Colobus Trust

Category: Education, Habitat Restoration/Conservation, Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, deforestation, volunteer | Date: Sep 19 2009 | By: colobus

Our peaceful Saturday morning was interrupted by a call on our hotline. Diani Sea Resort was calling to report a dead juvenile Colobus monkey. We knew this wouldn’t be an easy call out, but nothing could quite prepare us for what was waiting at the scene. The juvenile was in fact a very young infant, its death a result of fighting between two troops on the premises. Our animal welfare officer John estimated the infant was around one week old, as its fur was still completely white and the remains of its umbilical cord were still present. The Colobus only carry a single offspring at a time (although a set of twins can occur on very rare occasions) and take four to six years to reach sexual maturity. Therefore to lose an infant after a six month gestation period is a big blow to any Colobus troop, but more so in Diani where the population is dangerously low.

We were told by staff at the resort that intense fighting had occurred the previous day, with visible injuries to some of the adults. It is unclear at what stage and how the infant was killed, but it is likely that the mother continued to carry the infant after its death.

Increasingly fragmented habitats result in increased levels of stress in the species which live in them. Territorial disputes between rival Colobus troops are a natural occurrence; however the forest loss in Diani gives rise to a greater number of conflicts between the troops over the territory that remains.

To try and counter this, the Colobus Trust is working to create forest corridors for the Colobus and other native species to have better mobility between forest fragments.

More on this in another post!

Rob and Cara

Tags: Colobus monkey, Colobus Trust, conflict, diani, forest, Habitat Restoration/Conservation, Kenya, Monkey, reforestation, trees

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Category: Education, Fundraising, Habitat Restoration/Conservation, Habitat Restoration/Conservation, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation, climate change, deforestation, volunteer | Date: Jun 04 2009 | By: colobus

I arrived last week so apologies for the delay in writing my first blog.  I have been settling into this beautiful place quite nicely.  The Colobus Trust is located in Diani which is one of the most beautiful places in Kenya.  I was so happy to arrive here last week and see for myself all the work the Colobus Trust does to support conservation.

Arriving last week my first day at the Colobus Trust was quite busy.  I helped to plant some new indigenous tree seedlings in the nursery that will go to local hotels in Diani to support native trees for monkeys.  I also helped to clean the monkey cages (the only monkeys that are in cages here are ones that are currently in rehabilitation from being pets).  It is very sad to see the monkeys in the cages when you can easily see the rest of the wild troops jumping and playing in the trees all around the Colobus Trust grounds.  The staff explained to me that some of these monkeys have been pets for years and are currently being weaned off people food as well as learning how to forage for themselves.  They place large branches, flowers, seeds and other natural foods that are found freely here in Diani so the monkeys can get an idea as what to eat for themselves.

These monkeys look so sad but I know the Colobus Trust will do a good job to rehabilitate them and re-release them in their natural environment.

Re-release is such an important part of what the Colobus Trust do to support conservation.  They take in monkeys that were pets, sick or injured and help them rehabilitate so they can get back to their natural environment.  I happened to arrive on a day when one of the monkeys that was rescued by Colobus Trust was re-released.  He was a very young Sykes monkey and he fell from a tree and was seriously knocked unconscious.   A Diani resident called Colobus Trust and the Colobus Trust team rescued him from the road and took him in for assessment.  He stayed at Colobus Trust for a few days and was deemed to be ok after a thorough check up and fit for re-release.

Here are some of the pics I took on my first day at Colobus Trust.  I was so happy to see a success story on my first day and so glad I am here to help work alongside the Colobus Trust staff.  These guys are so caring and concerned about their environment and of course the monkeys.

If it wasn’t for volunteers like me and donors like you the Colobus Trust wouldn’t be here.  They make such a huge difference in their community in supporting the ecosystem and conservation.  Please support them even if you can only donate $5 or $20.   They are such a worthy conservation project that needs your support now more than ever as tourist and volunteer numbers are so low at the moment.  Thank you.

Heidi

Eco-Volunteer, Colobus Trust

www.colobustrust.org

Tags: Colobus monkey, Colobus Trust, diani, forest, Habitat Restoration/Conservation, Kenya, Monkey, rescued animals, trees

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Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation, volunteer | Date: Feb 28 2009 | By: colobus

Foremost we would like to kindly thank you for the warm welcoming we have received from all of you. We (Tom and Rona) are off to a busy start and have many things planned for the Colobus Trust, but one step at a time;

We had an interesting week here at the veterinary clinic many cases came in, some ending happily and some sad. Our positive story happened on Tuesday when our field assistant Peter found a young Sykes monkey on the ground exhibiting neurological symptoms (tremors and convulsions). After admitting and examining it we suspected he had been poisoned by a likely Organophosphate or Pyrethroid substance.

