Colobus Trust

Category: Animal Electrocutions, Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation, volunteer | Date: Oct 23 2009 | By: colobus

Last week we got a call from the Diani Sea Resort about a sick black and white Colobus monkey lying just outside their fence. We immediately rushed there to rescue the monkey and on arrival we were shown where it lay. At first glace we thought  that the monkey was already dead because it lay there motionless but as we went closer it started moving and we all were relieved. We quickly examined it and realized it had severe burns to its rear hind legs and possible infection.

Above: The infected wound

We immediately put her in a cage and brought her back to the trust clinic for further examination. We called Dr Allan (the vet) to come and take a closer look at the severally infected burn wounds. He cleaned them up but said they are extensively infected and the gangrene had gone into the ankle bone so we had no option but to put it down.

Above: Dr Allan working on the patient

This is the reason the trust is seriously advocating for the insulation of power lines to significantly decrease the cases of Colobus electrocution. The number of Colobus fatalities as a result of electrocution is very alarming to the trust. We are trying our best by insulating known hot spots and have kindly received some assistance from donations from various individuals and organisations towards this cause.  However, there is still more work to be done in regards to insulation if we want to save the endangered black and white Colobus monkey. Help now if you can- we appreciate any donation. 

Thanks,

The Colobus Team.

Tags: Colobus monkey, Colobus Trust, Electrocution, Human-Primate Conflict, Insulation, Kenya, power lines

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Category: Animal Electrocutions, Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation, volunteer | Date: Oct 02 2009 | By: colobus

On Tuesday 29^th September there were three awful electrocutions at Diani Sea Resort, resulting in the death of a young Colobus, who was approximately a year old. The young Colobus was seen climbing the poles of the power line and electrocuting itself; the mother and another Colobus jumped after it, also injuring themselves.

Above: The juvenile Colobus

When we tried to remove the young Colobus from the forest floor the mother became agitated and attacked me, jumping onto my back and attempting to bite me. This is a sad state of affairs as it illustrates the strong bond between mother and young and for this relationship to have ended so soon is completely unnecessary. The other two Colobus were not injured so badly and remained in the tree. We will be returning to the troop to check their injuries regularly.

Above: The badly burned hand of the Colobus

Diani Sea Resort has an area of forest beside it that has an un-insulated power line running through it. In the power line there is a join and this is where the electrocutions occur when the Colobus climb the poles. We are now hoping to work with Diani Sea Resort and KPLC (Kenya Power and Lighting Company) to develop a solution to this problem because in the past six weeks there have been six cases of electrocutions resulting in two known deaths.

We will update you on any news concerning the other Colobus at Diani Sea Resort, as well as our progress with insulating the power line and connectors.

Please donate now to help with future animal rescues.

Polly

Colobologist

Tags: Colobus Trust, Electrocution, hotel co-operation, Human-Primate Conflict, Kenya, Primate death

3 responses so far

Category: Fundraising, Habitat Restoration/Conservation, Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, deforestation, volunteer | Date: Jun 29 2009 | By: colobus

I’m Margi and I’m a new volunteer at the Colobus Trust. I live in the UK where I do freelance work for countryside organizations who want to improve their provision for visitors and local communities, and to help people understand the natural and historical environment better.

So in some ways the Colobus Trust feels really familiar, as its aims are not so different. But of course, the pressures and challenges here in Diani are so much greater, as Kenya’s coastal forest steadily disappears and with it the last refuge of the Angolan Colobus monkey, not to mention all the rest of the animals and plants in this precious ecosystem.

We’ve had a stark reminder of this recently, being greeted in the mornings by the sound of chain-saws from a neighboring property, where the owner is clearing land. At first, we thought our resident Colobus troop had been scared off by the noise, but last week they were back, calmly munching the young leaves of the neem trees that surround the Colobus Trust house, and bouncing on and off our roof before returning to the topmost branches.

