Colobus Trust

Category: Education | Date: Feb 14 2007 | By: admin

Below is the 1st place poetry winner from our children’s competition at our 10th Birthday Party last week!

World Without Trees

by Mwanadmarii, Dama, Momo, and Ali

If all trees die, if all trees go.

The land will be brown and bare

Soil erosion will be more and more

And no plant will grow.

If all trees die, if all trees go.

Baboons, Colobus monkeys will daily wonder

Where did our beautiful fruits go?

Where shall we raise our young ones?

If all trees die, if all trees go.

Where shall we get our food?

We shall get weaker and weaker

Till we can jump no more.

If all trees die, if all trees go.

How unclean the air will be

No beauty to cheer us up

No shade, no shelter, what a shame.

If all trees die, if all trees go.

What will hold up the swing

when the children want to fly

and make their hearts sing?

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Category: Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Feb 13 2007 | By: admin

On the 2^nd of February we were called to a private house where a Colobus monkey was acting very strangely. A female Colobus was sitting on the ground underneath the trees where the rest of her troop were sitting. She seemed reluctant to climb anything and as a result had almost been attacked by the guard dogs at the house. We caught her and brought her in over night for observation. Upon examination we could find nothing physically wrong with her she was a little dehydrated and a little under weight but nothing else obviously wrong. The next day we released her back into her troop. We continued observations for a few hours and it seemed she still wouldn’t climb trees to join her troop. From the observations it was thought she may have a problem with her eyes which obviously wasn’t evident in the examination while she was sedated. So we brought her back to the trust and had the vet examine her while awake. She was indeed partially blind and seemed to only see vague moving shapes. The vet felt it could have been caused by a fall from a tree or maybe a minor stroke and that we should keep her under observation for a week.

During the course of the week she showed some improvement and certainly became more active and aware of her surroundings. Today we took her back to her troop and re-released her. She immediately ran up a tree and started looking around for her troop, quite encouraging considering how she was when we found her. Monitoring of her condition and reintegration to the troop will be closely monitored by the Colobus Trust and we’ll keep you updated.

Stuart - Assistant Manager

3 responses so far

Category: Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Feb 13 2007 | By: admin

Man can never justify his innocence if the current trend is to continue. A week will hardly pass without cases of forest clearing for reasons of construction. Animals are never the beautiful radiances that were in our faces two years ago. The painful feeling that teared me apart with rage was that of a baboon found lying helplessly in a market place without water and food. How can we be so hypocritical to our own nature? We cut down trees in the name of building houses we never complete, no occupants! Monkeys are stranded in front of houses claiming what is rightfully theirs, they have no trees to stride on. What a big shame, why do have to complain about monkeys raiding our homes? You have to act now!!

What is happening now where monkeys are constantly putting a brave face into raiding houses for food is just a recipe of what is in store for man. The truth of the matter is that a monkey does not exist except for its habitat we are taking it away for selfish reasons. We should all see the truth, we are all to blame. Do not complain so much. I will celebrate to receive back your selfish agenda on my monkeys - you are also a victim!! Sorry, how do you give water and food to a dead creature you just killed minutes ago?? Don’t pretend, answer me please. STOP AND THINK.

By John Abuor, Field Staff member and writer

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Category: Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Feb 13 2007 | By: admin

The female baboon that we picked up yesterday and were treating in our clinic sadly died during the night.  We discovered this morning that she had been lying injured in the housing estate for 10 days before anyone contacted us.  She was severely dehydrated and starving, as well as injured from being hit.  If only we could have got to her earlier.

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Category: Education | Date: Feb 13 2007 | By: admin

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Category: Habitat Restoration/Conservation | Date: Feb 12 2007 | By: admin

My name is Muzdal. I’m involved with a community based organisation by the name of Chitsanze Medicinal Garden Group. We are based in the Shimba Hills which is about 40 minutes away from the Colobus Trust, and we try and encourage tree planting in our area and grow medicinal plants. My organisation has a partnership with the Colobus Trust. I came to the Colobus Trust a few weeks ago to study marketing.

This morning I came in the morning at 8.00 am. The first thing, I started to clean up the animals water hole in the nature trail, then I swept all around the hole to see the footprints of animals coming, just for fun. Then I walked around the forest to make sure that it’s safe. Then after I went to Kaskazi and Africana, two nearby hotels, to help the Colobus marketing team encourage tourists to come and visit the Colobus Trust.

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Category: Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Feb 12 2007 | By: admin

This morning we were called by the local vet to go and pick up a female baboon from a housing area about 2 km away. She was lying on the ground surrounded by people when we got there. We sedated her using a blow dart and brought her back to the Trust’s vet clinic for examination. She had been hit a number of times with sticks or rocks and was in a very poor state. Perhaps she was trying to steal food from peoples houses or fields. She is very old. We put her on a glucose drip and treated her with antibiotics. She is now stabilized but it is not certain if she will survive the night.

