It's Not Easy Being Red

The island of Zanzibar is home to one of four species of red colobus monkey.

This species is only found on Zanzibar and is, sadly, critically endangered, with only 1500 individuals remaining. While in Zanzibar I had to take the opportunity to see them in person!

Due to habitat destruction, red colobus are now primarily found in the Jozani Forest National Park – the only National Park on the island of Zanzibar.

These monkeys are protected on Zanzibar – it is illegal to kill or harm them. The hope is that the remaining 1500 monkeys can keep the species alive on the island. Citizens of Zanzibar now take pride in their red colobus and work hard to protect them as well.

When walking through the forest, you must pay close attention to your surroundings. The monkeys are not always easy to spot.

In the distance, you can see something living in the trees. . .

As you get closer, the distinctive red hair becomes visible. . .

Finally, you get close enough and really see the red colobus and their awesome punk haircuts!

Red colobus live in troops of up to 40 individuals with up to four adult males in each group. I had the pleasure of watching a troop of about 30 for nearly an hour.

It’s amazing to see how indifferent they are to humans – when they are protected and humans don’t pose a threat, they really could care less if we’re in their area. In fact, they let us get quite close and even ran right past my leg when passing between distant trees. I loved hearing them run past – they’re large monkeys and have a gait similar to a horse when running on the ground. Of course, they are most at home in the trees. . .

Red colobus monkeys are often found living with Sykes monkeys, the other species of monkey found on Zanzibar.

These two species live in the same habitat, but eat different diets. Colobus monkeys have multi-chambered stomachs, which allow them to eat some toxic plants that other primates are unable to eat. They are also known to eat charcoal which is believed to combat the cyanide that some plants contain. Sykes monkeys, however, eat mature leaves, flowers, and fruits. Fortunately, with the two species living in close proximity, there are more eyes watching for danger.

It was immediately apparent when watching these two species of monkey, that one is endangered and protected, and the other is not. While the red colobus were completely indifferent to humans, the Sykes, were very skittish around people and ran as soon as they saw us. Sykes monkeys are not endangered and, therefore, not protected. They are often hunted or taken as pets on the island and have become very wary of humans. The difference in the reactions of the two species was striking.

More than anything, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to spend some time in the presence of these animals. I have always been fascinated by primates and their similarities to us. I believe that all primates are worth saving – we can learn more about ourselves the more we learn about them.

Pondering the future of his species, perhaps?

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