This was my first sight of Colobus monkeys in the wild. They are truly stunning animals with their beautiful black coats and flowing white manes. It would be tragic if they disappeared for ever. But they have well-developed survival skills, and it’s good to know our ‘home’ troop is still around.

Today I saw one of the areas where they’re doing well, a three-acre patch of untouched coastal forest, where there are at least five Colobus troops. I was there to help Colobus Trust staffers John and Mwitu to trim the high branches of trees growing close to power lines, to stop Colobus and other monkeys using the high-voltage wires as a convenient walkway.

Electrocution is one of the main causes of death or serious injury for Diani’s primates, and although the Trust rushes to the rescue whenever they hear of a casualty, the victims don’t always survive. In any case, prevention is better than cure! So trimming trees and insulating power lines are important parts of the work. At the moment the Trust is running a big campaign to insulate as many lines as possible. It costs just $1 a meter to make the wires monkey-proof, but there are thousands of meters to do, so the Trust urgently needs donations for this work!

John and Mwitu are fearless climbers, shinning up a wobbly extended ladder to gain a precarious foothold in the trees, before lopping off high branches with a razor-sharp machete. I didn’t trust myself on the ladder, and I don’t think the others trusted me with a machete! So I stayed on the ground and cleared up the fallen branches, dragging them into the forest where they’ll sustain all sorts of mini-beasts and eventually rot down into the soil.

One of the local Colobus troops came by to check us out before we started work, and later in the morning we were inspected by three Suni (Africa’s smallest antelope) and a Waterbuck. Patches of forest like this one support an amazing array of wildlife, and it can survive alongside people - not just in parks and reserves - as long as we give it enough space and take care that our actions don’t needlessly destroy it. I can see for myself that the Trust does a great job getting this message across and backing it up with practical action.

Tags: coastal forest, Colobus monkeys, deforestation, Electrocution, people and wildlife, Primate conservation, primate deaths

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Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation, deforestation, volunteer | Date: May 26 2009 | By: colobus

We had a busy weekend at the Trust; our hotline was as hot as the sun that finally came out through the clouds. On Friday around dusk, we received a call about a Colobus that was hurt, crawling on the ground with its troop nervously encircling it in the nearby trees. After quickly loading the rescue-truck with a cage, net, first veterinary aid, gloves and other equipment usually necessary on an animal rescue, like volunteers, we hit the road.

But upon arrival we were given some bad news, actually the worst news one can get on an animal rescue:

-         I’m sorry, you’re too late, the monkey is already dead, said a man without shirt while guiding us to the spot.

And there it was, the beautiful juvenile black –and-white Colobus lying sideways on the ground, like it had just given up while running. The surrounding air smelled like burnt meat, once again we were dealing with an electrocution. Our vet Rona examined the carcass just in case there would be any pulse, but in short we covered it with a white sheet and headed back home, after deciding with the owner to insulate the power lines close-by.

Next day, Saturday, the sun was still out so we all went down to the beach to get a nice tan. Or so we thought… The hotline rang again, this time our own manager had spotted a limping Sykes monkey, probably hit by a car. We threw the necessities in the truck and rushed to the site. There was no apparent sign of the Sykes, but after looking around in the nearby bushes, we heard a loud ‘thump’ and saw a much disoriented juvenile female Sykes try to flee on the other side of a fenced-in private property. To catch it, we’d have to get in to the property, so we called and called for someone to open the gates, but nobody answered. What to do? In the rush, Rona and I decided to ignore the possibility of a guarding dog and simply climbed over the gate, equipped with net and gloves. It didn’t take long for Rona to catch the poor thing, but as she looked up to head back for the gate, a rottweiler, and a pretty upset one according to the amount of barking, met her eyes. Dilemma: Were we going to just stand there with the dog, adrenaline kicking and an injured monkey in our hands, or try to reach the gate? As the rest of the team tried to distract the dog and persuade a person who suddenly turned up to hold it, Rona and I slowly sneaked closer and closer to the gate, until we could climb it again. The focus switched over to the Sykes. We put her in the cage and hurried back to the vet clinic, where Rona did what was in her power to diagnose and treat her. It seems like she has fallen badly from a tree, hitting her head. She is blind (temporarily we hope) and doesn’t want to use her left front leg, but she has no fractures and has recovered well from the big shock she was in when we found her.

