by Kristine Krynitzki,

Most of us go through life taking for granted the care we receive from our parents; the provision of food, shelter, love, the simple presence of an elder family member to shield us from the worldly dangers of the environment that surrounds us. But imagine if at only two weeks old you were left to fend for yourself, ripped from your mother’s protective embrace, alone, staring up at the big bad world with no one at your side. This is how Melody’s life began. 

Baby Melody

Melody arrived at CERCOPAN so small and fragile that many people did not think she would live past the week’s end. She couldn’t walk. She couldn’t stand up. She could barely open her tiny little eyes.

Kristine and Melody when she first arrived

Usually babies cling to their mothers for months and this little one barely had two weeks. As can only be expected, Melody arrived with serious separation issues. She was, and still is, very timid and afraid of being alone, always needing to cling to someone. The second she is forced to let go she wails uncontrollably, seemingly afraid that she is being forced to go through that tragic, traumatic experience all over again. Melody only feels truly safe when she is clinging to her surrogate mother  and when her stress levels become too high we are forced to darken her box to calm her.  

Melody clinging to her surrogate mum 

Like a child afraid of the imaginary boogie man hiding in the closet, she hides under her blanket to escape at the slightest unexpected sound. Luckily, with care and attention at CERCOPAN I am sure that Melody will overcome that fear someday. 

Melody comforts herself by sucking her toe

It has been three weeks since Melody became a member of the CERCOPAN family and she continues to show progress, proving all of those who doubted her survival wrong. With baby steps she is now happy to frolic with her new friend Joy, who joined us just a few days ago. Although Joy is slightly older and so bullies Melody a little sometimes, I believe the relationship is already making her stronger.  Melody feels free to roam around the sofa so long as her surrogate mother (her mum- a stuffed monkey) is still in view, and she widens her comfort zone more and more every day. When Joy is close by and something frightens her she will now cling to Joy for support sometimes, rather than the mum. This small step on the path towards integration with other monkeys is enough to make any mother proud. 

Melody now holding her own

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by Sagan Friant

The word classroom usually brings to mind images of a four walled room with desks lined up in rows filled with students facing their teacher who stands against the all too familiar backdrop of his/her whiteboard.  Recently, 9 students from the University of Calabar, Department of Forestry and Wildlife and Resources Management visited CERCOPAN’s Rhoko camp where the classroom is everywhere. 

Students learning about sustainable livelihoods with Mike Ekpe Community Liaison Officer

After a long journey to the bush the students arrived at their new home Ebontema, the student accommodation set up at Rhoko, where they settled in for a week of classes in the field!  This week there were no walls, rather the vastness of the surrounding forest.  There is no air conditioning in these classroom’s either, the temperature is hot, the rain is unpredictable, and the mosquitoes and flies pester you throughout the day.  Instead of your legs cramping up from sitting at a desk, your feet may be swollen from hiking in the forest.  To be in class at Rhoko is to truly experience life in “the field”. 

The students were first given an introduction to CERCOPAN’s Rhoko Camp and our role in helping to conserve Nigeria’s primates through sustainable rainforest conservation, community partnerships, education, primate rehabilitation and research.  Since CERCOPAN started with monkeys, I figured that’s what we would do too.

Introductory Lecture at the Rhoko Education Centre 

The students spent the first few days learning about primate taxonomy, distribution, and patterns of diversity.  After spending the previous week visiting CERCOPAN’s sanctuary in Calabar they had become very familiar with the primates of Nigeria, specifically the species that we have on site.  However, primate diversity is much greater than that which is seen in Nigeria and even in Africa.  So we spent a day to learn about what makes a primate different from all other animals, to explore the various regions of the world which they inhabit, the different habitats they have adapted to live in, and the myriad adaptive characteristics that have allowed these primates to diversify and flourish over the past millions of years!  After the lecture I introduced the students to our group of 41 semi-captive mangabeys.  We sat on the viewing platform outside the enclosure and took a very close look at mangabey behaviour, ecology, and physical characteristics, and discussed managbeys in the context of the rest of the primates of the world and how they have adapted to live in Nigeria’s tropical rainforest.  I myself cannot help but to be excited as I describe the different groups and species of primates.  I believe these students took a bit of excitement with them as they explored the world of primate diversity whilst in the forest in which they inhabit.