We managed to administer the proper Antidote and treat him, and by the next morning he had been well and ready for release. Poisoning such as this can happen when uncontrolled insecticide treatment is being given to crops and fields. It may also be a deliberate action against monkeys perceived as pests. We must remember they have a right to exist here just as we do (even slightly more) and we must keep that in mind when tending to our own activities. That night we also received a Bushbaby, which was sadly attacked by dogs and dead on arrival. We buried him in our compound. Another issue of human-wildlife conflict is the domestic animals we introduce to this habitat. Although Bushbabies are largely arboreal they do sometimes descend to the ground to forage and this noise may attract dogs to the area, as they are quite slow on the ground and are not so well equipped for self defense these cases may happen. The next morning we sent out a team to one of the hotels in Diani which informed us there was a sick Sykes monkey about their premises with a swelling of the lower jaw. After capturing and diagnosing him, we sadly reached the conclusion that he suffered from a malignant (cancerous) growth of the mandible (lower jaw). Despite his condition he seemed to eat and drink and was not neglected by his fellow troop members. It appeared he has had this condition since he was an infant, an estimate of about one or two years. We gave him some local treatment and then we were left to make an ethical decision; Would we release him back to the wild, as there was nothing medical that could be done for him (practically and financially) or would we euthanize him? We had so much respect for this little guy surviving this long that we didn’t feel it was our decision as to when and how he should pass. So after making sure that he was indeed eating and was not in any pain, we decided to get him back to his troop and let him die naturally as his condition would not pose a threat to any other monkeys or humans. We wish him well.

Another thing we are trying to do is get our veterinary clinic better equipped as we are missing some vital medical supplies and drugs. As the only first response center for wildlife in the coastal area it is vital that we do not lose any of our patients due to lack of resources, so any donations on your behalf would be very much appreciated and would get the clinic up and running. We mostly need very basic supplies and even small donations would help us greatly. With your help and our efforts we can really make a difference and do our best to protect Diani’s habitat and wildlife population.

Rona and Tom

Tags: Colobus Trust, diani, Monkey, release, sykes, volunteering

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Category: Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Jan 19 2009 | By: colobus

17:15 Monday 12^th January 2009: Gwili’s land rover skids to a halt at the entrance to Colobus Cottage, he jumps out and shouts that he needs help. Gwili had just found an adult female Sykes monkey lying in the middle of the road on his way home. It lay there on the passenger seat, breathing shallowly and unable to move. This was clearly another road traffic accident (RTA); probably someone rushing home from work, ignoring the 50kph speed limit, hitting the monkey then driving off – a regular occurrence here in Diani.

We shifted her to the clinic and called the local vet to take a look. The vet treated her for shock, gave her a variety of booster injections and hooked her up to a drip. Though there were no visible external injuries or signs of fracture, the monkey was clearly in a bad way. There was little response in any limb, her eyes were open but stared blankly into space and her heartbeat was weak and erratic. We feared internal injuries and a possible blood clot in the brain. We made her as comfortable as possible and hoped for improvement in the morning.

We kept treating her and she hung on for 48hrs before finally passing away during the night of 14^th Jan. One tough little monkey. We buried her in the garden the next day. Tracey and I have been working at the Colobus trust for a mere two weeks. Already we have seen 2 baboons (1 RTA, 1 electrocution), 4 Colobus (3 electrocutions, 1 unknown) and 3 Sykes monkeys (RTAs) die in Diani. I’ll let you do the maths on annual statistics. It seems there’s a war going on here: Man vs. Monkey; Development vs. Conservation; Money vs. Environmental Care.

08:00 Thursday 15^th January 2009: On her way to work, Mary had seen a car hit another monkey and phoned the Colobus Trust for assistance. Again, it was a young female Sykes monkey which was lying unconscious in the road. We rushed to the scene but in the 5 minutes it took us to arrive, the monkey had regained consciousness and climbed up a tree. Her legs looked damaged and she couldn’t climb properly. Under close surveillance by the rest of her troop, who were very distressed and calling loudly, Peter climbed up the tree after the monkey and caught it. We brought her back to the centre and called a vet who treated her. She was kept under observation overnight.