All in all a weekend with way too much time spent in the vet clinic, an experience we are trying to reduce every day, every week, all year round. The human-wildlife conflict is growing, with less land for more people and more monkeys. This time a juvenile Colobus had to pay for it, and I wonder who is paying next time.

Filip Celander, Colobologist

Tags: animal rescue, colobus, Electrocution, sykes

2 responses so far

Category: Blogroll, Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, volunteer | Date: Feb 18 2009 | By: colobus

So far in 2009 The Colobus Trust has hosted two groups of Camps International students. This is just one example of how we work together with, and host, other organisations to facilitate and promote the vast majority of our work.

21 students aged 17-20 joined us at our base for two blocks of five days. Both programs started with an in-house education day during which students. This consisted of a morning of informative lectures focusing on introducing the students to Colobus Monkeys, Colobus Monkey conservation, and a general lecture on safety in the field. They were also told what to expect in the forest. This was followed by an afternoon walking in the forest where they learnt about the history of the local Digo people and their Kaya Forests as well as seeing firsthand the threats posed to the future of Diani Forest.

The remaining part of the week was spent working on practical conservation activities. Many of which would not have been possible for us without the increased number of workers we had. Days were spent desnaring, undertaking beach cleanups, caring for and feeding our ex-pet Vervet monkeys, preparing insulation material (above) and much more. Many of our volunteers joined in to help with this.

The extra hands provided by the students allowed us to prepare the insulation material in record time and both programs facilitated the insulation of a hotspot and we covered over a kilometer of cable! Below is a picture of the insulation material being put into place on the Zawama hotspot.

It is thanks to organisations like Camps International, who work alongside and support us, as well as providing core funding, that we are able to carry on much of our work. We look forward to working together again in the future!

The Colobus Team

Tags: Camps International, cars, colobus, Electrocution, Human-Primate Conflict, Insulation, kplc, road traffic accidents, volunteering, volunteers

One response so far

Category: Fundraising, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Feb 11 2009 | By: colobus

As mentioned in the earlier blog we, sadly, had a record breaking month at the Trust in January and were all hoping that February would have a much lower incident rate.  Unfortunately, despite a quiet first few days, it now looks like this month may see no significant reduction in the number of primate deaths in Diani unless something changes- fast.

On Monday 2^nd the Animal Welfare Team responded to a call about an adult Sykes which was suspected of being poisoned.  There were no obvious signs of injury but it seemed to be slightly paralyzed down its left side.  The vet treated him and over the next few days we regularly gave him Dextrose to keep him hydrated.  Unfortunately, although he looked like he was getting stronger; he died on Wednesday of Tetanus and was cremated in the afternoon.

On Thursday we had three new cases, the first one was a female Vervet which had a superficial injury on its right side, possibly from ‘in troop’ fighting.  The worrying thing was that although it certainly seemed more alert than the Sykes, it too was displaying paralysis in its left side and dragged its left leg.  Regrettably, she too died within 48 hours of being brought in to the Trust, another victim of Tetanus.

The second case, on the face of it, looks hopeful.  Just as the staff were finishing for the day a local resident pulled up with a small cardboard box with holes punched in the sides and there were some very strange noises coming from inside.

Call of Baby Vervet

When we opened the box a small Vervet face was looking up at us, an infant who had been brought all the way back from Tsavo (approximately 200km from Diani)!  It seems that the resident had been visiting and seen some children playing with the baby, its mother nowhere in sight, so had brought him to us for the correct care and attention. After a quick check up to ensure there were no obvious problems he was handed over to us, the volunteers, for feeding every 3 hours.  He’d had a long journey from home, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it is one which will have a happy ending.

