Wildlife Electrocutions: Not Simply a Local Failure

by Carlena Hall -- Kids Saving The Rainforest

Every year, one of the leading reasons KSTR wildlife rescue is called to save dying or injured animals is wildlife electrocutions as a result of uninsulated power lines. Monkeys and other animals often use these lines as pathways through fragmented habitats, only to be electrocuted when their bodies make contact with the exposed aluminum wires.

Wildlife electrocutions in Costa Rica are a huge part of wildlife conservation discourse and are frequently framed as the result of government negligence or local irresponsibility. However, this narrative is incomplete. The reality is that electrocutions are part of a broader international problem tied to rapid tourism driven development, and global demand for “eco friendly” travel experiences that outpace the country’s ability to regulate and enforce environmental protections.

In January 2024, Costa Rica passed Decree 44329, requiring public and private electricity providers to prevent wildlife injuries and deaths caused by power lines. While the decree was widely celebrated, its impact has been limited due to weak enforcement and a lack of resources for implementation. This challenge is not unique to this legislation. It reflects a broader regulatory framework surrounding ecotourism, including regulatory initiatives within the private sector such as sustainability certifications like the Certification for Sustainable Tourism, or CST.

Certifications like CST promote an image of environmental responsibility for businesses to follow. However, their standards are often vague, inconsistently enforced, and unsupported financially with the resources business need in order to comply. As a result, tourism infrastructure expands rapidly without adequate safeguards for wildlife. Power lines are frequently installed without insulation or oversight, particularly in areas experiencing large tourism growth. This unregulated expansion leads directly to the human wildlife conflict we see every day.

Tourism is one of Costa Rica’s largest economic sectors, built around the global image of the country as a green republic. 

Visitors are drawn in by promises of sustainability and nature based experiences. Yet the infrastructure required to support this industry is often developed too quickly to meet environmental regulations, creating hidden costs that wildlife ultimately pays.

When traveling to Costa Rica, it is important to recognize that visitors are not passive observers of this issue. International demand for rapid, affordable, and “eco branded” tourism contributes to development pressures that make meaningful environmental compliance difficult. Wildlife electrocutions are not simply a local failure. They are the consequence of a global tourism model that prioritizes growth over accountability.

For this reason, we encourage tourists to include themselves in this narrative of wildlife electrocutions as much if not even more than they include Costa Ricans themselves. To travel to another country is a privilege and while Costa Rica is a beautiful travel destination, it is also a living complex community of locals and wildlife who bear the burden of unconscious and harmful tourism practices. 

Just like any other country, when you travel to Costa Rica, it is critical that you travel consciously and responsibly. Make an effort to support the biodiverse environment which you come here to enjoy. Make your presence in Costa Rica part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Visit a wildlife conservation project, make a donation to a rescue center, and learn more about the issues that tourism causes for the environment. When we do this, we move Costa Rica closer to a form of tourism which is conscious of the communities which support it, closer to an industry that is not just “eco-friendly” on paper, but truly “eco-friendly” in practice.

Visit and Donate at https://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/