Access to environmental education must be part of a positive future for Virunga, its communities and wildlife.

Virunga faces a new threat in the face of plans to drill for oil in Africa’s oldest national park.  This beautiful region, which is so rich in natural resources and home to no less than three taxa of great ape, enters a new and potentially devastating phase.

Virunga and the communities that live there have endured many periods of conflict. It is one of the most difficult places in the world to be a Park Ranger, with 120 killed protecting the park and its wildlife and civilians in recent years, and many more injured.

Around one third of the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas live in Virunga and are themselves under threat, from habitat loss due to illegal charcoal production and pressure for land, transmission of human diseases, poaching, and snares for bush meat hunting, compounded by decades of conflict.

Mountain gorillas at rest

But conflict and exploitation should not be allowed to define the park, which is so beautiful, rich and diverse. Here at Gearing up for Gorillas (G4G), we believe that environmental education holds the key to protecting Virunga in the long term and ensuring the critically endangered mountain gorillas live there unharmed for generations to come.

That’s why G4G helped fund the school in Rumangabo, in the national park, where many of the park rangers’ children now study. In 2012, we also delivered a pedal powered cinema to Virunga, thanks to generous funding from Animal Friends Insurance and a partnership with Electric Pedals. Now conservation films can be shown in remote schools with no electricity. The first showing, at Rumangabo School, was greeted with great excitement and the rangers called it “an awesome bit of kit”.

Children watching a pedal-powered cinema

The next stage of the education programme is to open an Environmental Education Centre in Virunga, which children from other communities across the National Park can visit. The building has already been constructed; the funding for a teacher and their training is secured, so just the displays, equipment and resources are left to fund.

The environmental education centre

Basic but interactive displays will be used to make the Centre bright, colourful and engaging. The displays and activities will have clear and simple messages that the children can have fun discovering.

Children visiting the Centre will be treated to a brief visit to the orphan mountain gorilla facility, the Senkwekwe Centre (which G4G also helped fund). Many of these children will not have seen a mountain gorilla before, despite living in proximity to them. There will also be a web cam in the Senkwekwe Centre to relay images back to the classroom.

Andre and orphan gorilla Ndakasi at the Senkwekwe Centre

A visit will be a huge adventure for the children, and it is hoped the knowledge that they gain will ensure the next generation of community leaders will value the wildlife and biodiversity of the area and lead conservation efforts of the future.

The kind of displays that you might see in the Centre could include giant play cubes painted with wildlife scenery, gorillas, elephants or hippos, and the colourful birds and flowers of Virunga; or perhaps an exhibit allowing children to weigh themselves and compare their weight to a mountain gorilla at various stages of development. The Centre will also feature appropriate resources about the threats to the gorillas.

The intention is to take templates and designs out to Virunga, and commission local craftsmen, who will make up displays from local materials, all paid for by G4G. This will provide work for local carpenters and ensure an immediate benefit to the local economy.

Pictures, murals and displays for the walls, worksheets, books and activities, stationary and other equipment will all be needed.

                                                   ...................................................................................................

Article by Amanda Williams, photos used by the permission of Gearing up 4 Gorillas.

Amanda Williams is Environment & Energy Manager at Bournemouth University and a Trustee of Gearing up for Gorillas (G4G), the only UK charity focusing 100% on protecting the critically endangered mountain gorillas of Virunga National Park, DRC. The aim of the charity is to support the park rangers and vets, whose job is to protect the mountain gorillas, and their communities.

You can get in touch and support G4G through the following channels:

Gearing up for Gorillas (G4G)

87 Chapel Farm Cottages

Gussage St Andrew

Blandford Forum

Dorset DT11 8DL

Tel: 01725 553149 / 07801 531205            

Email: linda@g4g.co.uk

Website: www.g4g.co.uk    

Twitter: @G4G_Gorillas

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GearingUp4Gorillas

Disclaimer:

"The views and opinions expressed in the Diary of a Primatologist blog (except guest posts) are purely my own and are not in any way linked to any organisations I may represent or work with unless otherwise stated. All photos are my own unless otherwise stated and a source will be provided where other photos are used. If they are your photos and you would like them removed please just ask. The author retains full copyright for all content and photos and written permission is required before their use. The owner of the site is not liable for any content accessed through links posted."

Half way through my adventure in Kenya

Well I have now been in Kenya for three months and this marks the halfway point in my adventure with Colobus Conservation. Month one was all about new discoveries & experiences and month two gave me my first experience of African elephants. If I had to give the third month a specific theme it would be the endless power cuts and rainstorms.