Almost immediately after we had given him a feed and got him settled with a hot water bottle for a surrogate Mum; another Sykes monkey was brought in.  Disappointingly this was another victim of a road traffic accident.  We haven’t taken any photos as the whole face had been torn open with a large gash from forehead to mouth and the prognosis didn’t look hopeful.  Just the shock of what was obviously such a high speed impact would have been enough to prove fatal.  We called the vet to treat her and followed his direction for after care but unfortunately when we checked in the morning she had died.

Three-hourly feeding of the baby Vervet continued and late in the afternoon of Friday a juvenile Sykes was brought in, a further RTA victim.   This guy looked in bad shape and after a visiting vet had looked him over the diagnosis was possible internal bleeding with regular check ups required through the night.  Unfortunately this was much too traumatic for the small Sykes and he died the next day.  After such an investment of time and emotions it can be hard to accept.

On Monday two more dead monkeys were found.  One, on the road not far from the Trust, had obviously been killed on impact by a hit and run driver.  Thankfully a resident had called to let us know what had happened.  The other, a victim of electrocution that will be investigated further.

Despite all these sad stories the baby Vervet continues to go from strength to strength (if his bite is anything to go by).  And although he does require a lot of care and attention, as all babies do in the early months, we have to think that he will have a long future ahead of him.  To dwell too much on the trauma of him being taken from his mother, or indeed what her fate might have been, does not help remedy the situation and we are doing what we can to find him a suitable home where he can play and learn with other monkeys.

Only with your continued help, support and donations can the Trust continue to provide care for injured monkeys and monkeys in need of rehabilitation.  If you are planning a holiday why not plan the experience of a lifetime and come to volunteer at the trust.  You will be helping to prolong the life of the primates in Diani.

Tracey Stenson, Colobologist

Tags: Electrocution, infant, road traffic accident, RTA, sykes, Tsavo, vervet, volunteer

3 responses so far

Category: Habitat Restoration/Conservation, Human - Primate Conflict Resolution | Date: Jan 27 2009 | By: colobus

The month of January has sadly been a record breaker in terms of primate fatalities.

16 monkeys (Vervet: 2, Sykes: 7, Colobus: 6, Baboons: 1) have been lost in the 26 days January has so far seen. Not only is this a 533% increase on the 3 lost in the whole of December, but it is also a considerable proportion of Diani’s ever-dwindling primate populations. If this rate continues we will be looking at a complete population collapse within primates, over the next decade or less.

The majority of deaths occurred under the wheels of speeding vehicles, with 10 monkeys (Vervet: 2, Sykes: 7, Colobus: 1) being claimed by the road that cuts their habitat in half. A further 6 monkeys (Colobus: 5, Baboons: 1) have been electrocuted to death on the insinuated power lines and transformers that occur through Diani Forest. These two elements of habitat disturbance are unsurprisingly, the biggest threat to Diani’s primates.

Below is a picture of a Colobus we cared for after he was hit by a speeding car, as you can see his jaw was broken meaning he could only eat Bougainvillea porridge.

This notable increase in fatalities, when compared to last month’s figures, is sadly an explainable trend and mankind is irrefutably guilty. Although it has not been statistically proven, it is hypothesised to occur because of two factors. Firstly, the increased human traffic that occurs during this peak of the tourist season. This leads to an increase in not just road traffic, but the pedestrian traffic also makes monkeys more unlikely of coming to the ground. Thus leading them to come into contact with power lines more frequently. The second factor is caused by the current climate. We are in the middle of the “dry season” and therefore monkeys are moving further in search of food and water. These lead monkeys to pass more frequently through areas of conflict. Therefore explaining why our electrocution and road traffic accident hotspots claim even more lives at this time of year. People argue that man is not to blame for this, but reckless drivers and a failure to insulate power lines proves to the contrary.

