Feeding that cute monkey is against the law

A capuchin monkey on the terrace rail, looking straight at your breakfast, is one of the great moments of a holiday here. What you do in the next ten seconds matters more than you would think.

It is the law

Costa Rica's wildlife regulations prohibit giving food to wild animals, and the law carries fines. The environment ministry also runs a campaign against wildlife selfies, asking visitors not to hold, touch or pose with wild animals.

Why it matters

Human food makes wild animals ill. An animal that is fed learns that people mean food and stops finding its own. It becomes bold, then aggressive, and it teaches its young the same. Contact also passes diseases in both directions. Costa Rica's veterinary college makes the same points when it asks the public not to feed wildlife.

There is a practical side as well. Capuchins and coatis learn doors, bags and bins quickly, and a house that has fed them once gets visited every day. The monkey that was charming on Monday is in your kitchen by Thursday.

How to do it right

Watch, photograph and keep your distance. Use the zoom, not your feet, and no flash at night. Keep food indoors, close doors and screens when you leave the room, and do not leave fruit or rubbish outside. If an animal comes close, offer nothing and do not try to touch it. It will move on when there is nothing to gain.

Sloths, toucans, howler monkeys and iguanas turn up around the houses here without any encouragement. The best wildlife hour is the first one after sunrise, with a coffee, in silence.

If you find an injured animal

Do not pick it up. Tell us, and we will contact the wildlife authorities or a licensed rescue centre. A young animal on the ground is not always abandoned: the mother may be close by.