David and Evelyn have had a lifelong passion for endangered primates. They worked with Dr. Biruté Galdikas on the Orangutan Project in Borneo where they photographed and videotaped the red apes, gathered data, and helped rehabilitate former pet orangutans back to the wild. They later produced a documentary, "Orangutans: Grasping the Last Branch," for the Orangutan Foundation International. Evelyn is the author of a children's book, Among the Orangutans, and has spoken at more than 500 schools around the world about saving critically endangered primates and their threatened habitats.

In 1985 they worked with Dr. Dian Fossey in Rwanda photographing and videotaping endangered mountain gorillas. Evelyn’s gorilla photo appeared on the cover of Jane Goodall's Animal World: Gorillas. It was a natural progression that their interest in endangered primates would bring them to Manuel Antonio where the small community is striving to save the Red-backed Squirrel Monkey, the most endangered primate in Central America. Evelyn and David are representatives of the International Primate Protection League, and members of Orangutan Foundation International and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

How our vacation home got its Name: When community members in Manuel Antonio heard about David and Evelyn's plans to install underground cables, a waste treatment plant, a gray water recycling system, and to enrich the monkey corridor by planting more than 60 varieties of fruit trees on their property, the concept reminded locals of documentaries they'd seen on the Discovery Channel. People began referring to the project as "M17887." The nickname stuck because it worked on so many levels. It not only described the attention to creating an environmentally conscious home, it also referred to the many eclectic details to be discovered throughout their home. Every bathroom has unusual hand painted art tile niches and sinks that are sure to surprise. But there's even more.

Manuel Antonio has an everyday-is-an-adventure sense of place. You never know what each day will bring. How many species of monkeys will you see? Will a three-toed sloth appear carrying a newborn baby? Will a small reptile run across the pool on its hind legs and demonstrate how it got its nickname, "Jesus Christ Lizard"? Discover for yourself what awaits you at our vacation home.

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