This knowledge should serve as a brutal reminder to us all. We are facing a very real and imminent future where irresponsible tourism and development will cause the demise of this once glorious forest. Rest assured, the reality is bleak, but The Colobus Trust and its allies will continue the fight to save Diani’s monkeys from the future they currently face, but we need your help and support. Some of our readers will remember the days when Diani was a pioneering beach resort buried deep in the coastal rainforest. Now all that is left of this forest is confined to privately owned patches within hotels and peoples gardens. It is these vulnerable forests that make Diani such a popular tourist destination and something that only takes a little compromise to protect. Something that we should all recognise as our duty. If you need any advice on how to act responsibly please ask our advice. But for a start, simple things such as providing water dishes will make a difference.

Let us hope that, as in previous years, the death toll falls. However the many horrible sites witnessed by members of the Colobus Trust Animal Rescue Unit will stay with us for a long time. Those of you who have stopped for a dead monkey lying on the side of the road will know what we mean and feel our pain.

The Colobus Trust will continue its work with core projects such as Colobridge maintenance and Animal Rescue Unit as well as continuing with novel ideas. One of these will to push forward with our primate electrocution hotspot insulation project. This week we are hosting 9 Camp Kenya students, pictured above learning about the forest and undertaking a population check of Kaya Kinondo Forest. This will add to the team as we prepare the insulation material. On Thursday the 29th of January we will be insulating our second hotspot by Zawama. We will then move on to insulate more hotspots. We aim to complete one every two weeks!

Best wishes,

The Colobus Team

Tags: Camps International, cars, colobus, Electrocution, Human-Primate Conflict, Insulation, kplc, road traffic accidents

3 responses so far

Category: Habitat Restoration/Conservation, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Jan 09 2009 | By: colobus

This morning we had a brutal reminder of just how urgent the need is to take the next step with our insulation project, in particular, it highlighted the point we have been trying to make to The Kenya Power & Lighting Company that it is not just Diani’s power lines that need insulation, but it is also the transformers. Something that can be easily done with the readily available Denzo Tape. AND SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE TEN YEARS AGO!

What is worse about this situation is that we lost a family of 3 Colobus to another Hotspot on Monday and 4 more separate electrocution incidents have been reported in the last month alone!

It also triggered me thinking on how unique Diani is as a conservation case.

The story is a sad one and one I shall write as I heard, though it is using “scientifically incorrect” verse. This particular young male was playing a game of chase with his friends in the early morning cool. When with surprising agility he jumped straight off a fence onto a Transformer with 115,000 Volts running through it. This transformer is one of our identified electrocution hotspots, it is located on the border fence between Safari Beach and Nomads Hotels. Both of these hotels hold a considerable amount of well looked after forest. 115,000 Volts is reported to cause instant heart failure and death, however the brain may remain active for a short while, with all its neurons firing. It is not known how long he suffered before he died but his squeal of anguish was hear from 200 meters away and his flesh was cooked to the bone when we finally took him down.

This event got people talking and made me realise more than ever that Diani really is a unique as a case of modern conservation. This is coming from the point of view that Diani is so urbanized yet still contains such a special ecosystem that in a few places, is barely altered.  The Colobus Trust is using the knowledge provided by dealing with Diani’s conservation issues to conserve on the frontline.

In a way The Colobus Trust and other conservations in Diani are dealing with issues that other wildlife habitats will be spared for many years to come. To allow them to be able to prepare for these issues would be of great benefit so we have and end goal of using our specific situation to help other areas of development by making the relevant people aware of these issues before it is too late.

Looking at Diani’s history is very interesting and again unique. Diani was built deep in the forest on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. In the 1950s the forest still stretched all the way up to the Shimba Hills NR. There were Leopard, Elephant and Buffalo on the beach! Since it’s rise in popularity Diani has urbanized whilst the forest around it has been cleared. This development has occured at a near exponential rate over the last 50 years, particularly over the last decade. Now what forest remains is in the small Digo Kayas and in privately owned land, with the majority being in a 3km stretch of hotels. What the future hold remains to be seen, but we are at a pivotal point.

