ON THE BRINK

On assignment with Africa's most endangered primates

Story and Photography by Greg Shaw

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Afi River forest reserve, Nigeria: Elaine Scott greets an orphan chimpanzee at the Drill Rehabilitation and Breeding Center Project base camp. The international team of conservationalists plan to re-introduce the rarest of primates into the forest reserve --one of West Africa's last Edens.

It is sunrise and Cercopan, Calabar, is alive with the sounds of primates.

Seventy-six monkeys of 5 species go about their morning business of feeding, socializing and grooming. “We have a lot of new arrivals this year,” explains Zena Tooze. They are magnificent animals. The vulnerable puttynose are my favorite. They are gentle and inquisitive. When you enter into their enclosure they pull at your socks and shorts and try to pry open your lips to stick their grubby fingers in your mouth, a behavior in which the infants ‘beg’ for food or attention.

Tooze, a native of Cambridge, Ontario, is well-suited for the job of protecting primates. To date she has conducted ecological studies of hummingbirds, squirrels, egrets, timber wolves and forest elephants. It was when she was working as a conservation educator for the Cross River National Park, Nigeria, that she recognized the need to establish a “safe haven” for threatened and endangered forest monkeys. Tooze explains, “Most of the monkeys here are orphans. Their parents were shot by hunters for ‘bushmeat.’ Their numbers are diminishing each year. Some at alarming rates. We are trying to change all of that.”

I am introduced to an extremely rare orphan, a Preuss’ guenon, which had part of her skull shaved off by a gun shot. Kepemsi, as Zena has named her, is in stable condition. The infant incredibly is the third of its species in captivity in the world. A “tailed-fur ball” I jokingly call her. She is timid and gentle. Retreating to the back of the cage as I approach. But after some time, seeing that I pose little threat to her, she moves forward, extends her right arm and greets me by shaking my finger. A moving gesture from her endangered realm to my own.

Tooze points to the red-capped mangabeys and notes that they are threatened with extinction. Booming cackles and other sharp calls emanate from their cage. The rare Sclater’s guenon is also noted for the record. Endemic to Nigeria between the Niger and Cross River, the species has been listed as the highest priority primate for conservation in Africa by the IUCN. Tooze shifts focus to the red-eared guenons. “Those guys are highly endangered. They have the same distribution as Drill monkeys.” Drills are Africa’s most endangered and least-known primate, ranging less than 40,000 sq. km in Nigeria, Cameroon and Bioko Island, Equitorial Guinea. “It is unfortunate but no one really knows how many of the monkeys remain in the wild,” adds Tooze, “Few biodiversity surveys and behavioral studies of the monkeys have been conducted in Nigeria.”

The ‘Afi Massif,’ a rugged mountainous area covering about 20 per cent of the Afi River forest reserve, is everything I had expected and more. The total reserve area is about 320 square kilometers. The lush rainforest is prime habitat for primates including drills, western lowland gorillas, puttynose monkeys, red-eared guenons, chimpanzees, in addition to a myriad of other creatures. The mountainous area is also the forest site for the Drill Rehabilitation and Breeding Center Project, a well-established nonprofit organization based in Calabar.

Elaine Scott, Volunteer Supervisor from the United kingdom, greets me and walks me into the forest to meet the drill monkeys. I feel like I am on the set of “Gorillas in the Mist.” The drill monkey enclosure, surrounded by a tall solar powered electric fence, reminds me of “Jurassic Park”. Immediately, Billy Oban, the ‘Oga’ or Grand Chief—the dominant male that is—leaves the natural canopy and approaches. The short-tailed monkey sits with his arms crossed. Billy Oban stares me straight in the eye, moves his ears forward and nods his head forcefully in an exaggerated up and down motion. “He is trying to threaten you,” says Scott. I smile and take a closer look. The impressive drill tucks his chin in, presents his teeth in a big smile and moves his black shiny face from side to side. Scott explains, “Now he is greeting you and showing respect.” Just then several females walk by with their infants in tow. It is really amazing to be so near to such rare animals. As few as 3,000 remain in the wild today. The 25 drills on site in addition to the 21 back in Calabar form almost 50 per cent of the captive population of drills in the world. The Project also boasts the only viable captive breeding program for this intrepid yet elusive monkey world wide.

