After the monkeys have started living in the wild, and become stable and knowledgeable members of the forest community, the PRSP protects them and their habitat and provides them with food enhancement and health care as a refuge.

The current primate population at the PRSP consists of rufous-naped tamarins, black-handed spider monkeys, white-throated capuchins, mantled howlers, and night monkeys.

The PRSP has been very successful with the rehabilitation and reintroduction of endangered species. The PRSP is the second largest primate sanctuary in the world according to the number of primates. All species except night monkeys have been introduced onto the islands. The night monkeys were present on the islands when we first re-introduced tamarins to Isla Tigre in 1987. The groups of tamarins, spider monkeys, capuchins, howlers and night monkeys are reproducing.

Education

The PRSP provides an attractive naturalistic setting where students can hear lectures and attend classes focused on nonhuman primates as well as on other field sciences such as tropical ecology and tropical botany.

The PRSP founded the International Association for Primate Refuges and Sanctuaries (IAPRS). The IAPRS promotes worldwide communication between primate refuges and sanctuaries and hosts an international egroup. Through the egroup, members can share ideas and information about topics like rehabilitation, reintroduction, endangered species management, and funding. The shared knowledge will allow members to enhance the professional care on primates in refuges and sanctuaries, and to train future workers.

Research

Scientists, graduate students, undergraduates, and high school students visit and conduct research at the PRSP. Naturalistic studies of behavior and ecology are the primary research focus of the PRSP. This research focus of the Primate Refuge and Sanctuary of Panama is on what the PRSP is best able to provide: groups of nonhuman primates in their natural or semi-natural habitat. We use the term semi-natural since we have introduced some fruit trees and currently we provision the monkeys with food. The groups are fully habituated to the close presence of observers.

Research conducted to date has had three primary areas of focus. Each of these areas of focus provide results that are directly applicable to the management of the primates at the PRSP and to the conservation of the primates throughout Panama.

1. Rehabilitation Research: Research in this area is focused on the processes of adaptation and learning to live in the natural environment by primates who were raised as pets. For example studies have been conducted on how to minimize aggression and wounding when introducing a former pet to a free-ranging group. Other studies have focused on how to train former pets to explore and expand their range away from the area where they are provided with food.
.
2. Conservation and Ecological Research: This is a broad area of research. Some of our former studies have focused on how aspects of then environment may influence range use. For example how the presence of a caged stranger or changes in the location of provisioned food alter the daily activities of a free ranging group. Other studies have focused on the influence of one species on another. For example how the presence of howler monkeys influence daily activities and social interactions of tamarins.

3. Observer Influences: The presence of observers, whether scientists or school children, does influence the activities of monkeys. This area of research is focused on the precise effects of observers. The information provided is basic to evaluating the impact of observers on the monkeys lives and also basic for the interpretation of the results of research conducted in other areas.