Shalom to the half way point

For reasons not fully known to me we seem to be going through a period where the power says “I can’t be bothered with all this rain I am off”. After endless amounts of frustrating days not being able to use my laptop for work, (and in the evening) candle burning (was great for monopoly even if we did nearly set the game on fire), knocking into chairs/tables and heating up food by blowing on it I think we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel; literally. Here is a great way to sum up what Kenya Power, and to a larger extent life in Kenya, is like. We had scheduled to have our power turned off between 9am – 12pm to do some tree trimming work around the power lines the other day. Well the power was cut at 10.30am and didn’t come back on till 5.45pm, typical, but you just have to say Hakuna Matata (No Worries) and move on.

Not sure this Sykes monkey is enjoying the rain either

In other news this month I bought a pair of tailored, hand made shorts in tradition African colours (black & green), and I am very happy with them; they have pockets and everything. I watched the most stunning sunset over Shimba Hills National Reserve with some Lion King re-enactment; while seeing a herd of elephants in the far far far distance. The highlight (or more accurately brown trouser moment) was when being driven back in the dark on dirt roads and the driver would accidentally turn the lights out when switching from low to high beams; he wasn't exactly going slowly either. I also helped to stop a Colobridge collapsing into the road, a Colobridge is built above the main road to allow monkeys to cross safely.

It's the circle of life!

The sun setting on another glorious day in Africa

Yep, I have found the problem guys, it's falling over

I got to know a lot more about the yellow baboons, and that if you meet a large male half way up a ladder you suddenly get the power to scale down quicker than previously thought possible. I also learnt more about the Vervet monkeys and watched some of the re-released ex-pets get their radio collars removed; amazing what you can achieve with peanuts and sunflower seeds. You have also been introduced to one of the colobus troops I am following and now know a bit more about them. No injuries to speak of yet although I was nipped on the ankle by a damn Chiwawa that waited till I turned around before pouncing.

Large male baboon that run up ladder as I was going down

A Vervet now with his radio collar removed

Without doubt the highlight of the month was having the opportunity to walk for elephants beside Jim Nyamu for his campaign “Ivory belongs to elephants”. You can read about my full day out with him and see more pictures, just click here.

Walking no matter what the weather

Drying off with Jim Nyamu

I am now fully settled in my life here and am wondering how I will react when I see the prices of avocados and mango's back in London. Also, I have been enjoying roasted corn on the cob done on the side of the road here for roughly 25p for a whole corn.

Contemplating the beauty before me as the sun sets

Watching the sun raise as I begin to follow a colobus troop

You can see all my photos of my time in Kenya on my Flickr page here -http://bit.ly/1dpb3gd

Or on my facebook page here - www.facebook.com/diaryofaprimatologist

Disclaimer:

"The views and opinions expressed in the Diary of a Primatologist blog (except guest posts) are purely my own and are not in any way linked to any organisations I may represent or work with unless otherwise stated. All photos are my own unless otherwise stated and a source will be provided where other photos are used. If they are your photos and you would like them removed please just ask. The author retains full copyright for all content and photos and written permission is required before their use. The owner of the site is not liable for any content accessed through links posted."

An introduction to colobus troop 1

My work in Kenya involves me researching three wild troops of the Angolan black and white colobus monkey, to learn more about this nationally threatened sub-species we have in Diani.

I want to introduce them to you and today I give you colobus troop 1 (CT1):

This troop has been studied for around three years now and is usually found right around the Colobus Conservation site. They are extremely used to humans and that means I can get rather close. They also come to ground a lot more often than other troops, which is fun to watch and on occasions they have run straight past me.

Hugo

Hugo is the current alpha male of the troop who cannot be missed due to his extremely puffy head of hair, and the large scar running from his mouth on the right hand side of his face. He is a fairly calm leader who has to always be on the lookout for intruders and threats to the troop. It doesn’t help that another large male (Matata) has been on the fringe of the troop for a few months now and likes to cause trouble. Fear not as Hugo is on hand though to chase Matata away he comes to close to the infant of the troop.

Elewa

One of two adult females of the troop and often can be seen leading them to new feeding spots for the day. She has two sons by the names Ewok and Elwood, the former is closing in on two, but Elwood is only a few months old and both require constant attention. Lately Elewa has been spending a lot of time with Matata and largely ignoring Elwood. Perhaps she is trying to hedge her bets in case Matata overthrows Hugo as alpha male, who knows? One thing we do know is that someone has to take on the responsibility of looking after Elwood; and that someone is Dogo.

