Samburu Monkeys

Category: Endangered Wildlife | Date: Oct 16 2007 | By: admin

My findings of the discovery of a new population of de Brazza’s monkey in Mathews range, norther kenya was published online the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Groups’s Primate Conservation journal recently. Below is the abstract and the link to the Pdf.

Abstract:

Until recently, de Brazza’s monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus) was not known to occur east of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. However, after eight months of intensive surveys in the remote and isolated Mathews Range Forest Reserve of Samburu, we were able to count a total of 162 de Brazza’s monkeys in 24 groups; including 139 adults and sub-adults and 23 infants. They were found in ten separate laggas distributed throughout the mountain range, with the highest concentration in the central part of the reserve. By extrapolating information gathered on this study - from interviews and field observations - the population of the entire Mathews Range Forest Reserve was estimated at 200 - 300. Although the threats arising from the human activities in the forest ecosystem are generally minimal, they were considerable on the lower elevations, affecting especially this species. The most affected habitats are those near human settlements on the lower altitudes (where 75% of the total population of de Brazza’s monkeys occurs) since they are easily accessible. During the onset of the dry season and periods of drought, communities invade these areas with large herds of livestock, where they feed them on leaves of evergreen tree species such as Faidherbia albida, Ficus sp., and Olea sp. The people cut the branches almost denuding the tree. These species are important in the diet of de Brazza’s monkey. The study resulted in the first record of de Brazza’s monkeys occurring above 2,100 m above sea level. They were seen in Olkaela in the Mathews range at an elevation of 2,203 m.

Groups distribution in Mathews range forest

Read the full article here

Iregi Mwenja
Institute of Primate Research of the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya

I want to leave you with this photos taken during the course of the study last year.

Awareness creation in Ngilai, Mathews range

Strategising with the local guides before deploying the research team into the dense forest
Ngeng’ river on the plains of Samburu

Preparing a meal late in the night

Powered by Zoundry