Mangabeys free-ranging in their open topped enclosure

Our knowledge of primate diversity, however, is hardly complete and it takes new innovative research to help broaden our knowledge of their behavioral ecology conservation needs.  For instance many of the primates at CERCOPAN have been studied very little in the wild and some have never been studied in Nigeria before.  For this reason the students spent the next few days learning and practicing different methods of studying primate behaviour, distribution and density, and assessing the habitat in which they live in.  The students took behavioral data on our monas and mangabeys, did vegetation surveys within the core area, and practiced censusing our nocturnal primate population.  Leah Schien, a visiting MSc student, was able to give a lecture on the often forgotten nocturnal primate populations.  Since she is at Rhoko to census some of our nocturnal primates the students were able to learn about and participate in her research first hand!  Such wildlife monitoring skills are not only important for conserving primates, but can be applied to all animals and used to conserve forest throughout Nigeria and beyond.

After practicing methods of studying forests and the animals that inhabit them, we moved on to a much harder lesson – forest destruction and conservation.  On the last day I took the students on a walk along the edges of the forest to witness the threatening pressures upon it.  We walked along the road and talked about the threats that roads pose by allowing access to loggers and hunters who wouldn’t have before had access.  We discussed about the encroaching farmlands and their effects on the integrity of the forest.  We then reached our destination, a newly felled area for farmland.  The students sat along the log of a massive felled tree and learned about the uniqueness of tropical biodiversity and the conflicts that arise between wildlife and encroaching human populations.  The tone was somber, but the students were intrigued.  They asked a wide variety of thought provoking questions that illustrated that many of them had not only learned something new, but were concerned for the future of Nigeria’s rainforest.

Studying at the forests edge

Finally, after discussing about conserving areas that local human populations rely on to live, we went into the village to visit some of the alternative livelihoods being practiced in the village.  We visited local bee hives for honey production, a snail farm, and discussed technical training that has been given in various fields, and ideas for future avenues for alternative livlihoods.  This was the perfect end to the week as it illustrated how conservation efforts can work in partnerships with local communities to ensure that livelihoods are not being ruined and that the community supports local conservation efforts.

As a volunteer for CERCOPAN I am not permanently based Nigeria.  Depending on the position volunteers tend to come for 1 month to over 3 years.  These students who live in Nigeria and have an interest in wildlife are extremely valuable for the future of conservation as they have the opportunity to carry out long term projects and really see them through.  Having the opportunity to share my passion for conservation with these students was amazing.  I hope they took home new and memorable experiences along with some inspiration.  Maybe someday I will run across them working for wildlife within Nigeria!

UNICAL students saying goodbye at the education centre

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by Kristine Krynitzki

Shuffling backwards Johnnyface enters the office tied to what looks like the remnants of a ratty old ripped apart T-shirt. He is very thin, most of the fur on his tail has fallen off, and he is so scared that he is at first hesitant to eat the banana we place in front of him, despite the fact that he is obviously ravenously hungry. Johnnyface came into CERCOPAN a sad little mona, but what is even sadder is that he is only one of many of cases just like this.  

Johnnyface on arrival, tightly bound with a scrap of old T-shirt

Johnnyface was very different than all of the other orphans that have arrived since I have been here. When most babies come in they are desperate for attention and cling to the first person who begins to take care of them. But Johnnyface, despite his young age, wanted nothing to do with humans. He would cower in the corner whenever I went to take him out of his travel box to run around and play. When I did manage to get him out, he would run to the furthest point away from me and sit staring blankly out the window for hours on end. It even took him a few days to accept the food we were trying to give him. I would place a piece of pineapple or cucumber in front of him and he would look down at it and then back up at me sceptically, as though he was fearful it was a trap. This monkey must have been in a particularly bad situation as it took many days before he began to come around. 

Johnnyface eyeing the camera suspiciously

Johnnyface was caught in a battle between his mistrust of humans and desperation for love. After many days attempting to give him attention, he finally began to carefully approach me and bow his head to be groomed. We would sit there like this, me gently grooming the thin coat of fur that just barely covers his frail body, until an unexpected noise sounded like the opening of a door. He would then quickly scamper off back to his safe spot on the window sill until he could work up the courage to venture over again.  This type of distrusting behaviour was characteristic of Johnnyface for quite some time. Luckily after a week he began to feel more comfortable with me and would get excited before our play time together each afternoon. He began to explore his new surroundings, climbing the tall bookcase in the living room, testing his balancing skills jumping from object to object. He even started to make a soft squeak whenever I left the room for a minute, indicating that he did not want me to go. Although he still will not allow anyone to pick him up, he is much more accepting of human contact now.  

