Colobus Trust

Unsung Heroes of The Colobus Trust – Dr Alan

colobus — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:50:58 +0000

There are many people without whom our work would have never been possible, I hope one day to mention them all. One of these people is our vet Dr Alan. Dr Alan only recently moved to Diani, but has quickly built up a strong bond with all of us at the trust. Although we use several vets, dependant on the situation, Dr Alan has become our main source of call. Not only because he is an excellent wildlife vet, with a wealth of experience, but also because he has been kind enough to never charge us for his services. This gesture means a lot to us as currently we are being hit hard by a lack of volunteer bookings (which supply a large amount of our funding and workforce). We hope that by telling you of the wonderful work he does we can go somewhere towards paying him back. Together with Dr Alan we have treated many cases. Including a successful one on Tuesday this week where we rescued an old female Sykes Monkey who had been hit by a speeding car. On arrival it seemed like there was little hope, she was bleeding profusely out of her ears, mouth and nose, but she was breathing steadily, so we acted fast. After collecting her we rushed to pick up Dr Alan. Having had to abandon his shopping trip Dr Alan proceeded to analyse the monkey’s condition on the way back to our vet clinic. She had taken a nasty hit to the face, had lost a few teeth and was bruised all over. It was very clear however, that this monkey was a tough one! She had lost a hand and the cartilaginous part of one ear to an earlier incident that we assume to be an electrocution. However, after Dr Alan’s treatment and continued care from our staff she made a quick recovery and was eating and drinking by the end of the day. Now, three days later, she is well on the road to recovery (photo below). We hope that after a few more days’ observation she will be ready for release. We will keep you updated on her progress. So, we would like to take this opportunity to extend a massive thank you to Dr Alan. His kind nature, expertise and generosity are invaluable to us and we look forward to learning much from each other in the future. Thank you Dr Alan, from all at The Colobus Trust!

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Noisy Monkeys In The Morning

colobus — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:52:01 +0000

There was an interesting event yesterday morning in our garden, which showed how well developed communication among monkeys really is. It was fascinating for many of us who witnessed it as we waited for our morning meeting to start.

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Can You Help The Colobus Trust - we are looking for a specialist volunteer!

colobus — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:47:44 +0000

Catherine, our Office Administrator, is now 8 months pregnant and as of next month will be taking her maternity leave. This will be her second child and we would like to take this opertunity to congratulate her again, and wish her the best of luck!

This leaves us with a huge hole in our workforce as Catherine is responsible for our accounts as well as so much more. We are now looking for a volunteer who can join us for some, if not all, of Catherine’s absence and help us out.

Basic computer skills are required as the main task of Catherine’s job is to use Quickbooks to keep a tab of our accounts. This is not as hard as it sounds, and can be taught. Unfortunately the remaining staff cannot cover for her as we all have our own areas of responsibilities. Apart from the main task of keeping the books up to date, the input our volunteer can give will be dependent on how they feel they can help. Below is a brief list of what we are looking for help with:

Accounting (keeping our Quickbooks System up to date can be explained if needed as Catherine lives near by)

Website Maintainance (as well as contributing to our blog)

Marketing (working alongside Hamisi, our Marketing & Education Liason to improve such things as our Adopt A Colobus program)

Fundraising (as well as helping me organise some upcoming fundraising events, help with writing proposals would be greatly appreciated)

…and so much more!

We really need long term volunteers to help us in many ways. So if you are interested, or if you know anyone who would be interested, in coming out and helping us please get them to contact me at gwili@colobustrust.org

Please tell your friends!

Gwili

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The First Step Towards Insulating Diani’s Powerlines

colobus — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:44:57 +0000

We had a fantastic day yesterday, together with Camp Kenya & KPLC we started insulating and covering powerlines in two areas where previous fatalities have occurred!

Firstly we had to prepare the PVC piping by cutting it laterally. Students and Colobus Trust staff were doing this for most of the day and together cut over 200 meters of piping…all this with only little improvised saws!

We took advantage of a planned power outage for the whole of the south coast to allow us to get a whole days work done. Once the pipes were prepared the KPLC team put them in place covering two of the four lines, thus insulating the span. All together we insulated over 100 meters of lines in two key areas. We hope the success of this pilot project will lead to great things!

Many watched as this momentous occasion occurred and we hope to get more of our hotspots done next week.

Below is a photograph of the piping in place

We will keep you updated!

