Nothing quite prepares you for the moment a monkey decides you are interesting enough to climb. At Gumbalimba Park on the island of Roatan, the wildlife does not observe you from a respectful distance — it introduces itself personally. I held a monkey that weighed almost nothing, felt the extraordinary grip of its tail wrapping around my neck, and looked into a face so surprisingly, unmistakably human that I completely forgot to take a photograph for a full minute. Television simply does not capture that. The macaws were magnificent too, all vivid color and bold personality, but it was those small, bright-eyed monkeys that stayed with me long after the boat pulled away from the dock. Gumbalimba Park is one of those rare places where the wildlife reminds you, gently but firmly, just how connected we all really are.
M Alexand
Bridge of a jungle river
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura similis)
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (Ctenosaura similis)
White-faced Capuchin monkey (Cebus imitator)
White-faced Capuchin monkey (Cebus imitator)
White-faced Capuchin monkey (Cebus imitator)
Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula)
Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula)
Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula)