Fortunately her condition improved immediately after treatment. Even another troop of Sykes (local to the Colobus Trust) heard her and broke into the quarantine cages to investigate! Perhaps they were planning a rescue operation. The next morning we drove back to find her original troop and successfully released her back into the wild. Clearly she had made a 100% recovery from the speed she shot out of the cage. I just hope that we don’t see her in the vet centre again.

These are just two typical stories that occur every week here at the Colobus Trust. Though not all animals make it, it is our duty to help every animal that comes in. All animals are treated with the available resources, even if the outlook doesn’t look good. Medication and vet bills cost a lot of money and any contribution will really help our cause.
The other way you can help is to become a volunteer: even if you only have a week or two to spare you would be helping with a number of on-going projects and making a real difference to the Trust.

Tim Jukes, Colobologist

Tags: Colobus Trust, death, diani, Monkey, release, RTA, sykes, volunteering

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Category: Fundraising, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Jan 15 2009 | By: colobus

At The Colobus Trust, the phone often rings with news of dead or suffering animals that have been involved in road accidents or electrocuted on power lines.  So on Thursday 8 January it was a more pleasant surprise to receive a call about an animal that wasn’t injured but still needed our help.

The call was from a local resident about a bush baby she had been rearing as a pet for about a year.  Its wild instincts had started to kick in and it had bitten her earlier in the day so she decided it was time for the Colobus Trust to get involved.

Peter, Tim and I went round to pick it up and found it in a laundry basket – not the sort of place a bush baby is likely to feel most at home.  We brought it back to the vet clinic to give it a once over and it seemed particularly annoyed so it went straight into a carrier cage.

Over the next couple of days we worked to make one of the rehabilitation cages suitable in the quarantine area.  These cages are designed with larger primates in mind and Peter had once put a bush baby in and it was able to escape.  We had to reduce the hole size by winding wire around each individual opening to make the cage more secure.

To help save resources, and as a poetic form of recycling, we were able to use snare wires which have been collected from local forests over the past months to complete the job.  It was a long job but finally the cage was complete.

On Tuesday we were able to furnish the cage with a selection of foliage and branches from trees in the garden to enable the bush baby to have adequate cover during the day and to provide leaves to make a nest for sleeping.

Then came the transfer; true to form he was not happy at being woken in the middle of the day just to move into another cage.  Finally in he snarled and hissed at us in such a way that you wouldn’t think we had saved him from a life of captivity. Although they look cute and cuddly they can be very aggressive.

He seems to have settled in much more now and is certainly happier than he was.  The plan is to begin opening the cage in the evenings so he can go out exploring.  However it is uncertain whether he can be released in to the gardens here permanently.

Bush babies usually form small groups of mother and offspring or occasionally small bachelor groups.  The males use urine to mark boundaries of their territories and can be aggressive to intruders.  At the cottage there are already a group of bush babies which come to feed in the evenings so only time will tell if he will be accepted.

Because of this there are added pressures on the Trusts resources to continue feeding him until he is ready to be released; this is in addition to the seven vervet monkeys which continue to be housed at the Trust until they have built up the skills to survive back in the wild. The vervets are also rescued pets, some of whom have been with us over a year.

Any donations would be welcome to help with the upkeep of the bush baby or the vervet monkeys; while we try to feed them on wild foods when possible, in the dry season the possibility reduces so more supplemented food is required, all of which needs money to buy.  You can help us by using the “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.

Like other non-human primates, bush babies are considered likely sources of diseases that can cross species barriers and so they are not a good idea when considering a pet.  They are wild animals and while they may seem very cute, they have sharp teeth and can inflict a painful bite. Better to choose a cat or dog which have been domesticated specifically for this purpose.

Tracey Stenson, Colobologist

(Photos by Tim Jukes)

Tags: bush baby, Monkey, pets, vervet

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Category: Fundraising | Date: Jan 09 2009 | By: colobus

It is no secret that the Colobus Trust has been struggling financially over this last year. Therefore when Assistant Manager, Gwili, went back to England to spend time with his family over Christmas, his family made it their mission to raise some funds for the new years upcoming projects.

Together with his sister Felicity and with help from Lindsay and Olivia Kennaway of Lalesso, and many many more, they arranged an event they called ‘Monkey Around London’. The event was successfully held on the 16th of December in the City of London. The event centred around a fashion show exhibiting the much anticipated Lalesso Spring/Summer ’09 collection which looks fantastic. Other highlights included a live band and DJ set, as well as a shop selling the Lalesso range and other africana.

