and Jaguar.

2:15
About 150 Mayan people live here in Lojo's grandfather was the first person to recognize this forest importance, and he kept this land informally protected.

2:26
In 2002, the local community, in collaboration with nonprofits and researchers, launched a successful initiative to gain official protection by the Mexican government.

2:37
Suddenly so much cooler.

2:38
You know, I can hear something crashing through.

2:46
Oh, we found them.

2:47
We found them.

2:49
Look at this.

2:51
Yeah.

2:51
Baby.

2:52
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

2:53
The first monkey we've seen has a baby.

2:56
This is just a great indication of how well they're doing.

3:01
How are the monkeys over there?

3:03
And they're even howler monkeys, really.

3:05
We have howler monkeys on the left, spider monkeys on the right.

3:11
Suddenly we're surrounded.

3:13
Will they ever come over and share the same tree, or are they territorial?

3:16
The spider monkeys displace the howler monkeys.

3:19
So if they want to be in a place, the spider monkeys go where they want to and the howlers need to move away.

3:26
How many spider monkeys might live in this forest?

3:29
We don't know.

3:31
We don't know.

3:31
It's not easy to come there, but we know that in this area there are about 40-50 individuals.

3:36
The spider monkeys are highly frugivorous, meaning that they eat mostly fruits.

3:42
They live in large groups, but they split in subgroups.

3:46
But every now and then they meet again and they reshuffle the composition so they're not fixed groups.

3:51
And sometimes they greet one another with an embrace.

3:53
Oh, really?

3:55
Really.

3:55
Must be so interesting.

3:56
We're so fascinated by these animals, and it's possible they're really fascinated with us, too.

4:01
I hope so.

4:02
This is something we're sort of intraspecies communication going on.

4:05
I think you're right.

4:07
Although there are no monkeys or primates native to the United States, Mexico has three species, spider monkeys and two types of howler, named for obvious reasons.

4:19
Right here is crashing through these trees, a really robust mom, and she's carrying her little baby.

4:26
It's precious, and it's also really meaningful when we're talk about the conservation of this species, They're doing well here.

4:33
We need more places like this to exist and to maintain and to survive so that this species can keep doing exactly this.

4:41
Elohio and the local Mayan people not only protect this forest but also offer paid tours, a lifeline for both the village and the spider monkeys.

4:51
This preserve is a proud model for what ecotourism and conservation can accomplish together.