Emily Chan
Not only are owl monkeys the best dads around, but they also help scientists fight disease. Owl monkeys have been used for vaccine research for malaria. They are ideal animal models because they are also vulnerable to the parasite that causes the disease in humans.
However, the process of capturing the monkeys for study can destroy their nests, which can harm their populations.
“After subjecting them to research procedures, the monkeys are released back into the wild without follow-up, which is possibly causing the displacement or hybridization of resident populations as well as risking zoonotic transmission,” said Angela Maldonado, a primatologist and director of the organization Fundación Entropika.