The event went off with a bang and had over 200 guests. People came from all over Britain. Friends, families, ex-volunteers and many other Colobus Trust supporters, new and old, attended. It was a great chance for people to be united under one cause and lots of supporters met for the first time, such as long term Colobus Trust supporter, Chip Mitton who finally got to meet Gwili!

The fundraiser collected a fantastic amount of £1700 (KSh 200,000). This will prove to be a great Christmas present to the Trust and the monkeys and forest it looks after. As stated at the event, the money raised is going in to support projects such as the Diani Wildlife Census & Habitat Management Assessment, which is being undertaken in partnership with Camp Kenya in late January. This landmark study will pave the way for all much of the work the two organisations will do together over 2009.

Watch this space next month for more information on the study and its goals.

A belated Christmas wishes and blessed 2009 from all at the Colobus Trust

Tags: colobus, fundraiser, lalesso, london, Monkey

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Category: Fundraising | Date: Nov 30 2008 | By: colobus

The Colobus Trust will be holding its first fundraiser on foreign soil on Tuesday the 16th of December. The location is Sway Bar just off London’s famous Liverpool Street.

This event is a joint effort by the Colobus Trust and Kenyan ethical fashion house Lalesso, who have previously worked together on Kenyan based fundraisers. Lalesso have very kindly arranged for us to exhibit there fantastic new Spring/Summer ‘09 range with a great stage show. As well as this we will be have performances by the Flying Circus Band and a DJ set by the award winning Jarvus. Now, the Colobus Trust & Lalesso invite you, on behalf of all the monkeys, to a one of a kind charitable event in the build up to Christmas.

*** MONKEY AROUND LONDON - CHARITY PARTY & FASHION SHOW! ***

The event will last all evening and involve many acts and exhibits:

- The main event is the UK PREVIEW of the Kenyan ethical clothing label LALESSOS SPRING SUMMER 09 RANGE and a sale of some of their pieces.

- Musical fun will include a performance by the FLYING CIRCUS BAND & a DJ SET (Jarvus).

- Other attractions will include:
~ a photography exhibition
~ a sale and auction of Africana which will be reasonably priced and make great xmas presents (including traditional Masaii beadwork, traditional Swahili cloths {kikoys & khangas}, Kenyan made jewelry and more!)

*** TICKETS: £7.50 pre-registered (by e-mail) by 1st December, £10 on the door ***

Please come and join us as you will get the chance to help two very worthy causes!
*** All proceeds and profits will go to help support THE COLOBUS TRUST ***

The ethical fashion house Lalesso has been established for 3 years and despite being sold internationally, their proceeds go back into supporting traditional Kenyan culture. Their garments are made by local Kenyan tailors from authentic Kenyan khangas. Lalesso had initial success in South Africa and Kenya and are now targeting the United Kingdom with their launch in the flagship Topshop store on Oxford Street, London. After the show some of their pieces will be for sale, with all profit going to the Colobus Trust.The COLOBUS TRUST (as many of you will know) is a wildlife trust in Diani, Kenya. It was set up to preserve the wild animals of the local forest, in particular the endangered Colobus Monkey, the forest itself and the local people.

The money from this fundraising event will provide a much needed contribution to the Trust, which is still suffering from the 90% fall in tourism caused by the 2008 post election riots and over-dramatisation in the press. The Trust is still struggling financially and this fundraiser is aimed at providing funds to set all programs back on their feet.

Please invite ALL your friends/family/anyone to come and join in! We have a facebook event with already over 100 guests confirmed  and are also sending out physical invites.

If you would like to be sent some more information, just email gwili@colobustrust.org

or find more information about Lalesso, us and the event at…

Save The Colobus!!! Facebook Event

Colobus Trust Facebook Cause

Lalesso Website

Tags: colobus, fundraiser, lalesso, london, Monkey

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Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Nov 28 2008 | By: colobus

By Fleur Downard, a volunteer at the Colobus Trust from 27 October – 14 November 2008

Part 3 – Hope for the future

Chuma is a wild animal, used to living either in his troop as the dominant alpha male or as a solitary male, in the forest foraging for leaves, flowers and unripe fruit for his daily meals.  His sad, dark eyes stare at you as you peer in at him in his cage.  I know and he knows he does not belong here.  I want him to survive and John (one of the Colobus trust staff members who will be looking after Chuma after I leave tomorrow) and I have adopted him.  However, I am aware that unless he regains his sense of balance and recovers to his previous health he will be unlikely to return to his previous life in the wild but will be dependent on the Colobus Trust for his food.  He has been seen by the local vets Dr Allan and Dr Oscar and also a visiting wildlife vet, Noni, who has arranged for an orthapediac vet to review his x-rays and they are all confident he can survive, although it is unlikely he could return to the wild.  The staff and volunteers at the Colobus Trust are doing everything possible to ensure his survival and I look forward to receiving weekly updates on his progress.