Dogo

Dogo is the other adult female of the troop and unlike Elewa is a strong mother who stands for no nonsense. As well as now taking care of the infant Elwood she also has two daughters herself, Duara and Dolly; and the latter (being only 1) still suckles and wants to snuggle up. Dogo certainly has her hands full, but she gets through as both her daughters are becoming more independent and lend a hand when they can.

Scarface

His name arose due to having a small scar running down from his mouth on the left side of his face. He got this scar before Hugo got his and that is why Scarface got the name. A much smaller male than Hugo, Scarface spends his time socialising and playing with the younger members of the troop. He, like Hugo, has a bouffant hair style that is easy to recognise, or just look for the adult playing and acting like a kid. Currently he has joined colobus troop 2 (CT2), perhaps to try and take it over. He sits on the fringe and gets chased away by the alpha male and one female when he wonders too close; but he usually returns within 10-15 minutes. I am monitoring his progress and will bring you updates as and when events materialise.

Chip

The prodicle son returns! Chip (a sub-adult male) went missing back in early February and we feared the worst, but he appeared about a month ago and is now back with his natal troop. In colobus society the males do go off to form new (or take over existing) groups, and this is what we suspect has happened, only it wasn’t successful so he has returned; for now. Like Scarface, Chip enjoys playing with the younger troop members and will often instigate play by tugging on the hair on the top of Duara’s, Ewok’s, Kifungo’s or Dolly’s head. Will Chip stay a while or leave soon, stay tuned to find out.

Duara

A three year old female, she is well on her way to becoming a full adult, but still has a lot of learning to do. Duara is easy to spot as she constantly sucks on her finger (colobus do not have thumbs), a trait she picked up from Betsy (link here). Duara is always up for playing, but can also help her mother, Dogo, out with Elwood when she needs a break. She seems to also be spending more time near Matata, but not nearly as much as Elewa.

Kifungo

The son of Kinky Tail (missing), this little (2 year old) male loves getting up to trouble. Always wanting to play, I have seen him chase Hornbills (several times his size) and even ducks; because sometimes a colobus just won’t do. He is never too far away from Ewok and they love to sneak off together and stuff their faces full of Flamboyant and Bourganvillia flower. Kifungo also loves to be near Elwood and see what he is up to and make sure he is safe. Unfortunately Kifungo was involved in a road traffic accident earlier this year, but was patched up by Colobus Conservation and sent on his way within a day; he does walk slightly differently now. What future awaits this cheeky little chap?

Ewok

Only a few months younger than Kifungo, Ewok has a smaller face and a flatter top of head, like a freshly mowed lawn. He is becoming my favourite member of the troop (sshh don’t tell the others) and not just because of the obvious Star Wars connection. Ewok, like Kifungo, loves to play and can often be heard rolling about in the leaves high in the canopy. He is a soft natured soul and can be easily spooked, sometimes by other colobus monkeys suddenly jumping nearby. Will he grow up to be strong like Hugo?

Dolly

The youngest female of the group (just over 1) and definitely the fluffiest, Dolly often looks like she has just come out of the tumble dryer. Easily recognisable with her large, fluffy white hair on the sides of her face; often accompanied by a pollen coloured beard and face. She likes to be close to Dogo (mother) and is even still suckling, which is strange for her age. When everyone is snoozing she desperately tries to get very close to Dogo and cries will follow if she does not get her way; or another try with Elewa. Dolly even tries to help out with carrying Elwood, but being half her size it is quite a scary spectacle to watch.

Elwood

Born January 2014, little Elwood is growing up fast and now showing his full black  and white colobus colours; colobus babies are born white. He requires constant attention with feeding and being carried, but the little guy is becoming more and more adventurous. He can be seen up to 3 meters away from his carer, jumping around and exploring. This has lead to him falling to the forest floor no less than 3 times (one close to my head), but he just springs back up and cries for help; which he soon gets. Elwood is now starting to try the leaves around him as he progresses from milk to solids. A big future awaits Elwood, we will keep you posted.

Matata

Finally we come to troublesome Matata who is sitting on the fringe of the group perhaps waiting for the right moment to try and take it over from Hugo. You can read about him here when I wrote about giving him a name.

Ewok & Kifungo playing

Colobus troop 1 resting on a rooftop

You have now been introduced to colobus troop 1; look out for more information about them on my facebook page listed below. I will write about the other two groups I follow in the near future.