It is a new realization for me but dealing with urbanization and conservation causes a shift in the prioities of the popular conservation issues that are commonly taught and seen in the press. The majority of which are undertaken in rural areas. Prominent issues, such as bushmeat, are still relevant here, but we are looking at a unique situation where other less publicized and studied conservation strategies and issues require to be prioritized above what applies elsewhere.

When I think of The Colobus Trust, I see a small dedicated team with a mammoth task. These issues are mainly being combated by a team of 11 Colobus Trust staff, which in the scale of things is a comparatively minuscule organisation. There are others involved, but few make it the sole priority. This uniqueness and importance comes from the fact that these issues are going to become increasingly relevant in what is a rapidly urbanizing Kenya. This is explainable in a simple way. Interference caused to a wildlife rich ecosystem by development (in our case, notably arboreal (tree dwelling) wildlife) is all explained by urban Humanity’s need to put in place its comforts, or as some people would call them, necessities. The two ones we confront the most are the human need for transport (to facilitate movement of goods, people, etc.) and electricity (to power our many inventions).

Focusing on the transport issue, we Humans need our roads, and will build them everywhere we go, it is an unavoidable part of modern Kenyan development. The problem is that these roads end up bisecting a habitat. In our case this is our small patch of coastal rag forest (see below), and the road creates a “barrier” for arboreal species who are adapted for life in the trees. The reality is sooner or later the species will be required to cross this “barrier”. As you as a human will know, animals and roads do not mix, terrestrial animals such as dogs are frequently killed on the road. Therefore if terrestrial species are lost to the road, arboreal species are even more at risk.

The Colobus Trust and the people we work with are creating methods such as our famous Colobridges that can be put in place to allow arboreal species to cross roads safely. Others are doing similar projects on other continents to allow wildlife dispersal and migration across roads. Most notable is the Banff Wildlife Crossing Project which involves building bridges for wildlife movement over the Trans-Canadian Highway in Banff National Park, Canada. Even though our Colobridges have dramatically reduced road traffic fatalities. Humans still drive too fast, and monkeys do sometimes feel like being different, so some are still lost. We are combating this, we recent worked with the Kenya Roads Board to put in place 3 speed bumps in the area where most of the fatalities occur (below). In the 4 weeks they have been in place we have not had one fatality.

In effort to achieve this dream for a Diani in which humans and wildlife can coexist and cause each other no harm, a myraid of techniques are being used.

It is key to involve Kenyan Businesses and Government in this. We are working with the Kenyan companies and government offices that provide these utilities. We are doing so not only to reduce the rapid population decline of Diani’s wildlife, but also to prepare them for the future. We are working in collaboration with, among others, the Kenya Roads Board, The Kenya Power & Lighting Company and the District Commissioner’s Office. This aids us addressing these issues, prepares them as they will need to be dealt with in many more locations.

The reality is that  million year old ecosystems will be damaged beyond repair and lost if something is not done. If Kenya is developed with, say for example all power lines underground or insulated (which is what we push for), then in the future people will not have to go back and spend time and money dealing with wildlife electrocution. Which is a battle we have been fighting for many years.

KPLC have been cooperative but results are taking a long time to materialize. Engineer Joseph Njoroge, Managing Director and CEO of KPLC recently committed to reducing primate electrocutions and we already have insulated one hotspot (see below) with PVC conduit as a temporary measure until KPLC go through the length process required to put in place insulated cable. However we are still waiting for them to provide the necessary permission and assistance to get started insulating more hotspots (the pilot project was a great success) as soon as possible. Let us hope the death of this young male helps us make progress.

Achieving this end goal of using our knowledge and experience to guide future development, as I see it, is done in two parts.

The first part is to use our knowledge and experience to provide guidance to not just to developers but to all involved in the development of Diani (investors, residents, tourists, etc.). This can then be brought into the context of places elsewhere in Kenya, Africa, Planet Earth. Thereby we will allow others to learn from Diani’s history. That is not to say that all development in Diani’s past has been badly managed. That is far from the case. I hope, as many others, that one day we can have a justified, endorsed guideline for development that people will take as law.