Even though it saddens me, I do understand that Chuma may not be happy living his life as a caged animal and unable to jump from branch to branch with careless abandon, so rather than looking at me with his sad caged eyes he may be better off in Colobus heaven where he can be wild and free.

Tags: , animal rescue, colobus, Monkey, road traffic accident

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Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Nov 26 2008 | By: colobus

By Fleur Downard, a volunteer at the Colobus Trust from 27 October – 14 November 2008

Part 2 – Recovery and Rehabilitation

The Colobus monkey was very groggy when he woke up from his sedated sleep later in the afternoon.  He looked disorientated but was too weak to look for ways to escape from his cage in the vet clinic.  I felt sorry for him, he looked so sad and his eyes were pleading for a way out of this pain.  I decided to name him Chuma, the Swahili word for metal, to give him strength to overcome his injuries.  He is about 17 years old (which is old in monkey years), a male Angolan Colobus monkey, weighing about 9 kilograms, with black eyes and a cute, slightly lopsided smile due to his injuries.

Dr Allan advised that it would be best to have some x-rays taken of Chuma’s jaw and head so we can check the extent of his injuries.  Chuma was sedated again about a week and a half after the rescue and taken to the local hospital for an x-ray.  The radiologist took an x-ray of his head and his jaw, while Chuma was spreadeagled on the table, oblivious to the doctor, the vet and the Colobus staff fussing over him.  Dr Allan concluded that Chuma indeed had a fractured upper jaw with a possible fracture in the skull, hence we needed to ensure he does not chew so his jaw can heal.

Over the past two and a half weeks I have spent a lot of time with Chuma, talking to him to try to comfort him (in English which of course does not understand) and making a lip-smacking noise, which is how the Colobus monkeys communicate with each other.  He loves eating bouganvillea flowers which we have been hanging in his cage or cooking the flowers with water so it is easier for him to eat with his fractured jaw.  We have also started giving him mashed banana, papaya and watermelon to help give him more strength and nutrition.  Chuma lives in a small cage as he falls over easily and does not have a good sense of balance so we cannot transfer him to a larger cage where he might fall down and injure himself.  We try to make the cage as homely as possible, filling it with leaves and branches to mimic the forest environment he is used to living in.

Tags: , animal rescue, colobus, Monkey, road traffic accident

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Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution, Primate Rescue/Rehabilitation | Date: Nov 22 2008 | By: colobus

By Fleur Downard, a volunteer at the Colobus Trust from 27 October – 14 November 2008

Part 1 – The Rescue

At about 9am on Tuesday 28^th October, Gwili Gibbon, the assistant manager at the Colobus Trust at Diani beach, Kenya, received a call from a distressed Luciana, one of the trustees of the Colobus Trust.  Luciana had found a male Colobus monkey that had been hit by a matatu (a minivan used for public transport in Kenya) on Diani Beach Road, near the Safari Beach Lodge.  While Luciana was waiting for Gwili to arrive to rescue the Colobus, she stood on the road to protect the injured monkey and also waved her arms and shouted at passing vehicles, urging them to drive at 50 kmph to help avoid this kind of accident occurring again.  The Colobus Trust has built 23 colobridges in Diani, so that the monkeys can safely cross the road by using these bridges.

When Gwili and Peter arrived on Diani Beach Road the Colobus was in shock and difficult to restrain, being an older male monkey weighing about 9 kilograms, so they sedated him and put him in a cage before taking him back to the Colobus Trust.  He had been hit on the right side of his head by the matatu and was bleeding heavily from his right ear.  Doctor Allan, the local veterinarian arrived within minutes of Gwili arriving at the Colobus Trust vet clinic with the Colobus.  He inspected the Colobus’s bleeding ear and felt around the right hand side jaw area.  He felt a broken bone in the upper jaw area and concluded that the Colobus probably had a fractured jaw with possible injuries to the skull.  He prescribed some painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs for the Colobus.

Tags: , animal rescue, colobus, Monkey, road traffic accident

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