You can see all my photos of my time in Kenya on my Flickr page -http://bit.ly/1dpb3gd
Or

On my Facebook page - www.facebook.com/diaryofaprimatologist

Disclaimer:

"The views and opinions expressed in the Diary of a Primatologist blog (except guest posts) are purely my own and are not in any way linked to any organisations I may represent or work with unless otherwise stated. All photos are my own unless otherwise stated and a source will be provided where other photos are used. If they are your photos and you would like them removed please just ask. The author retains full copyright for all content and photos and written permission is required before their use. The owner of the site is not liable for any content accessed through links posted."

Walking for elephants to save elephants

I recently had the fabulous opportunity to walk alongside Jim Nyamu, executive director of the Elephant Neighbours Center in Nairobi, Kenya to raise awareness of the need to conserve elephants and their habitats.

Jim has been walking for elephants for over 3 years and in that time has racked up a fair few miles in different countries around the world. This includes a 50 day walk of 1000 miles through Kenya and a 510 mile walk from Boston to Washington D.C. in America. His latest walk is from the south coast to the north coast of Kenya, an impressive 375km over 15 days.

The starting point at Shimba Hills National Reserve

The day started in the county capital Kwale where there were local schools singing songs and reciting poems about the need to conserve elephants. Speeches then followed from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the county commissioner and Jim who at one point said “if we don’t act now future conservationists will only be able to be managers of Mosquitoes.”  With that over we got under way around 10am with the sky’s looking grey, but the people looking full of optimism.

School children about to start singing

The man himself Jim Nyamu giving his opening speech

The walk begins

Sure enough within an hour we had some rain, but nothing too bad and the scenery of walking in the Kenyan countryside was truly amazing. Every village we passed Jim gave a speech to the community and it seemed to grab most people’s attention. It was especially fun to watch the schoolchildren, some as young as 4/5, in their bare feet walking/running with us chanting “meno ni ya tembo” or “Ivory belongs to elephants”; which is the name of Jim’s campaign.

Stopping in a local village to speak with the community

Jim addresses a couple of schools and onlookers

Jim will use anything to get his message across

After walking (and partly driving) for three hours we reached the main road to Ukunda (large local town) where we grew in number and marched on to the center. This time the rain came down hard, but we whipped out the rain gear (if we had it) and soldiered on; nothing was going to bring our spirits down.

Proud to be walking beside  Jim and co

We will not be deterred no matter what you throw at us
Credit to Jim Nyamu and his media team for the photo

After walking for the better part of an hour we reached the main town center with cars and motorbikes hooting and carried on to the WWF Kenya office. There we were welcomed by a short play from a local theatre school about the penalties of poaching elephants, some closing speeches and a round of applause. This concluded the main part of the day so Jim, his team and we took shelter in the office and I got to find out more about the man behind the walks.

Me and the big man Jim

Q. What got you interested in starting this movement to save elephants?

A.“I have worked with elephants for over 17 years, first working as a research scientist with the KWS and then heading up the elephant programmes with the African Conservation Center. I decided to resign in 2011 to dedicate myself to walking and raising awareness of the plight of elephants.”

I only realised after hearing Jim speak that we could loose elephants in Kenya in as little as ten years. One elephant is killed around the world every 15 minutes.

Q. What are your aims for this walk?

A. “I have three main aims I wish to achieve:

1. Raise awareness of the effects of elephant poaching not only on elephants, but the wider environment like the effect to the habitats.

2. Raise awareness of the new wildlife act in Kenya which means if you are found with ivory on your property, regardless as to how it got there, you face life imprisonment or 20 million Ksh.

3. To engage the local communities and schools in the importance of conservation for the future.”

Q. How do you feel today has gone in terms of achieving those aims?

A. “I am very impressed with how today has gone and feel it is the best start to any walk I have ever done. When I started walking in 2011 I only had a handful of people with me, today I believe I have interacted with over 1000 people, 17 schools joined us and hundreds walked. The children’s reactions and enjoyment was obvious and very delightful to see. People already believe in protecting and saving the elephants for our future.”

Q. Dare I ask what is next once this walk is finished?

A. “Another walk of course. Next month I am walking in Kenya from Nanyuki to Nyahururu, a distance of 201km. Then in July I am going back to the USA to do an 800 mile walk across California. I have chosen America as I feel they need to know about the plight of the elephants in Kenya and to correct current misconceptions. For example, did you know a lot of people believe you can harvest elephant tusks like deer antlers, where they simply fall off at the end of a season? People just don’t realise you have to kill the elephant to get the tusks. Also, I am planning to come to London, England later in the year to do my first walk there; I hope to see you.”

With that I left knowing Jim will be out again tomorrow and the next day and the next simply walking and talking about why we must protect elephants, not simply because we enjoy looking at them, but as the most powerful species on this planet we have a responsibility to look after the rest. Without nature we are nothing.