Gwili

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Working Together To Reduce Wildlife Electrocutions - A Breakthrough At Last!

colobus — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:19:23 +0000

As many of you will already know, the un-insulated power lines that run through Diani Forest are responsible for numerous wildlife fatalities. In the last 4 years The Colobus Trust has recorded over 60 confirmed cases where arboreal primates have been killed instantly by power lines that pass through the forest. Shockingly 46 of these cases were Angolan Colobus Monkeys, claiming more lives than any other threat, natural or manmade. Even more are wounded, where the grounding of current can cook flesh to the bone and result in the loss of limbs and frequently, infection that leads an agonising death.

Arboreal (tree-dwelling) primates natural instinct is to avoid coming down to the ground (where they are more at risk from predators) and they use any available material, natural or otherwise as pathways through the forest. Therefore if human encroachment on a forested habitat is to be non-detrimental to the environment, all power-lines should ideally be underground. But this is expensive. Suitable short-term solutions have been found by trimming back branches allowing access to power-lines. This has been a core part of our Electrocution Management Program for the last 10 years. Where Colobus Trust teams have worked in collaboration with the Kenya Power & Lighting Co. Ltd. Another “longer”-term option we have always considered is insulation. A project we have long been pushing KPLC for.

Thankfully there has been a breakthrough in our work to combat this horrible situation. This was in the form of an idea brought forward in a meeting initiated between the Colobus Trust and KPLC. Joseph Njoroge, Managing Director and CEO, Mr Huko, head of KPLC’s Diani Branch as well as a high-powered team from Nairobi represented KPLC. Also in attendance were the, the Chairperson of the South Coast Residents Association, Volker Bassen & Nimu Njonjo (local resident conservationists who run the East African Whale Shark Trust) and the Colobus Trust’s management & two of the Trust’s Trustees.

During the meeting Volker suggested a novel idea to combat electrocutions. Using PVC piping, which can slide over the power lines, without need for them to be lowered, then fasted with ties. This would act to insulate the lines and considerably reduce the decline of the species! The initiative steps in this wonderful idea have now begun and we hope KPLC will insulate their pilot project area (one of our identified electrocution hotspots) soon and will update you on progress!

Below is a picture of those in attendance (except one who is behind the camera!)

This has been a landmark achievement for all involved and we hope that working together with KPLC & other organisations we can really tackle this pressing issue.

The Colobus Team

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Mijikenda Kaya Forests

colobus — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:37:15 +0000

The Mijikenda Kaya Forests, Kenya, have recently been awarded world heritage status. There are 11 smaller forests included in the Mijikenda (which means 9 homesteads), and they all contain the sacred remains of fortified villages known as Kayas. The 11 sacred forests are spread across 200km down The South coast of Kenya. These Kayas date back to the 16^th centaury, and were abandoned in the mid 1900’s. The locals believe that their ancestors dwell in these Kayas and therefore are determined to protect them, and their surrounding forests.

The destruction of these forests has resulted in strong criticism of the local Government Officials, and the local elders are determined to protect what is left of their sacred forests. The recent decision to make the Mijikenda Kayas World Heritage Sites is a welcome relief and we hope that this will help the elders to be able to protect these wonderful and unique forests.

The Colobus Trust has been working with the Kaya Elders around the area to protect these forests by replanting, education and trying to prevent logging in the Kayas. These sites are important to the Colobus Trust not just because they are some of the few areas of undamaged forests around Diani and along Kenya’s south coast, but also because at the moment we have not yet had the opportunity to fully research the Colobus populations in these areas. If by doing the research we found that the forests contained a high number of Colobus we would be able to help further with the protection of these beautiful and ancient sites.

There are many rare plants that have been found in the Kayas and there have been a few comprehensive plant surveys that have been conducted in the different Kayas, but at present there have been no surveys into the local primate populations in the Mijikenda Kayas. It is not feasible for the Colobus Trust to be able to conduct the projects themselves due to the time commitment that is required, which would prevent the trust from fulfilling its other responsibilities around Diani and the local areas.

The Colobus Trust had aimed, along with volunteers from Camp Kenya to survey these Kayas and record the number of Colobus and other monkeys living in the Kayas. The project is still in it’s infancy so is adapting all the time, the Camp Kenya students are enthusiastic, and willing to work hard, but the main problem is, they are not scientists. They are interested in working with the Colobus Trust and learning about surveys, but they also want to have fun with the work they are doing.

To produce a comprehensive, accurate and reliable survey those conducting it need to have relevant training and experience, along with determination and dedication. In short it needs to be conducted by scientists with appropriate field research skills and an interest in primate conservation. The type of research which would be required for a full survey of these areas is better suited to someone/a group of people interested in conducting a proper research project in this area for a research paper or as a PhD or Masters thesis.

