Most people would be thrilled to enjoy a relaxing vacation at a resort in Costa Rica, but not comedian and film maker Todd Bieber (no relation, sorry).
Looking for an adventure in an area which at first seemed surprisingly bereft of such, Bieber eventually stumbled upon a group of orphaned monkeys, an encounter he documents in the video below.
"We checked into a Marriott one night, where instead of adventure, I got the adventure guide," he says in the video, referring to a tourist pamphlet he received from the hotel. "A thing of pure horror: golf, shopping, massages, water stretches ... is this adventure?"
Luckily for Bieber, adventure was just around the corner in the form of "adorable yawning monkey babies." By venturing off the beaten path, Bieber and his girlfriend found the Nosara Wildlife Rescue, where their hearts were stolen by the work being done there in the name of saving injured monkeys.
"We found out that everyday monkeys are electrocuted on uninsulated power lines that are strung throughout Costa Rica," Bieber says in the video. "The monkeys will be swinging through the jungle, come to a power line, think it's a tree limb, and get electrocuted."
The organization, which rescues and nurses the animals back to health, explains their mission on their website:
"The Refugio Animales de Nosara and SIBU Sanctuary share a common mission: to rescue injured, orphaned, and displaced wild animals and provide them immediate medical care, rehabilitation, and eventual release into the wild. Animals unlikely to survive in the wild receive attentive, long-term care. We are also educators and advocates who work cooperatively with other organizations to encourage respect for animals’ lives and preservation of their habitat. Our work is complementary, but different."
After spending the day cuddling the babies, Bieber arranged for members of the organization to give a presentation on their work back at the resort. Naturally, they brought along some of their furry friends.
These monkeys aren't the only ones in need of help. The mountain gorilla and the sumatran orangutan were just recently listed as "critically endangered" on the IUCN Red List.