together, the group now con-sisting 1 adult male, 1 adult female, 3 juvenile males and 3 juvenile females is doing very well. Preparations are still underway at the forest site to make sure everything is ready to successfully receive and release the group. We are currently making the final repairs/adjustments to the release enclosure and to two other enclosures which will be used to space the Rhoko rehabilitation centre captive animals. Lessons learned from the previous release in 2007-2008 have show that spacing the animals throughout the forest is vital to prevent the release group being attracted by the presence of a huge group of monkeys. It is hoped that the two Rhoko captive mona groups will also be re-leased in late 2010/ early 2011, bringing us ever closer to our goal of restoring the historical primate community of this forest.

The entire CERCOPAN team is proud to announce that the future mona release group is finally completely bonded and ready to be reintroduced into Rhoko forest core area! After experiencing difficulties and delays throughout 2009, we hope to give these animals a second chance of freedom in early March 2010.

As mentioned in the November issue of CERCONEWS, we have recently bonded a 9 year old adult male, Mottie, to the group. Mottie arrived 2 years ago in a terrible state of neglect and was on the verge of being killed by his owners when we heard about his plight and rescued him. He had survived for many years by supplementing his diet of ground cassava with insects he was able to catch inside his small cage.

When Mottie was introduced into the release group, at that time composed of 5 individuals, former enclo-sure mate Offiong immedi-ately approached to groom and play with him, helping Mottie quickly fit into the group. Mottie is very tolerant with the other monas and

now spends a lot of time guarding his group and threatening anything that comes within close proximity of his new family...including staff! .

A few weeks after the successful bonding of Mottie, two additional juvenile females were introduced into the group: Bella, one of our fairly recent arrivals, and Sandra, a 2 year old female. Bella was immediately adopted by Offiong and Omor, who were happy to have a new play-mate. Kemi, the adult female, however, initially seemed more dubious about the presence of a new female , but this quickly gave way to tolerance and grooming. Sandra had lived with Mottie previously and therefore had an advantage upon entering the group. Mottie is very protective towards Sandra who seems to be his favorite juvenile female.

After a few weeks all

Our mona release group currently waiting in Calabar until the ‘big day’ they return to the forest

Mona release group ready for action!!

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Mona release group ready for action!!

1

From the Director

2

Hunter’s to swap bush meat to beef meat!

2

Researchers whistle for monkey friendships

3

Festive football strengthening relationships

4

Senior staff receive management training from HR specialist

4

4

Expanding education with creativity

5

New Arrival at CERCOPAN

5

Want to be a part of it

6

CERCO-NEWSJ A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

P A G E 2

“The system

builds upon the

hunters existing

skills and

familiarisation

with butchery and

the meat trade”

Claire Coulson CERCOPAN Director

Hunter’s to swap bush meat for beef meat!

From the Director Happy new year everyone! I hope that your festive season was as happy and event packed as ours here at CERCOPAN! We were extremely fortunate over the last month to be allocated grants from International Primate Protection League, Columbus Zoo and the Tusk Trust, in addition to the many generous donations made on our blog and website over Christmas. I would like to personally thank all of these organizations and individuals for their generous support, without which we would not be able to continue our vital

work conserving the primates and rainforests of Nigeria.

2010 is already shaping up to be a particularly exciting year in the history of our organization with the onset of the development of our new site at UNICAL, completion of the Iko Esai community centre and the second mona monkey release all set to happen in the early stages of this year. It is also a special time for me personally, as on the 22nd of this month I will celebrate the end of my third year at CERCOPAN and the end of my original contract. I am happy

to say that I have chosen to extend my stay with the organization and still enjoy my work as much today as I did in my first week here. It has been an honour to be part of the CERCOPAN team and to be given the chance to really make a difference to primate conservation. I would like to say a big thank you to Zena Tooze our founder, trustee and former Director for giving me the opportunity to work here, it has literally been the best three years of my life.

sale of beef and other products from the processing of a locally purchased cow. The revenue realised from the first sale will be reinvested into the purchase of a second animal and the profits further invested in additional materials. This system builds upon the hunters existing skills and familiarisation with butchery and the meat trade. It also provides a valuable protein source to the village and

CERCOPAN is about to embark upon a new sustainable livelihood programme in Iko Esai, a cow meat cooperative. The programme takes the form of a micro credit scheme and 5 hunters have been selected based on needs and interest levels; this represents nearly 15% of the existing hunters in the village. These individuals will be assisted in setting up a market base for the

reduces both hunting pressure on the forest and the hardships, risks and uncertainty on the men undertaking regular 5 day hunting trips. Workshops will also be undertaken to improve their business and accounting skills. Since 2006 CERCOPAN has instigated a number of sustainable alterna-tive livelihood programmes including snail farming, bee keeping, baking ,and driving.