Walking until elephants are saved
Credit to Jim Nyamu and his media team for the photo

Follow Jim’s work:

W: http://www.elephantneighborscenter.org

F:  https://www.facebook.com/ElephantNeighborsCenter

T: @elephantneigbor

E: info@elephantneighborscenter.org

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You can see all my photos of my time in Kenya on my Flickr page here -http://bit.ly/1dpb3gd

Or on my facebook page here - www.facebook.com/diaryofaprimatologist

Disclaimer:

"The views and opinions expressed in the Diary of a Primatologist blog (except guest posts) are purely my own and are not in any way linked to any organisations I may represent or work with unless otherwise stated. All photos are my own unless otherwise stated and a source will be provided where other photos are used. If they are your photos and you would like them removed please just ask. The author retains full copyright for all content and photos and written permission is required before their use. The owner of the site is not liable for any content accessed through links posted."

Have you heard about the green monkey living in Africa?

The Vervet or ‘African green monkey’ (Cercopithecus aethiops), Tumbili in Swahili is next up in my series of primates living in Diani. A very common sight in Diani, like the Sykes and Baboons they come into daily human conflict, and can be considered pests over their opportunistic stealing of human food.

A Vervet monkey

Distribution:

The Vervet is a very versatile monkey able to adapt and survive in a wide range of habitats including savannah, woodland, riverine, lake-shore and coastal forests; although they normally don’t inhabit heavily forested areas or very open grasslands. They are widely distributed through Africa south of the Sahara desert and across Kenya; even in Nairobi. Vervets are equally at home on the ground and in the trees, which obviously aids their ability to adapt to different environments. 

Vervets in an open grassland environment

Anatomy: 

They are mainly a grey-brown colour with white under parts and a white fringed black face, long whitish cheek whiskers, white brow, black feet (like they walked in paint) and a black tip to their tail. Interestingly males have a light blue scrotum, red penis and red peri-anus and weigh around 4 to 6kg, measuring 40 to 60cm when adult. Where as the females weigh around 2 to 5kg and measure 30 to 50cm. The female breast can often have a bluish tinge to them. Infants have similar, but lighter colouration than adults, the most obvious difference being their lighter, pinkish faces. 

A female Vervet monkey

A baby Vervet showing the slight pinkness still in his face

The blue scrotum of a Vervet male

Diet: 

Vervets are omnivorous and like the Sykes are opportunistic feeders (like with human food). Their main diet is made up of flowers, fruits, seeds, roots, bark, gum, eggs, insects and small invertebrates. They will take human food and can be dangerous when tourists feed them. 

Social Structure: 

The group size is usually between 20-30 individuals with a linear dominance hierarchy among males and a kinship relationship among females. The Vervets have been documented to some complex communications that can be different for certain situations and getting different responses in return. For example, alarm calls for aerial predators differ from alarm calls from snakes (on the ground) – requiring the Vervets to look in different places for danger. 

A group of Vervets investigating someones garden

Grooming is an essential part of bonding and cleaning

Monkeys as pests: 

With the exception of the colobus the other monkeys in Diani, are opportunistic feeders, taking what food they can when they can, and will raid crops or steal food from kitchens in homes or hotels. Some local residents have appalling methods to deter these individuals: from throwing paint over them to stoning them or using bows and arrows. 

Although small in size they are not short on aggresion

This human-wildlife conflict is made worse when well meaning individuals giving monkeys food – as the monkeys come to associate humans with food. Men can generally rebuff monkeys who may approach them, but women and children are at risk of being bitten when they refuse to give monkeys food. 

Dogs do sometimes come into conflict with monkeys

To combat this, CC has developed a detailed guide on managing the pest problem and provides workshops and training sessions for hotels and private houses. We also hope that you can help us by explaining to others why monkeys must not be fed. 

Here is some Vervet yoga

As always the pictures are owned by the author and under their copyright. They are uploaded at a lower quality as my internet in Kenya is slow.

You can see all my photos of my time in Kenya on my Flickr page here -http://bit.ly/1dpb3gd

Or on my Facebook page here - www.facebook.com/diaryofaprimatologist

References: www.colobusconservation.org

Disclaimer: "The views and opinions expressed in the Diary of a Primatologist blog are purely my own and are not in any way linked to any organisations I may represent or work with unless otherwise stated. All photos are my own unless otherwise stated and a source will be provided where other photos are used; if they are yours and you would like them taken down then please just ask. The author retains full copyright for all content and photos and written permission is required before their use. The owner of the site is not liable for any content accessed through links posted."