Britain's Queen Victoria had a pigeon named after her and President Theodore Roosevelt's dedication to conservation earned him an elk bearing his name. Now ordinary people can bid online to officially name an orange and brown monkey documented last year in Bolivia's Madidi National Park, seen by scientists as one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth.
WASHINGTON — Britain's Queen Victoria had a pigeon named after her and President Theodore Roosevelt's dedication to conservation earned him an elk bearing his name.
Now ordinary people can bid online to officially name an orange and brown monkey documented last year in Bolivia's Madidi National Park, seen by scientists as one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth.
Conservationist Robert Wallace of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, who discovered the new monkey species, came up with the idea of a naming auction to raise money for the management of Madidi park.
"To discover a new species of mammal is just incredibly exciting and we decided to use this opportunity to raise the profile of Madidi by doing this," Wallace said in a telephone interview Tuesday from La Paz, Bolivia.
The auction runs from Feb. 24 to March 3 on www.charityfolks.com, which recently sold a guitar autographed by former Beatle Paul McCartney and lunch with former President Bill Clinton to raise funds for other causes.
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Usually, the person who discovers a new animal has the honor of naming it, but Wallace said he was happy to give someone else the chance.
"This opportunity is for someone who wants to leave behind a truly lasting legacy that they cared about conservation and wildlife," Wallace said. "We are hoping someone realizes that this is about the monkey and about this amazing place which needs help."
The highest bidder will have the name of their choice permanently entered into all future references, including scientific publications, field guides, and other publications, that mention the new species.
Wallace said the winner would have to follow the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, which while flexible, does not allow for anything openly offensive.
Frequently animals are named after their habitat, characteristics or behavior. Among the locals in Madidi, Wallace said the monkeys were called "Luca, Luca" because of the sound they made.
Wallace said little was known about the new species, a variety of the titi monkey of the Callicebus genus. It stands about a foot tall, weighs two pounds and likes fruit.
He had no idea how much money would be raised by the auction, but said all proceeds would go to a Bolivian nonprofit conservation group and the country's park service.
Source: Reuters