Shortly after his arrival I began to introduce Johnnyface to Ema, the other baby I was caring for at the time. I initally placed Ema on the table in front of the door to Johnnyface’s box, but they just looked at each other, not really too interested. The next day however, Johnnyface began to reach out and grab Ema’s hand whenever she ventured close enough. From that day forward they have been the best of friends and are inseparable. In their new outdoor enclosure they play on the swing, chase each other across the branches and can be found every morning locked together in an affectionate embrace. After three months they will both need to move into larger quarters. We hope by that time to have raised enough funds to construct new enclosures to house them and all of the other orphans desperately waiting to leave quarantine (with further space for additional newcomers!). If you would like to help Ema and Johnnyface, please donate to our enclosure appeal today.

Johnnyface and Ema playing with their food!

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by Robert Warren

Eh? I hear you say. How can a butterfly save monkeys? Well the connection is not direct, but in the complex world of Conservation there is indeed a connection. So let me explain.

The Common Blue Charaxes

I am a butterfly enthusiast, and I am conducting a survey of the butterflies of Rhoko, the community forest of Iko Esai, Cross River State, Nigeria. Rhoko is where the field site of CERCOPAN is situated. CERCOPAN’s mission is to conserve Nigeria’s primates through sustainable rainforest conservation, community partnerships, education, primate rehabilitation and research (that’s the ‘R’, in the name, by the way). Something that makes CERCOPAN stand out amongst groups with similar aims, is their recognition that a successful conservation operation requires dedication to the task along all, not just some, of these fronts. Even the research work covers many areas. But the piece I am assisting with is understanding Rhoko forest itself. There is pressure on all of Africa’s forests, and if you are interested in conserving forest, where do your priorities lie? The forest with the most species? The forest with the rarest species? Well a forest with both would seem to be a good place to start!

The Incipient False Acraea

So myself, and scientists from many other fields, come to Rhoko, and study what is there. It’s not enough to love the place, and have a gut-feel that it is worth conserving – you have to have knowledge. Most funders are hard-nosed about where their money will go. The Foundation of my own company, for example, has key criteria for its Biodiversity grants, amongst which are that the projects are based on scientific principles, and are advancing the understanding of biomes.

The Lilac Beauty

Well the good butterfly news is that it looks like Rhoko really should be quite an exceptional location. We already know that there are around 1,100 butterfly species in Cross River State. That’s Tops for the whole of Africa! In fact that’s more than 25% of all the known species in Africa, and almost three quarters of those known in West Africa. So far in the three visits (15 field days) that I have made to Rhoko I have already identified more than 300 species. Amongst them, there is one that has only been seen once before in Nigeria, one for which there are only a handful known anywhere, and one that has never been seen before in Nigeria at all. And here it is….

Papilio andronicus, a large ’swallowtail’, previously only see in Cameroun (rarely)

So we have made a great start. It will probably take another 60 days in the field to provide enough information for a firm prediction of the total number of species present. That means plenty of work left to do: long walks in the heat and humidity, and painstaking identification and indexing. However, it’s not hard for me to give up my vacation (I’m a Geologist working in Lagos, by profession) to rush down to Rhoko and keep the research moving forward. You see there are many compensations, not least of which is meeting up with my brilliant friends in CERCOPAN again. Then there are the stunning butterflies with their endless variety. My understanding of their behaviour, and their interactions with each other and their habitat improves dramatically with each visit. There’s also the legacy we will leave for future workers to compare against in a proposed 2100 Butterfly Survey in selected African forests. That work will improve the scientific world’s understanding of habitat degradation and climate change impacts. A final motivator is that there’s always the promise of finding another butterfly like Papilio andronicus. Have you ever wondered how a species gets its name? Well it’s simple. The person who writes the scientific article that proposes the new species to the world, gets to choose the name (it’s the second name – the ’specific’ name – that is available). Many choose to name it after a favourite person. For example the following species can all be found in Cross River, and they are all named after people: Eurema brigitta, Appias sabina, Stempfferia gordoni, Gorgyra warreni (that’s me folks), Junonia sophia, Cymothoe beckeri (the ‘i’ on the end of a name, by the way, is the Latin way of saying that it belongs to that person – it’s theirs…..for ever). We will almost certainly find a new butterfly species at Rhoko soon. And when that time comes, you will be given the opportunity to name the butterfly….that is if you are the highest bidder: all proceeds to CERCOPAN. And then, once again, a butterfly will save monkeys!

