Monday (Feb 13) through Friday (Feb 17)

I’m still having trouble being motivated to do a frequent update on the blog/photo journal. Too many other things pulling at my sleeve, taking up my time.

NOTE: The Sea Monkey Safari primate species “census” is changing its count method. Recall that I was a bit reluctant to include captives in Brazil, but it seemed worth noting (as a teachable moment) when I did get the chance to see captives that were rare and/or endangered. I’ve decided to separate the list count into those I see in their natural habitat and those I see as captives that are victims of the bushmeat trade and/or in a planned-program that will eventually allow their release. The latter qualify for the list only if they are in their home country at the time I see them.

We arrived in Ghana on Monday (February 13) and left Friday (February 17). The first day in port, I just took a quick trip into the town of Tema (where we were docked) to see a few sites and get a feel for the place. I spent that night on the ship.

But on Tuesday, I was fetched by my colleague in primatology, Kathy Silenga. Kathy works for WAPCA (West African Primate Conservation Action) and their main objective is to focus on projects influencing primate conservation. They are particularly focused on the white-naped mangabey (Cercocebus atys lunulatus), including a planned release program of some confiscated/captive ones (see below).

We drove west, through the capital of Accra, and on to a town called Agona to pick up Kathy’s colleague, David Osei.  David also works with WAPCA and has recently re-located to the western part of the country to be based on Agona, since much of his work occurs in that area. (NOTE: David happens to be one of the lucky few who were selected by the International Primatological Society to attend the 2012 Pre-Congress Training Program before our next IPS meeting in Mexico!)

With David in tow, we continued to travel west to the town of Princesstown. Apparently, this was supposed to be called “Prince’s Town” as it was named for a German prince. But, over time, the name spelling has evolved (first case of a sex change of a town?)

Princesstown does not get a lot of tourists, but one key attraction is a castle on the coast. It’s an imposing structure with a lot of history including Germans, Dutch, and – unfortunately – Ghanaian slaves. The guide showed us horrible dungeons that once held stacked up humans waiting for export to the slave-holding countries of the west. Our shameful history is not forgotten.

 

The photo to the right is taken from the castle wall, overlooking the coastline at Princesstown. It's a beautiful place, as you see.  The guide told us the story of the place - too long to repeat here but worth a read at some point.  The one bright note of the castle was that the once slave occupied cave is now home to some feisty little bats.  



We stayed the night at a guest house owned and operated by the same folks who run a restaurant called The Yellow Rose of Princesstown, named thus because the owners (a German couple) are totally and madly in love with American country music. Such an odd and surreal experience to be sitting in a yard at the lagoon (it’s all intertwined with the coastal area), listening to BLARING country music – with a fair amount of classic rock thrown in.  





The couple has a “pet” monkey – a lesser spot-nosed guenon (Cercopithecus petaurista) – who was a victim of the bushmeat trade. The story goes that the mother killed to be eaten and was pregnant. The baby was cut out and somehow came into the ownership of the German couple who bottle fed and nurtured “Bonnie” into what appears to be a very physically healthy 10 month old. I am not aware of their long-term plans, but I hope they’ll consider finding a way for Bonnie to live with other monkeys instead of country-music-loving people. (There is no legitimate primate sanctuary in Ghana, so the options are limited.)

(Left) Bonnie on her mom, Renata - Ghana's #1 Country Music Fan (and great host).  The next morning, Renata took us for a ride in a row boat around the edges of the lagoon, looking for monkeys. We saw a couple of crocodiles and a nice variety of birds.

Finally, we were treated to a nice surprise of Lowe's Mona Monkeys (Cercoptihecus lowei, though sometimes listed as a subspecies of C. mona) in the trees at the water’s edge. The sun was still rising, so the lighting was not great. But, at least the photo shows my ONE success in seeing WILD primates in Ghana. Below are some nice shots of bird life in the lagoon.

We then travelled west yet again – ALMOST to the border with Cote d’Ivoire – to what’s known as Ankasa Conservation Area. It’s a bit complicated, but this area includes a small portion that is an official National Park of Ghana and then some outer area that is part of a “protected” bit of land that’s being restored and developed for tourist. I hope the whole area can one day have the level of protection that most national parks are supposed to have. Satellite photos of the Ankasa area show a huge change in surrounding forest over the last few decades.