From all the staff and volunteers here at CERCOPAN

Calabar Rehabilitation Centre Staff Rhoko Education and Research Centre Staff

Previous training given on snail farming

Researchers whistle for monkey friendships!

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

“At the beginning,

the monkeys were

fleeing away very

quickly, but now

some individuals

are more used to

the observer and

are even curious,

watching them”

Two of our research assis-tants searching for putty-nosed guenons in our core area

One of the many research projects currently being undertaken by researchers in Rhoko forest core area is the study and habituation of a wild troop of putty-nosed guenons. Habituating this group not only affords CERCOPAN the opportunity to learn more about the natural behavior of this species, but it also facilitates the possibility of mixed species associations for our release group (See page 1). During the first mona re-introduction in 2007-2008, the released animals tried on numerous occasions to join the wild putty group to form a poly-specific association, which is a natural phenomenon among guenon species. Unfortunately, the puttys

fled in the presence of researchers and so the monas were unable to interact with them. Since early 2008, three Rhoko research assistants, in addition to short term volunteers and 2 research coordinators have attempted to find the monkeys each day and to habituate them to their presence in preparation for the forthcoming mona release. The Rhoko research assistants have proven ex-tremely skillful in finding the wild monkeys, using their instinct and knowledge of monkey behavior and the forest. When the wild troop is detected, the observers approach them quietly and try to identify the individu-als. The observer then an-

nounces his presence to the animals by emitting a whis-tle. The reaction of the monkeys to the observer is then recorded. Since the onset of this study, we have seen a significant change in the reaction of the monkeys to human observers. At first, the monkeys fled the instant they were aware of human presence. Researchers are now however, able to follow the animals for extended periods during which the putty’s simply carry on their activity, feeding on wild fruits and leaves and sometimes they even watch their human followers with curiosity. CERCOPAN hopes to gather as much information as possible about the feeding ecology and movement patterns of these wild monkeys, given that very little has been published on this species. For now, we are confident that there are 15 individuals in the group, often joined by 7 red-eared guenons. The red-ears of Rhoko forest are more accustomed to humans than the puttys, since a previous visiting researcher began habituating them while con-ducting his work. The red ears gain the advantage of added protection by joining the putty group and the larger group size also makes it easier for them to find good quality food patches. Hopefully our mona release group will be gaining very similar advantages in the near future!

P A G E 4

“The staff were

very pleased for

Obun, a member

of our patrol

team, who won

the award for

‘Best Goalkeeper’

in the

tournament!”

CERCOPAN staff ‘v’ one of the various village teams

Senior Staff receive management training from

HR specialist

Amy Baxter takes on key CERCOPAN role

Festive football strengthens relationships

CERCOPAN has once again taken part in the annual Iko Esai community football tournament! Our host village invited us to make up a team of CERCOPAN staff and volunteers to play against the other village teams. Six teams played in all and each team is from a street within the village, except for CERCOPAN.

The competition runs from Christmas Eve until the 3rd of January making it a very festive affair. CERCOPAN volunteers have often found it a challenge to play under

the more unusual conditions of village football, where others play barefoot and the start of each tournament begins with making and filling holes in an attempt to even out the pitch! Several have ended up with twisted ankles in the past so it is definitely ‘extreme ball’!

The tournament started with two groups of three teams, and CERCOPAN successfully reached second position in group B, qualifying for the semi-finals. In the semi-finals they played well

and won, and eventually came third overall. The staff were very pleased for Obun, a member of our patrol team, who won the award for ‘Best Goalkeeper’ in the tourna-ment!

This participation in community activities has really helped CERCOPAN reach out to the village and we feel honored that they consider us so much a part of their community that they involve us in all village activities.

has done an absolutely amaz-ing job re-organizing the ac-counts, managing staff , writ-ing blogs/newsletter articles and running the centre day to day, allowing the Director more time for fundraising, project management etc. We are absolutely thrilled by Amy’s decision to officially take on the key voluntary role of Administration and Opera-tions Manager and would like to thank her for all of her

Amy Baxter, Oxford Brooks Primate Conservation MSc graduate, was originally recruited in March 2009 as a Mangabey and Putty nosed Guenon Coordinator based at Rhoko. In September 2009, she was drafted in to Calabar HQ to assist with administra-tion and finances, after the global financial crisis forced us to cut down on the number of long term supported volunteers. Amy

hard work and effort in 2009. Amy is the 6th long term vol-unteer in the last three years to have extended her contract. A further two MSC students have returned to volunteer after conducting short term research and 2 former volunteers are now planning PHd’s here. We feel very lucky to attract such dedicated people to our organization.

capacity building of local staff and all of these employees also recently completed a UK based correspondence course in Primatology. The workshop was also attended by two Senior staff from Rhoko, who are currently undertaking a leadership course with Canadian NGO ‘One Sky’.

