Conscious Tourism

So have you been to Hawaii?

Costa Rica is no different in some respects. Manual Antonio is one of the most touristed and overused park in the entire system. The fact you think its under pressure is a mere 20 years late. Arenal is not active and the park there is also very pedestrian IMO. Monteverde is very touristy and best avoided. Why you even chose this area is a good question.

Now to the fake news aspect of your post. You are first time poster and this appears to be a trollesque post. In my 16 years and 35+ plus visits, I have never seen or witnessed what you describe. Please elaborate where this happened and what animals were involved?

Fireworks are part of the cultural fabric in Latin America, and Central America.

The fact that this is my first post and that you have never witnessed these situations does not disqualify what I have encountered over the last 7 days in those 3 regions, involving monkeys. Extremely disrespectful to qualify it as "fake news".

Regarding fireworks, despite being part of the cultural fabric (in many regions of the world) it is a practice that has impact over the wildlife. Our planetary boundaries are extremely stretched because of our culture/ behaviors/ economic patterns.

Where were tourist allowed to pet a monkey in the wild? In the National Park, or on private property? This is very common in SE Asia, but I have never seen it in Costa Rica.

Why did you choose these three touristy places? They are known as the Big 3. If you read any on my replies to posters asking about these 3 parks,in the last 15 years, I suggest avoiding them.

Where did this happen?

Why have you NOW just discovered this forum?

We went to the Osa and the Caribbean coast to see wildlife. We didn't see anyone feeding the animals. We only witnessed people feeding the monkeys once. That was in the National Park in Cahuita and resulted in a capuchin monkey chasing a family down the trail as it wanted more food. I try to talk to people and explain why it is not a good idea to feed the wildlife. Every time someone says they want to hold a sloth or feed a monkey I try to be the voice of reason. Arenal, Monteverde and Manuel Antonio are probably the three most touristy places in Costa Rica. So more tourists might mean more people who are unaware of why it is not a good idea. I try to educate people when necessary.

Fireworks and firecrackers are a large part of life in Central America. It is usually not something that is done just for the tourists. Pets don't like it either. Still, it would be hard to change it. In Guatemala and Nicaragua for example fireworks and sky rockets (bombas) are used for birthdays, church holidays, anniversaries, neighborhood celebrations, saint's days, parades, store openings and so on.

Ironically fireworks ARE actually illegal in Costa Rica since about 2009. Imports are seized regularly but just like if you tried to ban them in the US, they would still be around. (I prefer them on NYE to people firing their guns!).
I'm guessing the OP hasn't traveled much in Asia- by comparison you would want to start your campaign over there. In my experience the abuses of animals in Costa Rica is much more about the destruction of natural habitat than it is about feeding.
Do Brazilians (where the OP is from) show any greater respect for their wildlife?....not particularly in my experience...

Thank you very much for sharing your experience.

I reported the incidents that I observed and the travel agency that helped me with the booking advised me to contact the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT in Spanish)- http://www.ict.go.cr/en/ which is the governing tourism institution in Costa Rica.

I will write to this institution, share my experience, as well as some suggestions and offer of support. Once they reply to me, I will update you all.

Although that is something total of our control and albeit feeling powerless, I think it is worth reporting to an official channel like the above.

Regarding fireworks, I share your same views. I was wondering if there has been a previous campaign where we could support. This is also a nightmare in my country, in Brazil.

Many thanks

Thanks for sharing this information about the fireworks in Costa Rica. That's incredible.

I don't have much experience traveling in Asia,except in India and very few cities in China. My country Brazil is definitively NOT a standard in terms of valuing and respecting wildlife/ nature, on the contrary. Specially because I see, in practice, the consequences of this disrespect (not only around abuses of animals but massive natural habitat destruction), I have been engaging in various fronts to address this challenge in my own country and when I travel abroad. As a tourist, I feel responsible for that, as well as I am in my country.

As travelers and, collectively, as an important revenue sources for countries we visit, I think that - together - we could help making positive impact. In case I have any feedback from the governing tourism institution in Costa Rica, I will update you all here.

Thanks much

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