Scott explains that transfer of the animals into natural habitat conditions has meant some trial and error learning processes for the animals. “Bemi and her baby Bamba had a nasty fall from one of the trees. She broke both of her arms probably preventing injury of Bamba [clinging to her chest area]. She must have reached her arms straight out just before hitting the ground. Luckily, her natural healing capability gives hope for an 80 percent recovery in the coming months at the Drill Ranch in Calabar.” Unlike most monkeys, drills are primarily terrestrial, searching the ground for food which includes leaves, roots, invertebrates and fallen fruit. “We noticed for the first time last week a change in their diet,” explains Scott, “The last few days they have been eating caterpillars falling from the trees.” The adult drills did not have a mother to teach them as infants the trials of living in the rainforest. “We still do not know how they react to dangerous snakes. I am also sure they’ve placed a few things such as noxious caterpillars into their mouths. So it’s quite a learning process for the 25 of them.”

Most every wild animal in Nigeria is considered to be “bushmeat” and therefore is hunted for money or food. The drills here in turn are “bushmeat orphans.” Conservation is a new term within the Nigerian thought process. Ninety percent of hunting of the primates is commercial. End consumers include national and international aphrodisiac or pet-trade markets and even ingredient-trade markets for JuJu (a pre-cursor to the Voodon religion) rituals, medicines or potions. Juju is still part of the common believe system and cultural fabric of the everyday Nigerian. A walk through a Juju market where such ingredients are sold is quite incredible--and sad. Hundreds of live or slaughtered animals, threatened, vulnerable or endangered species, available to be purchased for the equivalent of just a few American dimes or dollars.

The Drill Project is the culmination of ten years work. Funding pending, big developments are in the plans for the Project. Two more “Jurassic Park” enclosures are under construction at the site. One will be for the remaining drills. The second is to expand the site for the eight chimpanzee “bushmeat orphans.” The Project cares for 13 of these endangered primates at present and hopes that one day soon, with enhanced protection measures and coordination with local villages, to release the animals into the ‘Efi massif.’ New solar panels are being purchased to power the electric-wire fences and the network of tent foundations in the rainforest will be expanded to accommodate increased ecotourism. “So we are involved in a number of ventures,” explains Scott. “Peter (Jenkins) and Liza (Gadsby), Project Founders and Directors, will be heading back to Cameroon to survey for drill populations there. Blood DNA testing to determine the lineage’s of the drills is also in the works. We are pretty sure that Billy Oban has bred ten of the twelve new arrivals. But with other males like Ekki around (another large male), we would like to be sure.” I thank the seasoned Volunteer Supervisor for my tour of “Jurassic Park.”

Base camp: A female and infant Drill monkey forage for food amid lush rainforest undergrowth. Drills are Africa's most endangered and least-known primate. Their diet includes leaves, roots, invertebrates and fruit.

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Buanchor village: The researchers know well that conservation and protection of the Afi River forest reserve will depend on enhanced coordination with the local villages, Olum and Buanchor. Environmental education for the village children will play an integral role in ensuring the preservation of the forest reserve for subsequent generations.

Rocketing, leaping, spiraling and ricocheting, the juvenile monkeys navigate their enclosures with the greatest of ease. Tooze nabs a red-capped mangabey named Didong, meaning “my friend” in Ejugnam language, out of its enclosure and administers medicine for an intestinal infection to it orally, allowing it to drink out of a small disposable cup. It’s literally a zoo around here. Didong climbs upon her shoulders and instinctively starts grooming her hair. “They are getting bigger,” describes Tooze, “They need larger enclosures. I am leaving in a couple of days to spend a week in the forest, looking for a new site to relocate.” Funding permitting, the researchers plan to move to a location adjacent to the forest for more extensive rehabilitation in forested environments, and to set up a research facility which focuses on reintroduction, conservation education and associated tropical forest research.

JOURNEY NORTH

Roughing it accomplishes its own literal definition in Nigeria. Public transport in Nigeria is possibly more crowded than it was in Guatemala. There, we rode on top of buses en route to Tikal, Lago Atitlan and Todos Santos. Here, one mashes into the back seat of a long-distance taxi or ‘hire-moto’ with three others. Seven adults is the going capacity for a Peugeot ‘hire-moto,’ I understand that sometimes they fit 8, but I fail to see how.

Finally after 6 hours of travel I reach the town of Wula, in the Afi River forest reserve of Nigeria. A 26 kilometer trek along a winding forest road on the back of a motorcycle or ‘machine’—as they call this form of public transportation—completes my journey. Along the way we pass the large villages of Olum and Buanchor. Dozens of children come running out shouting, “‘Iyibo, Iyibo’ (=white person), welcome!” The rainforest backdrop for each village is spectacular. Hundreds of brilliantly colored butterflies collect salt with extended proboscis (=coiled straws) along the edges of puddles in the roadway. They scatter forming animated clouds as we make our way deep into the forest.