Papilo  your-name-here

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We have just opened a new online store on the CERCOPAN website (www.cercopan.org) offering gifts and primate adoptions. 100% of all proceeds from purchases go towards our primate rehabilitation and conservation programmes - feeding monkeys, educating children about nature and supporting our community to protect their forests. At the moment greetings cards and posters are available, but look out over the coming months as other new items will be added….

Screenshot of new online CERCOPAN store

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A big thank you to Theresa S and Brigitta S for your recent donations, there is so much going on at CERCOPAN right now and your support really does mean a great deal to all of us here.

Sadly, we are once again experiencing a peak in the number of orphaned primates coming through our doors and quarantine is now completely full. We have received 3 babies in the last month and are still hoping that we will be able to raise the money we need to build new enclosures (see emergency appeal blog). The enclosures will house not only these animals, but also some old friends that cannot leave quarantine right now as there is simply nowhere for them to go (Murphy, Abonema, Osuwake, JB and Sonic). Every donation no matter how small bring us closer to our goal.

Watch out over the coming days for a further 2 blogs from Kristine on our new arrivals, one a baby Mona named Melody, is only a week old and so requires almost constant round the clock care.

Baby Mangabey, “Quantity”

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 I want to first say hello and thank CERCOPAN for having me here at Rhoko Camp.  I am a student from Oxford Brooks University (UK) working on my Masters in Primate Conservation.  The Community of Iko Esai and CERCOPAN have been working for many years now to help save their resident monkeys.  I heard about the wonderful work and wanted to come and support this.  Much has been said about the mangabey and guenon monkeys living at Rhoko.  I however, came to study the other primates that live here.  Did you know there are many species of primates that are wild in the forest and only came out at night? Not many people have ever seen these animals, as they come out when everyone is asleep.  I will be spending my two months at Rhoko going out with night patrol and looking at bush-babies, pottos, and angwantibos.  They have large eyes that can be seen at night with a torch.

The bush-baby, one of Rhoko’s nocturnal primates

So far, I have only been here for two weeks and have found many animals! Each night brings new discoveries.  It is important to help conserve these forests because they are home to many species, and not just the ones we see during the day.  I look forward to learning much more about these primates, the forest, and the people who help protect it.

Leah and her Research Assistant Osam

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by Kristine Krynitzki

Ema is one of those babies whose big bright eyes can make even the toughest of characters heart melt. Standing no taller than ankle height, she peers up at you and immediately you want to take her into your arms and comfort her from the sadness she surely must feel from having lost her parents at such a tender age. Ema is yet another orphan who has come to CERCOPAN because, like most babies, her parents were likely killed due to the ever-present bushmeat trade.

Ema at my feet

My first encounter with Ema was a very sad one. It was late May and I was on my back to Calabar from visiting our bush site at Rhoko when my bike ran out of fuel. Taking a short break in a village while my driver went to fill up his tank, I decided to take a stroll. Shortly thereafter a man approached me carrying a small monkey with a piece of string tied around its waist, hanging by a stick. He was offering me this “pet” of his for five thousand naira. My immediate reaction was to explain to the man all of the many reasons why he should not keep monkeys as pets and why he should just give it to me. Unfortunately my efforts failed as he would not give it up without payment. I immediately notified Claire when I got back to the office and an action plan was put into place to rescue this poor soul.

In the following week our Education Officer from the bush, Mike Ekpe, visited the man many times. Although Mike is well versed in confiscating illegally kept monkeys, the man was still unwilling to give it up without being monetarily compensated. When CERCOPAN’s Deputy Director, Claire Coulson, was visiting the bush the following weekend she decided to also pay the man a visit. Luckily this time the man came to his senses and handed the baby monkey over to her, but made her promise to keep the monkey’s original name – Ema, after the man Emmanuel.

It was early June when Ema first arrived to her new home at CERCOPAN in Calabar and immediately everyone loved her. She is one of those special monkeys that just always looks stunning, from her shiny coat of fur, her big bright eyes, and the hop in her step. Although a little bit of a madam, as most female puttys are, she immediately took to her new surroundings. She was not frightened of all the new people she encountered, and quickly began exploring her new space.

