Endangered Wildlife | Samburu Monkeys

More news reports on monkey discovery

Category: Endangered Wildlife | Date: Oct 31 2007 | By: admin

Voice of America yesterday aired an interview on my recent study of the newly discovered de Brazza’s monkey population in Mathews range forest in Samburu.

More websites have published this news including TimesOnline, Wildlife Extra Yubanet , Africanews among others.

You can read more on this story in my earlier posts below or contact me on iregim{at}yahoo.com for the full report.

Iregi Mwenja

This study and ongoing studies in Samburu were generously supported by;

“Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care can we help. Only if we help can they be saved” Jane Goodall, Primatologist, conservationist and founders of Goodall Institute.

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Why Rare Primates??

Category: Endangered Wildlife | Date: Oct 31 2007 | By: admin

Many people asked me, why primates? What motivates you to work in these difficult places? Well let me shed some light.

I started my conservation career 7 years ago as a Park Warden at the Kenya Wildlife Service. I served in various Parks and Reserves and was lucky get hands-on experience on the conservation of different tropical ecosystems-types ranging from marine at the Kiunga Marine National Reserve in the Lamu Archipelago to the Afro-alpine ecosystem of Mt. Elgon National Park.

It was during this time that I developed great interest in rare threatened species when I realized that they were never incorporated in the mainstream conservation agenda. Most conservation Organizations focused on “greater species” like Rhinos, elephants, cheetahs etc, whose dilemma has been “over-marketed” at the expense of the endangered “lesser species” like the de Brazza’s monkey, bushbabies etc.

De Brazza’s monkey

I decided to dedicate my time working on the conservation of these forgotten endangered species that required equal if not more urgent attention. However, the greatest challenge was to create awareness on these rare species to secure support from all stakeholders. To create the awareness, I started by working on the assessments of conservation status of the de Brazza’s monkey and the Sitatunga (an antelope), to convince all and sundry that they needed attention too.

However, my most outstanding work has been the national assessment of the de Brazza’s monkey, which includes the first survey of the newly discovered population in Mathews range in Samburu. Over the years, this has meant that I sometimes work in areas where other biologists have not ventured due to insecurity and lack of infrastructure like in Samburu and Boni-Dodori forest on the Kenya Somali border.

Guereza colobus

In Samburu, the difficult condition in this region deters many biologists from venturing here. It was therefore not surprising that this discovery came too late in time. I have also found out that there are plenty of other endangered and neglected primate’s species that needed attention too here. I have this year expanded my research to cover six rare species in Samburu i.e. the newly discovered De Brazza’s, Sykes’ and Patas’ monkey (new reports in the district as well) and the Mt Uarges guereza, the only Endangered guereza sub-species and endemic to Samburu.

Sykes monkey

When all the data from these surveys is collected and collated, the major task of setting up in situ conservation measures will begin. Today however, education and awareness has been integrated in the research and a long term monitoring of these species has started. This is how I have been acting locally to impact globally.

Iregi Mwenja

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Grevy Zebra blog - Karibu

Category: Endangered Wildlife | Date: Oct 17 2007 | By: admin

I am happy to see a blogger from Samburu joining me on this site. I am sure we will have a lot to share. Like these photos taken at Kisima, near Maralal on 2nd June,2007

Iregi Mwenja

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IUCN/SSC Primates Specialist Group publishes De Brazza’s discovery

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

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I was not in Congo!

Category: Endangered Wildlife | Date: Oct 02 2007 | By: admin

Thank you Lisa, Christine C. Jon and all those who have given their comments on my last three posts. It’s very encouraging to see people who are thousands of miles away showing interest in the work we are doing in Samburu. I would like to share with you the satellite image (Google map) of the study area, showing important localities that I have mentioned in my blog. The link is;

From the map, you can see that the area is remote and working there means encountering numerous hardships that have deterred many biologists from venturing there for decades. Below is an image that clearly depicts one of the hardships – insecurity.

The area is Marti (not somewhere in Congo), central part of Samburu bordering West Pokot. Cattle’s rustling between the Samburu and the Pokot is common in this area . We had to get armed escort from the Police Reserves to walk to Langat Lugga where we were searching for Patas’ monkey in what will be the first officail record of patas in Samburu. However, my sadness in this photo was caused by something else, not the insecurity. Lookout for the next post for the details.

