Yorkshire Wildlife Park opened in 2009 on the site of a former riding school and petting zoo, and has grown steadily ever since. We aim to visit several times each year, to check up on old friends and to look out for new kids on the block. And I’m delighted to report that thanks to a couple of old friends getting it together there is indeed a new kid on the block, in the form of Carlos, a beautiful young Venezuelan Red Howler Monkey.
Carlos was born on 29 April 2023. He was exactly 5 months old when this photo was taken.
This species of howler monkey is native to the western Amazon basin, in parts of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, where they live in the tree canopy. Their diet consists largely of leaves, supplemented with a mixture of nuts, fruits, seeds, flowers and small animals. Howlers are named for the ear-splitting guttural roar that males produce to mark their territory and warn off potential intruders.
Venezuelan Red Howlers can live up to 20 years in the wild, but have become increasingly rare due to hunting and habitat destruction. Collections in zoos and conservation centres are therefore an important insurance policy helping to support the long-term future of the species. Yorkshire Wildlife Park is home to England’s only Venezuelan Red Howlers, and the good news is that the adult monkeys who live there have been doing their bit to boost numbers.
Carlos was born at the end of April 2023, the second child of mum Tila and dad Geronimo. Their first offspring was born in October 2021, and Yorkshire Wildlife Park was understandably proud that this ground-breaking birth of a Venezuelan Red Howler Monkey had taken place on their turf. Within a few days the Park was sharing Tila and Geronimo’s news with the world, telling anyone who cared to listen that their son was to be named Pablo.
Interestingly, Pablo is now called Pabla and is referred to as Carlos’s big sister. Oops! Media releases in the days following the birth of baby Carlos were quick to point out that “It’s still too early to tell the sex of the baby”, implying that keepers may have been a bit too eager to do just that when the first youngster was born. It wasn’t until nearly three months after his birth that Carlos’s gender and name were revealed on Facebook, accompanied by a piece of video footage clearly showing him to be a very well endowed young man – no mistakes this time!
The top left and middle left photos were taken on 6 July 2023, when Carlos was just 68 days old! He was almost 12 months old when he was pictured hanging upside down (top right). In the remaining two photos he is 5 months old.
The name Carlos was apparently chosen to reflect the monkey’s Hispanic heritage, while at the same time marking the fact he was born just a few days before the UK’s new king was crowned. But whether King Charles III is amused to have a red-haired, prehensile-tailed, ballsy baby monkey named after him must forever remain a mystery.
Mrs P and I first encountered Carlos in early July 2023, just a few days before his gender and name were announced to the world. Although he clearly wanted to remain close to his mum most of the time, he was already demonstrating an adventurous spirit when he set off to explore the trees growing in his enclosure. His agility was plain to see, as was his burgeoning manhood – check it out by following the link to my short video on YouTube.
When we visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park again two weeks ago Carlos had clearly grown in both size and confidence. As my video shows, he strutted arrogantly about the place like a teenager of our own species, fearlessly challenging himself to scuttle along – and dangle precariously from – ropes that are strung across the Red Howlers’ enclosure. What a great guy he’s become.
Watching Carlos’s performance, as well as the antics of his parents and sister, is a real joy. I wonder what new monkey business they’ll be up to when we next pay them a visit?
Now I'm 64 
What fantastic pictures – you have really captured the monkeys so well.
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Thank you. They are definitely photogenic.
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Amazing photos. 🐒
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Thank you 🙂
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Fine photos. It’s good to have a wildlife park at hand.
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Thank you. A wildlife park is definitely a good place to escape the madness of urban living and chill out for a day.
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Carlos is extremely handsome and his eyes incredibly expressive. Let’s hope he will continue to thrive.
I think zoo keepers have learned the hard way about the possibility of mistaking an animal’s gender, so now they wait for a final proof before they name a newborn zoo addition (or they let the public vote for a name, once the sex is known).
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Yorkshire Wildlife Park also – on occasions – allows the public to suggest names for their new arrivals. Most recently we were all invited to come up with a name for a gorgeous baby black rhino. He ended up being called Rocco, so sadly Mrs P and I didn’t win the name-the-rhino prize…story of my life, I guess!
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What was your suggestion?
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Mrembo, which means “beautiful one” in Swahili. On reflection, while the sentiment is admirable the pronunciation and spelling could be challenging.
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Que guapo!
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Si, mucho guapo!
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It can be tough to assess the genders of monkeys in particular because as babies they constantly cling to their mothers, and as long as there are no mothering issues, zoo staff will refrain from separating the two even for a short time. (Understandably separation doesn’t go over well with the mother or the baby.)
It’s interesting that New World Monkeys have prehensile tails while Old World Monkeys do not. Likewise, macaques troops can reach three digits while howlers, capuchins and other NWMs live in small family groups. I’m not sure if it’s still whole, but a few years ago there was a rhesus macaque troop in Hong Kong’s Kam Shan Country Park that numbered some 300+ monkeys, led by an infamous alpha monkey dubbed Skullhead.
Nice photos and thank you for the interesting post!
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Thank you for your reflections on my post.
We have a phrase here, developed by advertising executives promoting tins of paint and wood-stain, which boasts that the product being advertised “does what it says on the tin.” In a similar manner, the name Skullhead tells me all I need to know about that particular macaque. Scary!
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I’m encouraged by all conservation efforts, habitat restoration, and safe breeding programs. Great shots. I’m glad you can schedule regular visits with these beauties.
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Yes, there’s some great work being done. Places like the Yorkshire Wildlife Park also play an important role in explaining the need for such conservation projects, particularly to young people who will need to carry the work forward.
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Yes. Our generation and the one before have made a mess of things. I’m hopeful.
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Carlos is a handsome little chap and your video showed clearly just how agile he and his family are. Good to see this little family in a great environment.
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One of he things we like about Yorkshire Wildlife Park is that the animals are provided with spacious, stimulating enclosures. Carlos clearly likes his!
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Carlos is adorable! What a lovely post! Linda xox
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Hi Linda. Thank you for visiting my blog, and for your kind words. I totally agree…Carlos is unbearably cute!
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You’re super welcome, thank you for sharing! Linda xox
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