The IUCN Primate Specialist Group (PSG), along with the International Primatological Society (IPS), Conservation International, and the Bristol Zoological Society (BZS) have managed to trim down the endangered primate species to fit their top twenty-five in the world. In their report this year they mentioned that, whilesome other species did not make the cut, they are equally imperilled.
The five most endangered species identified in Africa include:
- Rondo Dwarf Galago
The Rondo dwarf galago is a bush baby, and is colloquially referred to as a night ape in its native country of Tanzania.
The tiny and adorable little animal has a very restricted habitat that is seriously threatened by logging. They rely on the forest, as they nest in the trees and obtain the flowers and insects that form their diet from leaf litter and bushes.
- Roloway Monkey
Roloway monkeys are found in a very small area that sits astride the borders of the Ivory Coast and Ghana. The roloway is an attractive monkey with endearing features. They live in the forest canopy. Estimates show that up to eighty percent of the population has been lost. The greatest threat to these monkeys comes from humans who hunt them for bush meat.
- Preuss’s red colobus
This beautiful red, black, and orange primate lives on leaves. It is found in very small pockets of forest in Cameroon and Nigeria.
An important population lives in the Korup National Park in Cameroon.
- Tana River red colobus
The Tana River colobus lives in a very small forest zone along the Tana River in Kenya. They form small family groups and feed amongst the forest on bulky leaves. Because of their diet they have big stomachs that contain three chambers, which assists in their digestion.
The leaves do not have much nutrition and many hours of the day are spent eating. They are endangered because of human habitation growth and changes to the forest caused by upsetting the ecological balance. It is protected in the Tana River Primate Reserve.
- Grauer’s gorilla
Grauer’s gorilla lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This gorilla is also known as the eastern lowland gorilla. It is protected in two national parks and in some surrounding forest areas. Threats to their survival come from logging, human conflict, and militia activities. They face a threat from hunterslooking forbush meat.
