Osa Peninsula ? die off
 

hi were going in feb but might change our plans. we heard that half of the monkeys and birds have been lost? and no one knows why? any info would be great:(

I heard about the animals and birds dying , it's been happening since October . Corocovado is supposedly closed until Dec.20 . I do not believe it's 1/2 the population though . And there are LOTS of animals so would not change plans .

We returned from the Osa Last week. Do not change your plans! It was fabulous...the birds and monkeys were everywhere and put on quite a show for us. Our entire CR trip was incredible but the Osa was certainly the highlight for us all. In large part due to the animals. Enjoy!

I wouldn't change your plans now for a trip that isn't happening for months, but I'd watch closely. According to the biologist in this article:

http://www.amcostarica.com/

the last big monkey die-off was caused by yellow fever, but birds don't get that. The article (not the biologist) also mentions West Nile virus. In addition to perhaps half the monkey and bird population being lost, both of those diseases can be contracted by humans.

So sad! Hopefully they'll have an answer soon so they can minimize future loss and possible transmission to humans.

This is a case of a story that was whispered and changed as it made its way around the circle.

There have been a few monkeys (very few)and birds that have died recently because of the unusually heavy rainfall this past rainy season. The Gulf Coast of the US is not the only place that had it hard this year from all of those tropical storms and hurricanes. Most of them are alive and well and being little pests around the lodges looking for food. If anything, they will be more active than normal as they make their rounds up in the trees foraging.

The Osa did get more than its share of rains resulting in at least one landslide and higher than normal rivers. There were also several little landslides on the road into Puerto Jimenez that have now been fixed. We drove down to the Osa a couple of weeks ago where we stayed at a couple of different lodges and although things are still a bit soggy here and there they are drying out and getting back to normal. In fact when we left after 6 days there we found the roads to be way better than they were when we arrived. The road to Bosque del Cabo and Lapa Rios had recently been graded, due in part I am sure, to the landslide at LR. They did not completely loose any buildings although their main rancho was undercut by it. The small streams and rivers didn't look any higher than usual.

So.....don't change those plans! You will be missing out on a great place if you do.

I hope so but its not a whisper it was in am costa rica and the tico times they had Eduardo Carrillo, a Universidad Nacional biologist with expertise in Parque Nacional Corcovado Carrillo, reached at his Heredia office, said that perhaps half the monkeys at the park have died. He is the first official to confirm the massive die-off, although residents of the area suspected as much. hope everything is fine

I thought I had heard it was just La Sirena Station? We were planning a camping trip at Corcovado in late January. Not sure what to do now if the whole park is closed. What other places in the Osa would people recommend for camping (4 or 5 days)?