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My sad encounter with a rhino in Mathews range

Category: Endangered Wildlife | Date: Oct 01 2007 | By: admin

During my last field trip which ended last month, I had a rather depressing “encounter” with a rhino on the central part of western Mathews range. I unearthed in a river bed the lower jaw of a Black rhino that was no doubt killed 20-30 years ago by poachers who employed a few locals to track the rhinos and elephnat in this remote forest. The Somali poachers were the middlemen who provided the locals with weapons and food and as little as $ 5 for every elephant or rhino killed. They took the trophies and sold them for hundreds of dollars, became wealthy and expanded the “business” succesifully wiping out all the rhinos in Mathews range. Only two were rescued a decade ago and they were taken to a rhino santuary at Lewa.

Today, there are no Rhinos in Mathews range and the neighboring Kirisia Hills, Ndotto and Mt Nyiro forests, places that had plenty of rhinos 40 years ago. But the community are bitter that their treasured resource was exterminated by a few selfish criminals. To jealously guard what was left behind, almost the entire district has been converted to Community Conservancies and the district is quickly embracing Wildlife conservation as sustainable means of livelihood.

The selfish few will never get another chance!

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It’s not just about the primates!

Category: Endangered Wildlife | Date: Sep 28 2007 | By: admin

As I promised you in my last post, there are many fascinating stories of my adventure in Samburu that I want to share with you, some of which don’t touch on primates. Let me start with this one of a buffalo stuck in a pit that we tried to rescue last December.

Buffaloes are known to relish wallowing in mud as a way of cooling from the sweltering heat of the savannah and to controls ticks and biting insects. But this buffalo in Mathews Range Forest Reserve was in for a surprise when the would-be wallowing pool turned out to be an 8 feet pit in the ground.

My research team found the buffalo in this predicament and tried to rescue it, though using only bear our bear hands and sticks as there were no other appropriate tools. Though we had little progress in our search for primates that day, we felt like heroes that night, having rescued a half ton beast.

However, our celebration was short-lived as the next morning we found the beast dead. The cause of death was most likely arising from the injuries sustained in the fall and probably pneumonia caused by spending several days in the cold pit in the cold tropical forest of Mathews range.

However, my adventure is not all about stories sad endings. Look out for upcoming posts.
Mwenja

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New reports of rare monkeys in Samburu, northern Kenya

Category: Endangered Wildlife | Date: Sep 24 2007 | By: admin

My studies of rare and endangered primates species of Samburu - an arid region of northern Kenya focuses on six species, five of which had not been officially reported to occur in the region. They are the de Brazza’s monkey, the Patas’ monkey, the Gallarum and the senegalensis Galago and the Sykes’ monkey. The sixth is the Mt Uarges guereza, a sub-species of the black and white colobus which is endemic to Samburu. It is the only sub-species of the gureza colobus listed as Endangered by IUCN and it was first described by Heller in 1913.

Very little is known of the ecology and conservation status of the Mt Uargues guereza Colobus guereza percivali making this survey unique being the first of its kind to be done on this sub-species. On the other hand, the de Brazza’s monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus) is consindered to be endangered in Kenya. The eastern limit of it’s range was thought to be western Kenya until recently when reports of a new population in Mathew range of Samburu emerged. Surprisingly, this area lies East of the Great Rift Valley meaning that the satelite polpuation has been isolated for many years leading to speculation that it may exhibit genetic variations. The first survey on this satellite population was carried out last year and I will write posts in the coming days on the findings and the adventurous exploration of the remote forests of Samburu.

During the survey I gathered reliable reports of the de Brazza’s and guereza colobus’ sightings in the Leroghi and Ndoto forests reserves to the West and North of Mathews range respectively. I thought this leads were worth investigating and this year I embarked on an extensive survey of the over 21 sq. km Samburu District, an exciting but sometimes risky endeavour that I will share with you soon.

With very little information currently available on the six species in Leroghi, Ndoto, Mathews range and Mt. Nyiro Forest Reserves of Samburu, it is obvious that it would be impossible to initiate in-situ conservation activities. IUCN PSG also recommends further taxonomic and conservation status research on the endangered Mt Uarges guereza. My main aim this year was to determine the distribution and conservation status of all the six species concurrently in the four Forest – to save on time and costs, provide recommendations for in-situ conservation and avail baseline information for future studies and a planned primates monitoring initiative in collaboration with Milgis Trust. I have renown primatologist Tom B. to thanks for giving me this bright idea as I have now been able to collect valuable data on the six speceies on a very small budget and within a short time.

This blog will take you on adventures into northern Kenya’s amazing forests and plains where you will meet traditional Samburu forest people, and strange new animals. Karibu!

My work in Samburu would however not have been possible without the generous support from;