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Category: Education, Habitat Restoration/Conservation, Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation, Research, Uncategorized | Date: Feb 09 2007 | By: admin

Costings for translocation of Colobus Trust facilities to new site

The plot that the Trust has been based at for the past 9 years is being sold by the landlords and it is very likely that we will have to move to a new site within the next three months. We have found an appropriate new site to rent but need to raise at least 17,530 $US to construct the necessary facilities at this new location. IF WE CAN’T RAISE THE MONEY FOR THE MOVE, THE TRUST IS IN GREAT DANGER OF CLOSING DOWN. CAN YOU HELP? THIS APPEAL IS URGENT

If you can donate money, construction supplies, or labour services to help us with our move please email Jophie at jophie@colobustrust.org for more information.Below are the estimated costs of this building work.
1) Rehabilitation cages
The Trust provides long term rehabilitation care for primates that were previously kept as pets, and prepares them for release back into the wild. Currently the Trust is able to house a maximum of 8 animals, but would like to increase capacity to 14 animals.
Subtotal 394,950KSH $5,642USD

2) Vet clinic
The Trust provides a veterinary service for primate victims of human / wildlife conflict in the Diani area, as well as for animals in long term care.
Sub Total 184,050KSH $2,629USD

3) Quarantine enclosure
New arrivals at the Trust are kept in an isolated quarantine area for two weeks after arrival, and monitored for disease, before being transferred to the rehabilitation cage. The existing quarantine enclosure is relatively new so most of the materials can be reused at the new site.
Sub Total 44,980KSH $643USD

4) Visitors car park
A small car park is essential for the various visitors to the Trust.
Sub Total 36,000KSH $514USD

5) Visitors and staff toilets
The Trust provides all day education workshops for primary and secondary school children, as well as educational tours for national and international visitors. Toilet facilities are required for these groups and also for staff and volunteers. Toilet bowls, cisterns, stone blocks and mabati roofing can be taken from the toilets at the current site, and a septic tank is already in place at the new site.
Sub Total 36,560KSH $522USD

6) Shower room / toilet
Within the main building at the new site, an additional shower room / toilet is required for use by volunteers living on site. Currently there is only one shower room in this building. The Trust caters for up to ten volunteers so needs two shower rooms. The toilet bowl and cistern can be taken from the current site.
Sub Total 26,650KSH $381USD

7) Additional volunteer accommodation (permanent tent with thatched roof)
The main building at the new site can only accommodate 8 volunteers, so it is necessary to provide accommodation for an additional 2 volunteers elsewhere. A permanent tent with thatched roof, erected just outside the main building, is the most economic way of achieving this.
Sub Total 42,280KSH $604USD

Store room
A store room needs to be incorporated into one of the rooms in the main building, for secure storage of shop merchandise, tools and office stationery.
Sub Total 13,200KSH $189USD

9) Office
A suitable room for the office already exists in the main office, but it needs to be adapted slightly.
Sub Total 45,500KSH $650USD

10) Shop and education centre
A suitable room for the shop and education centre already exists in the main office, but it needs to be adapted through addition of shop counter, display shelves and seating.
Sub Total 26,000KSH $371USD

11) Furniture
Most furniture required can be taken from the Trust’s current location however additional seating is required for the new education centre and volunteer / staff sitting room.
Sub Total 60,000KSH $857USD

12) Nature trail
At its current location, the Trust has a nature trail that it uses for educational purposes for visiting school groups and tourists. Tours of the nature trail also generate important income from the Trust through donations from visiting tourists. A new nature trail will have to be created at the new site. A suitable area of forest has been targeted for this.
Sub Total 147,000KSH $2,100USD

13) Paint
Paint is required to repaint the internal and external walls of the new main building, with wildlife murals in selected areas and plain walls in others.
Sub Total 9,200KSH $131USD

14) Additional costs
All the quotes given above are estimates and may be subject to minor fluctuations. In addition, funding is required to cover transport of building materials, transport of items between the old and new sites, administration and supervision of building work and the move, and any contingencies. This has been estimated at 15% of the total costs given above.
Sub Total 160,000KSH $2,286USD

TOTAL COSTS

1,226,370 KSH / 17,520 $US

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Category: Habitat Restoration/Conservation | Date: Feb 09 2007 | By: admin

In coastal region of Kenya we have sacred forests know as ‘Kaya’ forests .We have several of these sacred forest with different names (e.g Kaya Diani, Kaya Ukunda, Kaya Muhaka, Kaya Kinondo). These Kayas usually play a very important role as far as forest conservation is concerned .The Colobus Trust works closely with the elders of different Kayas .This is because these forests are very thick forest where monkeys enjoy staying. There is less human disturbance than in other forest areas.

This morning I had a three and half hour meeting with the elders of Kaya Ukunda, a Kaya group that the Colobus Trust works closely with. The meeting was at the Coastal Forest Conservation Unit, a department of the National Museums of Kenya that is responible for supporting Kaya groups. They have allowed us to continue planting trees in various parts of the Kaya that were destroyed by fire. Also, they want to start eco-tourism in the forest. Communty youth will be performing traditional dances and drama to the tourists visiting the kaya. They would also like us to help them create a nature trail in the forest where, according to Digo (community) beliefs, before you enter in the forest there must be certain sacrifices made to praise their god. These sacrifices include a black goat, ‘umba’ and ‘ufuta’. It was so interesting. Thank you.

-Philip Ndiritu, Staff Member

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