The second part is what will come out of the upcoming Diani Wildlife Census & Habitat Management Assessment. We aim to create and maintain an annual record of not just wildlife statistics (populations, demographics and documented fatalities) but a system that allows us to see the results of the projects we are undertaking. Projects including Indigenous Tree Planting Programs, Waste Disposal Management, Pest Monkey Management, Colobridge Use Assessment, our current Insulation Project, Education Programs and more…

With these two parts combined, I believe we can lead Diani, and may be the world, into a brighter future.

That said, back to my story about the poor baboon. It was a truly horrible experience to witness such a needless loss of such a wonderful creature. Many people do not like Baboons, and I see their logic as they can be intimidating and if you are not sensible can steal food off you, but I personally love them. I find their inquisitiveness and intelligence fascinating, especially that exhibited by juveniles such as the one lost today. I have spent many hours photographing and watch Baboons as they investigate their environment with such an intelligence that is so easily related to man’s actions. Initially their focus usually turns on me where we a have a brief unspoken communication as we assess each other. I find these are some of the moments that put someone in touch with nature, much like people speak of Gorillas. Then I laugh as one of them bounces off dragging a rattling Flamboyant seed pod behind it. One of the most fascinating experiences I have had in Diani was observing and a photographing an old female Baboon who found a piece of broken mirror. She explored all of the facets this new and exciting object could before turning to look at me and then instantly positioning the mirror so as to look at me and pull faces. She was making facial gestures which, to her, would have normally intimidated a human. I wonder if she was aware that without the aggression of intrusive body positioning towards me this would not have been so threatening. She then proceeded to look around and at me, through this mirror. Something I luckily caught on camera and have put in below so as you can all appreciate the moment.

Not many people think this way but Baboons play their integral part in Diani’s already fragile ecosystem most people just see them as cheeky little critters, a nuisance or something to be frightened of. The comparison of the charred dead baboon and the young, intelligent, playful ones I have got to know really humbled me. To put my point across I have used the two pictures below. I took one a while back during one of my many Baboon watching sessions and one I took this morning.

The body of this baboon now lies in a grave amongst the cemetery of other animals we have lost, few have died of natural causes, but the majority have humans to blame for their demise. But I’m glad this loss allowed us to achieve some good. A letter is being written to Engineer Njoroge asking for rapid action in the insulation project, with these photos attached.

We are continuing to push and get some physical action as soon as we can. Camps International are still heavily involved and working hard at their end. We intend to start insulating more of the hotspots this month, that is if KPLC grant us permission.

If you want to help us there are two ways you can:

The first is to “donate” button on the right hand side of this blog. All money donated goes directly towards helping support the Colobus Trust and helping us do such work. You can even specify that your donation is to go solely towards the insulation project and ALL of it will.

The second is for you too to write to the Managing Director and CEO of KPLC, Engineer Joseph Njoroge, thanking him for his pledge to help us but reminding him politely that the longer the project is tied up in beaurocracy, the more times members of Diani’s wonderful wildlife will have to suffer such a horrible death.

Address letters to:  Engineer Joseph Njoroge, Managing Director & CEO of The Kenya Power & Lighting Company, Head Office, Stima Plaza, P.O.Box 30099; NAIROBI 00100, Kenya.

This tragic loss triggered me to write this blog which in the end grew into more than I expected.

I hope you appreciate it.

Thanks for the support,

Gwili

Tags: baboon, Electrocution, habitat management, kenya power and lighting company, Primate

8 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Dec 10 2008 | By: colobus

Two and a half weeks ago we put out an appeal. The tyres on our sole vehicle were extremely worn down and we could not afford to buy new ones.

Thankfully a saviour came in the form of Camps International who donated four heavy duty tires from their office in Diani. We are extremely gratefully for this generous donation.

We have worked together for a number of years now and have recent made some serious progress on our joint insulation project. For more information on this please visit this blog. There are also many upcoming projects that we are doing in conjunction with Camps International so watch this space!