Ema having lunch

Ema has been a real pleasure to take care of, which cannot always be said for all babies. Some are very frightened when they arrive, which makes it hard to take of care them, others are extremely clingy, never wanting to let go of you, making all other responsibilities very difficult to handle. I find Ema to be a very well balanced individual. She loves to cuddle and play and generally be in the company of others, but she is also okay with being on her own for afternoon naps.

Unfortunately due to being domesticated as a pet by her previous owner at such a young age, she wasn’t able to establish very good monkey skills that should have been natural, like jumping and clinging and climbing. When she first arrived she was only able to cling to my hair, which was rather uncomfortable as you can imagine, so I had to carry her around. She also found it very difficult to jump long distances and often fell onto the floor in failed attempts. Luckily after a few days of play where I would test her abilities with various activities, she quickly strengthened these skills and is now as agile as the rest of her kind.

After being TB tested, Ema was ready to go outside to be introduced to a new monkey friend. Though sad, as it always is when the babies leave the house, Ema moved into a nice new home in the quarantine area with another new monkey named Johnnyface. I am happy for Ema because she and Johnnyface have loved each other since the moment they met. Introductions to new friends are always a little unpredictable, but this was a match made in heaven. The following morning when I went out to check on her, she was fast asleep in Johnnyface’s arms. The rest of the day she could be found bouncing around on the swing, rustling through the palm leaves, or simply sitting on the platform hugging her new friend.

Ema and Johnny face

Luckily Ema and Johnnyface are both small babies who do not require too much space, but we will soon be faced with a putty predicament when she is to move again into the larger quarantine area. Ema is only one of three new babies to arrive in the last month, and with our already at-capacity quarantine area and enclosures, she has nowhere to move to. We are in the process of redesigning and expanding the important area where all of the newcomers are kept, but as the projects keep mounting our finances are having a tough time keeping up. We now have the land to build new enclosures and the designs are ready, but without the funds we cannot go ahead. If you want to help create a home for Ema and her friends, please donate today.

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For the last month, I have barely set foot in my office at CERCOPAN HQ. The state government held a stakeholders’ Environmental Summit here in Calabar from 25th -28th June and the organizing team, of which I was a member, worked day and night to ensure that it was a huge success. We had just over three weeks to book hotels, fundraise, organize food, clean and prepare the venue, initiate the publicity campaign, organize vehicles to transport guests, design and print the programmes, banners and invitations, set up computers, screens, lighting etc. etc. The media attention during the run up to the event was particularly grueling, with a constant stream of talk shows, press conferences and radio interviews. My very limited wardrobe had me wracking my brains every morning trying to come up with new combinations that would not make it look as though I only have one jacket! Towards the end, I actually wondered if we could pull everything together in time (particularly after a few last-minute unexpected hitches), but when the day came, it all just fell into place.

The high table at the summit  (me on far left)

The theme of the Summit was “Developing and Sustaining a Green and Safe Environment for Present and Future Generations” and it focused on Forests and Biodiversity, Urban Environmental Management, Climate Change, Energy, Industrial Ecology, and Environmental Governance. The aim of the summit was for stakeholders to come together and contribute towards shaping the future of environmental policy in Cross River State.   It was attended by representatives from Federal and State Governments, overseases experts, Members of the Diplomatic Corp, National and State Assemblies, Academia, Development Partners, Non-Governmental Organisations, Media and the general public. Representatives from the communities that work with CERCOPAN were also invited, and they were delighted to be placed in the VIP section with all of the important guests. They were particularly excited and proud that the poster backdrop and event programme were filled with pictures from their forest, Rhoko. I was initially afraid that I would not be able to spot my friends from the communities amongst all of the other guests, but as the only attendees wearing bright red woolen bobble hats, I need not have worried!

Traditional dancers at the opening ceremony (can you spot my community members towards the top right?)

After the opening Ceremony, with its speeches and dances, the general public headed for home and the technical experts split into thematic groups to contribute ideas and give presentations. I was placed in the Forest and Biodiversity group alongside my colleagues from the Forestry Commission, Cross River National Park, Federal National Parks service etc. The discussion in our group was very lively and after numerous talks and a great deal of deliberation, we presented our ideas to all of the other groups.

