Cercopan

by Kristine Krynitzki

A new family has recently been brought together here at CERCOPAN and we all could not be happier about it. If you’ve ever seen a “second chance” episode of Oprah you’ll understand why. These episodes feature great people who have suffered from some terrible hardship and are then given a fantastic surprise that changes the course of their lives forever. I in particular, remember a show dealing with the rebuilding of houses for victims of Hurricane Katrina in the US. I remember vividly how I felt when I witnessed the renewed hope and strength on the faces of people who had suffered hardship. Well that’s a similar feeling we all here at CERCOPAN get when we pay a visit to the new mangabey group put together in one of our newly built enclosures.

After almost two months of construction, Abonema, Murphy and Osuwake (who you may remember from earlier blogs) joined with Emem, Jacob, and Nya (who were all animals that were struggling in other groups) in a new enclosure. The first three were ecstatic at the newly found space and luxuries they found themselves amongst, having spent the last few months in quarantine as new arrivals to CERCOPAN. Emem and Jacob also seemed delighted having been moved from our largest mangabey group where they had both been cast as low-ranking outsiders and were bullied by other members of the group. Nya had been moved several times over the years, having been bullied wherever she was placed and so it was a pleasure to watch her immediately settle into her new home and make friends. We had previously been forced to regularly separate all three animals from their groups during feeding to ensure that they were able to attain sufficient food, as the dominant animals would steal from them and limit their access to the most nutritious food (as would also be the case in the wild). Well not anymore. Now is a time of second chances. To the new group, each member has brought with them a special quality unique to themselves and together they have created an outstanding group dynamic. All animals eat well without the need for separation at meal times, they sleep huddled together, groom one another and play happily, no longer social outcasts. Nya seems to have adopted babies Murphy and Osuwake and the three are inseperable. Just a brief glance over their way and you can see the newfound happiness radiating from within. They truly are everyones favourite group and like Oprah, make absolutely compelling viewing.   

Murphy eating Moi Moi

Foraging in the new enclosure