Colobus Trust

The Colobus Trust plot has many monkeys living around and near it. All of them are amazing mammals, living in complex and continually changing groups. The Vervets in particular, display dynamic interactions and behaviors.

The monkeys in the Colobus Trust rehabilitation program are mostly Vervets due to them being a favorite as pets and more likely to become pests around human communities. Last year a group of “graduates” were released onto the Trust grounds.

As one of the Colobologists I have been monitoring two of these rehabilitated monkeys. Overall, the program seems to have been a success. Our released vervets are foraging well, interacting with their adopted wild troop very well and staying generally healthy.

It’s incredibly interesting to see their behavior around humans and each other. There’s no denying that the wild Vervets living around our facilities are habituated to a degree. Often one will hear the distressed shriek of a volunteer coming from the veranda as their biscuits are stolen by a brave Vervet. One of our graduates is comfortable enough that I can sit within a meter of him while observing him. This is not ideal for our released Vervets but he seems readily able to forage for himself and is not one of the biscuit thieves. Number 3 and 4, their respective ids, are often found together. Even when the troop is not in proximity, they can be seen together foraging and grooming, sometimes even playing with juvenile Sykes monkeys.

The resilience of these incredible little primates is astonishing and as a member of this team it’s great to see them doing well after going through our program of rehabilitation.

Eric Neilson – Colobologist