THANK YOU CAMPS INTERNATIONAL!

Tags: , Camps International, colobus, Electrocution, Human-Primate Conflict, Insulation, kplc

One response so far

Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution | Date: Dec 03 2008 | By: colobus

On the 9th of September 2008 the Colobus Trust and Camps International worked in collaboration with the Kenya Power and Lighting Company to insulate two of Diani’s Primate Electrocution Hotspots. Now, nearly 3 month later we are looking for the next step.

The pilot project has been a great success. Over 400 meters of cables were insulated and there are holding strong and showing no sign of deterioration after the burning sun and heavy rains they have experienced. There have also been no incidents of electrocution along them. Below is a picture.

Since completing the pilot project we have been in talks with KPLC. They pledged to cover the costs of insulating the hotspots in a meeting held in August and we have been waiting to see action on their part. It was at this meeting that they also stated that they could be left to deal with the insulation of the transformers we had identified within the “hotspots”. In the last month we have been reassured that KPLC are still going to live up to their promise. We have, however, been asked to wait for them to go through their length procurement process. The events that occurred the other day have, however, confirmed our decision to move on to insulating the rest of the hotspots and hope that the funding comes through at a later date.

The events that convinced us to take this risky step occurred in the evening of Monday the 1st of December. When the Colobus Trust Animal Rescue Unit received the first electrocution alerts it has had in the last 5 months. What was most shocking was that both incidents were on hotspots and that three cases happened within half an hour of each other.

The first case involved two members of the Leisure Lodge Hotel Colobus Troop. This troop has been decimated by one particular transformer, which in my 14 months has claimed four, but now possibly six, troop member’s lives. In my opinion the transformer is as badly placed as is humanly possible. It is located next to a tin roofed building (see below) at a perfect level to appear as a “step” up to the trees and is easily accessible. Sadly, we turned up to the hotel the staff had not followed our instructions and followed the injured monkeys so we could therefore locate the individuals and tell how badly the injuries were. The troop is now being followed and if injuries are bad enough to warrant capture we will act. Thankfully the Leisure Lodge management have pledged to help finance the insulation of the hotspot on their site.

The second case was a female Colobus who was found under the power lines at another of our hotspots in Diani. She was brought in to us whilst we were out on the first call. She had an open wound on her chin and her body temperature was way above 40°C. We treated her immediately and were surprised by her strength. The next day we prepared a cage with lots of branches and food for her but sadly she died during the course of the day. This is often the way electrocution cases go, as internal burns are hard to diagnose.

This sudden burst of electrocution cases confused many at the Trust. As it has become apparent, through our years of data collection, that primate electrocution cases are more common around the new-year period. The reasons for this are unproven, but it is my opinion that the increased amount of pedestrian traffic caused by Diani’s “peak season”, when tourists flock to Diani’ Hotels. Where nearly all of the remaining forest and hotspots are found. This increase in movement on the ground makes timid primates, something the Colobus is renowned for, less likely to come to the ground and they therefore choose pathways through trees, where they are more likely to come into contact with live electricity. This theory also explains why there was a noticeable “lull” in primate electrocutions in the aftermath of post-election violence, when all hotels were nearly, if not completely empty. Below is a map showing the un-insulated hotspots in red and the insulated ones in blue. Note how they are all in the coastal stretch, where the hotels are located.

The events of this week have served as a reminder, to all of us, that immediate action is needed to avoid the horrible suffering Diani’s primates, such as the one pictured below, are put through. The Colobus Trust and Camps International are pressing ahead with the project, without waiting for KPLC to fulfil their side of the deal (though we have been assured, that they will). We are sending out assessment teams to each of the properties within one of our hotspots on it. The teams will come up with an inspection report for each site, detailing the intended work and asking the landowner/proprietor to provide funding for the project.

We will keep you updated on all progress made.

Regards,

Gwili

Tags: Camps International, colobus, Electrocution, Human-Primate Conflict, Insulation, kplc, Primate

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