Appreciating Primates

June 7, 2022.

It’s day 4 in Kenya, and I’m currently residing in Pam’s guesthouse. Pam is our host for this trip, and I am so grateful to her right now. I’m grateful for her willingness to recruit us for this project, for her relentless hospitality, and for letting me isolate myself in her guesthouse because, yes, I caught COVID while travelling. So far it seems like I’m the only case, so I am also grateful about that. And finally, I am grateful for my daily entertainment in the form of Sykes’ monkeys.

Having her property surrounded by monkeys is ideal for Pam. She is a primatologist who settled in Kenya decades ago and currently serves as director of Colobus Conservation. Colobus Conservation is an organization in Diani, Kenya that provides extensive services to protect local primates, their habitat, and the ecosystem. Our group—led by Pam’s long-time friend and our teaching colleague Angela van Doorn—worked throughout the spring semester on planning to redesign their information center, a one-room exhibit about the primates and the conservation work. In the next few days, the students will start helping to set up new displays, as well as participate in some monkey-related field work.

Until I test negative, my task will be to appreciate the nature and the Sykes’ monkeys. They are delightful to watch from this porch, although I heard them before I saw them. Not their vocalizations (although Pam tells me they make chirping sounds), but their antics. They make noise like little kids running around an upstairs apartment, trotting across the roof before jumping to nearby trees. Pitter patter, pitter patter. KSHH! Ksh, ksh…. KSH! When the monkeys are here, trees sway and rattle like there’s an incoming storm.

Unlike the animals at home, with their nervous alertness, these monkeys exude a relaxed confidence. They have fun living out their monkey lives, hopping through springy branches and playing on the rubber roof of the shed. I asked Pam if the monkeys cause destruction around the houses, and she said they just make sure to close windows and doors when monkeys come around. You also don’t want to leave out food, Pam reminds me after setting down my lunch on the table outside the guest house, keeping her distance from me. The Sykes’ monkeys will scavenge human food, although they typically eat the leaves and berries of the tall trees they live in.

The number of Sykes’ monkeys is declining, but they are currently categorized Of Least Concern in terms of conservation status. Among the primates that Colobus Conservation cares for, the Angolan Colobus monkey is a main character—its status was declared Vulnerable in 2016. Pam and Colobus Conservation helped to make that happen through their data collection. Colobus Conservation helps protect the current population of Colobus (and other monkeys) through a variety of approaches, such as building bridges across the dangerous roads, regrowing trees, rehabilitating injured monkeys, and educating locals and tourists about conservation.

The information center we’re helping to revamp is the last stop when a visitor takes the eco-tour at Colobus Conservation. Hopefully the updated exhibit materials will improve the impact of their messages and increase donations and support for Colobus Conservation’s work. That was the deal, that we get this amazing opportunity to see Kenya and its animals if we do our part to help protect them. I and the rest of the group feel so grateful to be here. I hope that Colobus Conservation benefits enough to be grateful we were here as well.