The session was a huge success and many issues were discussed that help

clarify the operational needs of the organization. Many staff gave suggestions for improvements to the system which have already been taken on board and implemented .

Zia plans to return for an additional session soon. We would like to thank her very much for volunteering her skills freely to assist our organization.

We were very pleased this month when we had a visit from a local expatriate HR specialist, Zia Paul-Birabi, who gave a train-ing session to management and senior staff on reporting and management techniques. Having recently promoted 3 Calabar employees to senior staff we are very keen to help them develop in their new roles. CERCOPAN places great emphasis on training and

C E R C O - N E W S

Expanding education with creativity P A G E 5 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 1

Our recently promoted Education Officer, Abakum, has been proving his worth with a mass of suggestions to improve our

educational out-reach ma-terials! He has already designed a CERCOPAN board game, up-dated the educa-

tion centre displays and has started collecting stories about our primate residents to make an informative pamphlet for visitors. Now Abakum is shooting a film that provides a personal tour of

our rehabilitation centre and it’s resident monkeys. The movie will also explain the important role of primates in the forest, the importance of forest conservation, the laws in Nigerian pertaining to pri-mates and why primates should not be kept as pets.

The DVD will be sold for a small fee at the rehabilitation centre to help support our vital work.

allow him to be taken to CERCOPAN rehabilitation centre. The dealer had actually been fond of this young red ear and had cared for him very well. We feel lucky to have rescued him when we did, as the conditions at the bar would have led his health to plummet rapidly. He is especially friendly and seems to have been trained to lie back very baby-like, enjoying nothing more than a good belly rub. He currently spends some time in the office each day being socialised as he is in quarantine alone and play is important for primate mental health. He loves to take huge leaps between furniture and especially loves jumping on a human from a great distance then leaping straight back off again. This playful, inquisi-tive nature has also resulted in many books, cups, pens, and anything else available being carried

across the room – not too carefully I may add! Named ‘Rudolph’ for his characteristic red nose and the festive season in which he was rescued, he is now in quarantine where he has undergone his first TB test and after 14 weeks will be moved in with 2 other red-eared guenons of a similar age, Mickey and Jerry. He is already fascinated by all of the other primates in quarantine and makes constant contact calls to them. We have no doubt he will make friends fast .

During December we had a call from a member of our security staff saying he had seen a monkey being kept as a pet in a bar. Immediately staff mounted a rescue attempt and left for the bar with Claire. Upon arrival at the bar, the staff could see a small red-eared guenon, about a year old, dangling on a rope from the ceiling. The monkey hung from the roof, climbing up and down the rope but unfortunately could not reach the floor. Negotiations began, but rapidly became heated as the owner had purchased the monkey that morning and therefore felt he must be compensated. Despite hostility from bystanders, CERCOPAN staff remained calm and polite and agreed to travel with the owner to where he had bought the monkey to negotiate with both him and the dealer. After many hours of debate and difficulty CERCOPAN staff eventually persuaded the dealer to give up the monkey unpaid and

Abakum in our Calabar education centre

New Arrival at CERCOPAN

“The monkey

hung from the

roof, climbing

up and down

the rope but

unfortunately

unable to

reach the

floor”

Rudolph the red-

eared guenon

All photos in this newsletter were taken at CERCOPAN or Iko Esai by staff, volunteers and visitors.

Photo Credits: Amy Baxter, Sylvain Lemoine, Richard Carroll © Copyright CERCOPAN 2010

Design & Layout by Claire Coulson; Written by Claire Coulson, Amy Baxter and Sylvain Lemoine; Edited by Claire Coulson

www.cercopan.org http://cercopan.wildlifedirect.org

WANT TO BE A PART OF IT?

• Stay in touch with our on-going programme by bookmarking our home page http://www.cercopan.org/ and our Blog site http://cercopan.wildlifedirect.org/

• Volunteer for CERCOPAN in either Nigeria or

the UK. We offer a range of different programmes so there is something for everyone! Visit our website volunteer section for further details.

• Help CERCOPAN attain corporate funding. If

you work for a corporate sponsor who may be interested in funding CERCOPAN please contact claire.coulson@cercopan.org

• Undertaken a sponsored event to raise

funds for CERCOPAN.

• Make a cash donation to CERCOPAN via our

website...every little helps! • Buy a gift for friends or family from the

Good Gifts Catalogue (www.goodgifts.org). You can buy a month's supply of fruit for growing CERCOPAN orphan monkeys - called in the catalogue 'A-peeling Monkeys' for only £20! The price of the gift is passed on to CERCOPAN. So, it is an excellent way of solving your gift problems, and support-ing our work! Alternatively visit the CERCO-PAN gift shop on our website today.

• Donate useful goods and equipment such as

building and fencing materials, veterinary medicines, old laptop computers etc. or services such as printing, blood testing and architectural design.