Globe and Mail Update Published on Friday, Apr. 15, 2005 12:23PM EDT Last updated on Tuesday, Apr. 07, 2009 8:24PM EDT
LA PAZ, Bolivia, April 15 — Internet casino GoldenPalace.com has paid $650,000 in an auction hosted by Charity Folks for the right to name the new species of monkey. The species was discovered in western Bolivia's Madidi National Park by Dr. Robert Wallace of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Dr. Wallace relinquished the right to name the species for the sake of conservation, as he viewed the auction as an opportunity to raise funds and awareness for South America's poorest nation. The auction received bids from more than a dozen countries.
GoldenPalace.com's donation will go to Fundesnap, the Bolivian organization responsible for helping manage the Madidi National Park. The funds will help maintain the monkeys' home. The park contains an array of habitat types, from lowland forests to alpine meadows surrounded by glaciers, all in an area about the size of New Jersey.
GoldenPalace.com has announced that the common name, or name that people will use to refer to the new species, will be "GoldenPalace.com Monkey;" the species' formal Latinized name will be Callicebus aureipalatii.
GoldenPalace.com has created a special website where people join in their efforts to support Madidi National Park and protect the casino's new mascot. All of the proceeds generated from these efforts will go to preserving the monkeys' natural rainforest habitat.
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