Auction winner to name new monkey

He stands a foot tall, favors fruit and enjoys a nice morning screech with pals — but alas, this monkey is nameless.

But not for long.

The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is auctioning off the honor “to name an entire species of monkey” to raise money for its cause. WCS researchers discovered the wee, orange and brown primate — thought to be a member of the “titi” tribe of monkeys — in Bolivia’s Madidi National Park last year.

This is a swell simian, though.

The mystery monkey has burgundy-colored feet and hands, a golden crown, a white-tipped tail and a “secret lifestyle,” the WCS said.

But the implications of the monkey-naming auction are as far-reaching as jungle vines — at least for the humans involved.

The highest bidder will have the monkey moniker of his choice permanently entered into all future references — including scientific publications, academic tomes, field guides and other publications that dwell upon monkeys for one reason or another.

Should the bidder deem the species, say, “Big Monkey Elvis,” for example, the name would appear forever in austere reference books and official communiques alike — not to mention in broadcast, should the monkey become a celebrity.

“This is conservation at its most pragmatic,” WCS President Steven Sanderson said yesterday. “The auction will give the public a chance to help Bolivia safeguard one of the world’s crown jewels for wildlife, reminding us that the future of conservation is on everyone’s shoulders.”

The group has hired Charity Folks — a “cause marketing” group that specializes in fund raising for nonprofit associations — to organize the auction, which runs Feb. 24 to March 3, and can be accessed online (www.charityfolks.com).

The Manhattan-based auctioneers recently sold off lunch with former President Bill Clinton to benefit the Center for Environmental Education and a replica of a 1964 Gibson guitar autographed by Paul McCartney on behalf of Adopt-a-Minefield, a United Nations Association charity.

The Bolivian park also will benefit from the auction, said WCS conservationist Robert Wallace, who discovered the monkey at the site, which is the size of New Jersey and is home to giant river otters, rare orchids and 1,000 bird species.

“As a wildlife biologist, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to discover a large mammal species, and an extreme honor to name it,” he said.

In the meantime, not much is known about the anonymous monkey, Mr. Wallace said, though it appears to be a convivial critter.

Each morning, pairs of the monkeys gather, hug each other and stage a “duet,” he said, “calling back and forth while clutching each other in what resembles a human embrace.”