This does not mean that the work with Camp Kenya is being stopped, but I am suggesting that it might be better if the programme were edited to take into account the abilities and limitations of the students and staff at Camp Kenya and the boundaries of what The Colobus Trust itself is able to do.

It is obvious that the work with Camp Kenya will never be considered scientifically accurate, so rather than doing unreliable transects, I think that it would be more productive to have the students continue to learn what we do, continue to learn about all types of surveys and then along with the Colobus Trust staff and the Kaya elders conduct a sweep survey within the Kayas. This way they can cover a wider area, get a general feel for what surveys are about, work with the Kaya elders within the forests, and are more likely to see Colobus and other monkeys.

This information can still be recorded, and analysed, and then when someone comes out to do a proper, scientifically designed survey they can use the information from the Camp Kenya sweep surveys to help their research. It is therefore important that we continue to work with the students at Camp Kenya, with a program more suited to the abilities of the students and that we find people that are committed and capable of doing reliable and accurate transects within the Kayas around Diani and the local area.

We would therefore be able to produce a comprehensive survey of the resident primate populations in these undeveloped and relatively unstudied forests and gain a clearer picture of the current status of the Colobus and other primates in the area. This would enable us to develop our conservation of this endangered and beautiful creature in the best possible way, and help to protect the Mijikenda Kaya Forests.

For more information on the Mijikenda Kaya Forests and other World Herritage Sites please visit : http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/453

Emma Shepheard – Walwyn

(Colobologist)

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Meeting Toto

colobus — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:37:28 +0000

On Saturday 5^th July we were called with news of an injured colobus at Baobab Resort. We packed up the gear, nets and all, and rushed over to where the monkey had been sighted. Much to our surprise, when we got there we did not find an injured Colobus, but in fact found a tiny baby Sykes monkey, which had been abandoned by its mother.

The initial check showed that the baby, which looked to be about 2 weeks old, still had the umbilical cord and amniotic sack still attached, and had a large clump of fly eggs on its back indicating that it had not been being groomed by its mother. We checked around but could not find the mother anywhere. The level of dehydration indicated that the baby had been away from it’s mother for at least 1 day if not more, and it was evident that the mother was not going to return for it.

When we got back to the animal welfare clinic we cleaned the baby monkey, and gave her a physical check. The baby was found to be a baby girl, and apart from being dehydrated, and having a small graze its right cheek, it had no other injuries. She was then given a glucose mix, which she drank quickly, and was then wrapped up and allowed to sleep.

As the Colobus Trust does not normally hand-rear abandoned monkeys, a local woman Kirsten was contacted. Kirsten has many years experience in hand rearing a range of different monkey species including Sykes monkeys, and said she would be happy to take her, but it would have to be the following week. As a lot of care is needed for such a young animal I volunteered to act as the monkeys ‘Surrogate mother’.

Scientifically, as Toto’s situation was due to natural circumstances, and not because of human impact, we should probably have left the baby monkey where she was and let nature take its course. However, the hotel wanted the baby removed so as not to disturb its guests, and knowing that Kirsten would take her in, we decided this was the most humane thing to do. As with most cases of hand-reared animals, it is likely that the baby monkey will become habituated and therefore will never be able to be released.

In most rescue cases the monkeys care for at the Trust are not given names. However we realised that as we would be caring for her continuously we needed to call her something. One of the staff members referred to the baby monkey as Toto, as it is the Swahili word for baby, and we decided that this was a good name for such a tiny little creature.

Toto moved onto baby milk later that night and continued to do well. I sat up with her to make sure she was eating and sleeping ok. At 4 am it was obvious that she was doing fine, so I wrapped her up in her blanket, and we went to bed. She slept in the bed happily, and during the night decided that the most comfortable position was to lie along my collar bone.

The following days Toto continued to do well, doing all the things a baby monkey should do, except by the end of day 2, I realised she hadn’t pooed yet. We rang Kirsten and she suggested we tried feeding her grapes. We did as instructed, and not only did Toto love them, but her constipation was soon relieved. She was obviously a lot more comfortable, and was now becoming a very lively and happy little Sykes.

Since she was rescued Toto’s strength has continued to improve and she is becoming more inquisitive and playful every day. Although I will miss looking after her, I know that Toto will do well with Kirsten and she will enjoy having other baby monkeys to play with.

