Bearded saki (Chiropotes satanas)

Species information

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Threats

Situated within one of the most densely inhabited parts of the Brazilian Amazon (7), the small range of the bearded saki has been subject to logging and other disturbances such as the construction of a hydroelectric plant and major highways (4) (7). In some areas, the effects of intense habitat disturbance are exacerbated by hunting pressure (11); bearded sakis are hunted for bushmeat (12), and their tails are reportedly used as dusters (7). This perilous combination of habitat destruction and hunting, along with the bearded saki’s specialised diet and preference for undisturbed forest (7), has led some to regard the bearded saki as the most endangered primate in the Amazon (4).

Conservation

The bearded saki is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that any international trade in this species should be carefully monitored (3). However, to ensure the future survival of this highly threatened primate, adequately protected reserves and a captive breeding programme are said to be urgently required (7).