Paragon Properties Diverts Construction Plans to Save Monkeys
Paragon Properties of Costa Rica, a Hollywood, Florida-based company currently developing land in the central Pacific coast area of Costa Rica, has encountered a new problem in their desire to continue construction during the Costa Rican rainy season.

Paragon Properties’ road construction efforts in their Punta Verde subdivision in Quepos, have put them directly in the path of a family of White-faced Capuchin monkeys.

Capuchin monkeys are often found in nearby Manuel Antonio National Park, but seem to have found a comfortable home in Paragon’s Punta Verde subdivision.

According to Paragon Chairman of the Board, Bill Gale, ”In my 40 years of land development in North America, I had never been faced with the idea of displacing a family of animals to meet my construction schedule. Paragon Properties is a family oriented company, and it just didn’t feel right to make the monkeys move from their home.”

Gale asked the Paragon Engineering Team to find a way to redirect their road construction efforts around the monkeys’ 35 foot tall tree home. A

fter a serious overnight planning session, engineers decided to excavate and replant the tree in a nearby protected conservation area. In fact, Paragon has recently enclosed the new monkey preserve behind a custom teak wood fence. The decision was expensive for the company in both time and money, delaying workers by 48 hours from their tight construction schedule.

“Sometimes making a decision requires more than just looking at dollars and cents,” says Gale. “Costa Rica is a country that prides itself on protecting the environment and its indigenous species. Our company has adopted this attitude as we continue to develop homes in this country. Being a good neighbor means extending a helping hand to every living thing in the area, and that includes, men, women, children, and even monkeys too.”