Representative from  Federal National Parks service giving a presentation

At the end of the summit, the contributions from all of the groups were summarised into broad recommendations and a Communique produced. This documents was submitted to the State government and accepted unanimously yesterday. The recommendations were as follows:

1. Halt revenue targets based on timber exploitation and focus on forest conservation and regeneration for possible carbon finance.

2. Initiate action to take advantage of the carbon credit market.

3. Declare a two year moratorium on logging, timber cutting and sawing in forest reserves and also put in place adequate enforcement measures to halt deforestation and forest degradation.

4. Identify and implement short and long-term adaptation and mitigation measures to reduce the impacts of climate change due to global warming.

5. Promote the use of renewable energy sources such as micro hydropower, biomass, energy efficient woodstoves, solar, etc. to complement the conventional energy supply.

6. Promote Sustainable Forest Management and reforestation at the State, Local and community levels.

7. Facilitate the change from harmful agricultural practices to eco-agriculture.

8. Establish a sustainable integrated waste management system including a recycle village through public, private and community participation.

9. Implement an improved water supply scheme in the State, with centralized sewage system in new settlements.

10. Promote the establishment of waste water/effluent treatment plants in all industries and conduct environmental audits in industries.

11. Establish a State Environmental Sustainability Fund or Eco-fund as a more coordinated, holistic and focused approach for managing environment for sustainable development.

12. Establish a Museum of Natural History to support eco-tourism and environmental education.

 13. Adopt a multi-sectoral approach to review and harmonize all legal frameworks and institutions dealing with environmental issues in the State.

14. Set up an institutional mechanism to facilitate compliance monitoring and enforcement of environmental standards and regulations, and to partner with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

15. Integrate Gender and Youth issues into the State Environmental Policy of clean, green and safe environment.

16. Introduce environmental education into the school curriculum at all levels and in collaboration with Stakeholders.

17. Enhance the development of environmental governance, advocacy and sustainable livelihood options, especially at the community level.

18. Set-up a technical team to develop a Strategic Action Plan (SAP) to enable the implementation of the outcome of the Summit within the next four (4) weeks.

His Excellency the Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke giving keynote address

Just when I thought my work was over and I may actually start arriving home before 9pm at night, I was asked to join the technical team and now have 4 weeks to help develop the Forest and Biodiversity section of the Action Plan. This plan will incorporate more of the detail arising from our group discussions in addition to new ideas and input. I am sure its going to keep me very busy, but I really am delighted to be part of such a forward thinking government initiative. His Excellency the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke and the Commissioner of the Environment, Dr Julius Okputu, are both so committed to ensuring the natural heritage of the State is conserved, that I am certain this action plan will achieve results. I will post the biodiversity section in 4 weeks time when it’s complete so watch this space!

Commissioner of the Environment, Dr Julius Okputu

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By Egu Arikpo

Place of work: Calabar HQ

Designation: Primate Care Staff 

Years of Service : 10 years

Egu

CERCOPAN is conserving six different species of monkeys, but I Egu Arikpo am in charge of Putty Nosed Guenons. Putty nosed monkeys belong to the family of the guenons called (Cercopithecus nictitan) and they are found from Liberia to Zaire and Angola.  Nellie was one of the putty’s and was a dominant female.  She acted very well in the group which every staff in CERCOPAN loved, her behaviour was as that of humans, because whenever a new monkey was introduced into her group from quarantine she did not fight nor threaten them but groomed them.  

Nellie took care of the smaller orphan babies’ in-terms of grooming, and also made them feel very happy in the group.  Nellie was also a monkey that was always alert. Whenever anyone passed her enclosure with anything edible, she stretched out her hands or screamed so hard to draw their attention indicating she needed something from them. Nellie never attacked or bit any staff in CERCOPAN.

Nellie and Egu

When problems arose in the group, she would always first of all look for where to sit and would watch to see exactly what was going on in the group. She would never look for ways of escape, but would rather choose to forage and groom the orphan babies’ in the group. 

Nellie pretended so much when she was sick, so that her friend Nkanacha would not over-throw her in her rank. Sometimes Nkanacha would want to copy Nellie’s bahaviours, but other monkeys awere not close to Nkanacha because of her aggressive style.

To keep Nellie happy at all times, we always fed her first before any other monkey in the group. She did not want the smaller monkeys to eat before her, as she is the madam and the dominate female in the group.

Sadly Nellie died recently and all of the staff were very sad, although she was very old. We will miss her a lot.  

Nellie

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