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Since then the 400 or so macaques have reproduced and expanded their numbers, becoming the world’s most studied free-ranging primate population and something of a living library.
Every animal born on the island is tattooed for easy identification, and the skeleton of every one that has died over nine generations has been saved for future reference. About 100 have had their entire genetic makeup sequenced, and hundreds more have had at least some of their DNA analyzed.
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Researchers from Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, New York University and elsewhere have been spending much of the year on the island studying everything from the monkeys’ eye movements to the genes and behavior of socially aberrant individuals that may provide insight into the causes of autism.
“It’s completely unprecedented in its breadth and size,” said James Higham, a professor of biological anthropology at NYU who is studying the monkeys’ behavior, cognition and communication.
Now the university staff and local employees who keep Monkey Island running are frantically ferrying bags of chow in a tiny skiff, feeding the macaques a survival diet and trying to reassemble the rainwater collectors and drinking troughs that keep the animals alive in the tropical sun.
Mainland scientists are bringing in equipment from chain saws to a portable pier, funded by tens of thousands of dollars raised so far in university departments and online.
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Complicating the effort, the monkeys all carry herpes B, a version of the virus that is harmless to macaques but can be fatal in humans. Anyone who comes into contact with monkey saliva or urine must undergo rigorous decontamination and treatment with antiretroviral drugs.
Humans also pose risks for the monkeys. Because the hurricane destroyed the island’s chemical toilet, researchers and workers can stay only until they need a bathroom break: Human waste could start an epidemic that could wipe out the monkeys.
While the rescue effort is heroic, “it’s not sustainable,” said Higham, who is bringing in a container full of supplies, possibly on a ship that would anchor off the island. “They’re doing the best they can do under very difficult conditions, but it needs help and attention.”
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