The list of challenges facing nonhuman primates in the 21st century is a long one. The
expansion of palm oil plantations to feed a growing consumer class is eating away at ape and
monkey habitats in Southeast Asia and Central Africa. Lemurs are hunted for food in the poorest
parts of Madagascar while monkeys are used as medicine in Brazil. Traditional cultural beliefs
are maintaining demand for animal body parts in West African markets while viral YouTube videos
of cute and cuddly lorises have increased their market value as pets and endangered their
populations. These and other issues are addressed in this book by leading researchers in the
field of ethnoprimatology the study of human nonhuman primate interactions that combines
traditional primatological methodologies with cultural anthropology in an effort to better
understand the nuances of our economic ritualistic and ecologic relationships.