Emma Shepheard - Walwyn

(Colobologist)

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Daniel’s Blog

colobus — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:10:28 +0000

A wet, yet fun, two weeks since my arrival at the trust. Several days have been spent out with the casuals searching the woodlands for snares. On one outing we found more than 10 snares, the next day we found none, but that is probably better news. After several days at the cottage I hadn’t caught sight of the colobus monkeys and was wondering whether man’s encroachment in Diani had finally got the better of them, but at the end of the week we went out on the colobus check and totaled 37 individuals, divided into 5/6 troops. We even saw some making use of the colobridges - nice.

Some of the highlights of last week included the successful capture and release of a python invading a local resort. I am told that snakes (whether poisonous or not) are viewed as dangerous pests by most of the locals. They are therefore normally dispatched immediately. To get this one out of harms way was good news for our serpentine friend; if only monkey capture and release were so simple! During our outreach programme our young volunteer Claire (who comes from Seattle (with her parents!)) proved popular with the local kids. We visited Mkokoni School, on route to Mombasa. This school had a great programme dedicated to tree conservation. The children were knowledgeable of trees and their roles in ecosystems and in many ways in speaking of the ills of deforestation we were preaching to the converted, but they enjoyed learning more about how they could help the primates of Diani.
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This week (starting 23/6/08) has seen the departure of Egbert our volunteer from Holland and the family from Seattle. I have taken to the office and the colobus trust has joined forces with Kenya electricity company to insure that the addition of new power cables along Diani’s main road do not pose a threat to our local monkey inhabitants. This has meant that in the name of conservation we have paradoxically had to cut down a few trees. Finally we have had an adorable young vervet monkey in, he is has trouble walking, if his condition doesn’t improve soon, his future seems uncertain.

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Claire’s Blog

colobus — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:21:16 +0000

Hi! I’m Claire, and I’m a 9-year-old volunteer at the Colobus Trust. I am from Seattle, Washington, in the U.S.A. It is an amazing and beautiful place here, with monkeys everywhere! A troop of nine Colobus monkeys roam around these grounds. Tumaini, born in April (the baby Colobus monkey) is acting so grown up (or at least trying to) but is still so tiny and cute!

Yesterday, 15 kids from Magutu Primary School came to learn about the Colobus Trust and what they do. I think they learned a lot and I learned a lot too! Afterwards we played on the beach and that was fun too (I think it was the most fun
part)!

My favorite place here is the beach with white sand, palm trees, crabs crawling all around, and the beautiful warm water. Me
and my dad love to jump in the big waves.

If you ever come to Diani, COME HERE AND HELP SAVE THE COLOBUS MONKEYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out our family photos on the Flickr Colobus Trust photo group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/colobus/

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Egbert’s First Week At The Colobus Trust

colobus — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:21:23 +0000

Today I’m in Diani Beach for a week now and the first week of working at the Trust has passed very quickly. I will give a short impression of the Trust and my first week of volunteering, after introducing myself.
My name is Egbert Jager, 24 years old and I am a student from Nijmegen, a place in the east of Holland. After graduating my BSc of communication science I would liked to do something different, going traveling and experience other countries and cultures. Since my first time in Kenya I really liked to come back once to stay for a longer time. It was terrible to see what happened after the elections in December, I couldn’t believe a crisis like that could arise in a country with such a nice people. Because of the crisis I doubted if it was safe to come over. I’m happy that I decided to go and find here a challenge working as a volunteer at the Trust. They really can use some support, since there haven’t been that many volunteers anymore during the crisis.
I came here last week with little knowledge of the work or experience with animal welfare. After an introduction of the activities of the Trust I found out their mission, not being a relief for monkeys only. They do a lot more which I really appreciated!

The first day of my stay I have helped John with animal welfare. In the beginning it was strange standing in the cages and feeding the vervets, while they are jumping around. But now I’m used to it and I really enjoy doing it. The second day I have seen my first Colobus. In the garden of the Trust lives a group of approximately 8 Colobus. These animals are so beautiful!
Other projects I have been working on is desnaring. Crossing the bushes like a bushman was sometimes very hard and warm. But I have a lot of fun with the casuals who started to practice the German language with me. Besides that you know it’s a good activity after finding a snare! Another good activity I joined is tree trimming. Fortunately I haven’t seen an electrocuted monkey till now. Yesterday I have been monitoring the Colobus Monkeys in the surrounding of Diani. I loved walking in the forest enjoying the nature and the Colobus Monkeys we have been looking after.
In the coming two weeks I will also work on the education projects. I’m looking forward to visit the schools and say hello to the children…

Egbert Jager
Eco-Volunteer

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