We arrived in time to take a short walk. This was a somewhat depressing walk for, although the forest is beautiful and relatively undisturbed LOOKING in much of what I saw, the evidence of wildlife was minimal. On that first day, we didn’t see primates – or any large mammals, for that matter. We did see elephant footprints (shown below), but didn’t see or hear any. Even birds seemed to be in relatively low numbers.

Our night was spent sharing stories with one of the most fascinating people I’ve met in Africa, Paul Kodjo. He’s a Ghanaian who spent much of his time in Cote d’Ivoire, so he’s locally called “The Frenchman.” He received training in Paris for film-making and has taught film at a university in Cote d’Ivoire and also directed and starred in some small films and TV there. But, he loves living in the bush, so he’s made a home near Ankasa where he also operates a number of businesses. He has a small guest house (where we stayed) and is in the process of building a more expansive lodge at the edge of Ankasa.  He also has a cocoa farm, a fish farm, a palm farm, etc…. He’s into a lot of business and also serves on local advocacy groups in the area.

Kathy, David, and I took another walk in Ankasa the following day. We had a little better luck this time in that we at least HEARD monkeys. According to Kathy, we heard Lowe's monkeys, spot-nosed monkeys (like Bonnie), and white-naped mangabeys. Still no sightings, though, so the Lowes in the lagoon remained my only wild sightings.

It may be hard to see, but the photo to the right shows a natural "graft" of the tree in the middle with the tree on the far right.

After dropping David in Angona to get his car (to meet up with us later), Kathy and I drove the long road back to Accra photographing the bushmeat vendors along the way. Fortunately, there were no primates for sale….but plenty of grasscutters and a few duikers.

In Accra, we met up with Rob Horwich, a primatologists with the Community Conservation, Inc. (based in Wisconsin), who's in Ghana for a few weeks to work with WAPCA and local communities. It was nice catching up with primatology gossip and news from Rob. (See Bradette's page for photos!)

The next day, we went to the “Endangered Primate Centre” which is part of the Accra Zoo. It’s a sad little place that has a ton of potential. Of most importance, they have several (10 or 12?) white-naped mangabeys that are part of a planned release program. These all came into the care of the zoo via the bushmeat trade OR pets that were confiscated (but, then most pets are originally from the bushmeat trade, so it’s all bushmeat origin).

Most are in pretty good shape now. Those most fit will be moved to a semi-free enclosure within the Ankasa Conservation Area for potential total release at some point. This is a WAPCA project and I’m hoping it succeeds. The pic to the right shows the fine canines of my new friend, Racky, and illustrates why they're called the "white-naped" mangabey.



They also had a few spot-nosed guenons there and one solitary – beautiful Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus diana roloway). This is a subspecies of Diana monkey that's very endangered. (The subspecies rotated off the “Top 25 Endangered Primates” list last year, but may go back on with enough lobbying.)  Look at that beautiful face.

These three species were a joy to see, but the other two were very sad indeed. They had two patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) in cages that were WAY too small for such terrestrial champions as patas. Also, there was one tiny male green monkey (Cercopithecus sabeus) in a pathetic cage. These three were confiscated pets – but it’s unclear what their fate is now. As mentioned, there is no proper sanctuary in Ghana and, since these last two are not species that are in any way considered threatened or vulnerable….I worry that they will languish in those small cages for a long while. At least when the mangabeys are moved to their new semi-free enclosure, the patas and green monkeys may be moved to their old spots. I hope so. They need more space.

The people of Ghana are wonderful hosts and I enjoyed my stay there immensely.

The Sea Monkey Safari added six species to the total count – although only one of these was seen in the wild. Next stop: South Africa. They have only a few species of primates, but I’m gonna do my best to see at least three!

Saturday February 11, 2012

At sea for a loooong time now. The GPS tells me that Africa is to our north, but we've not spotted land yet. I'm hoping when we get to that bit where Liberia and Ivory Coast poke out to the south, we may see something. Otherwise, we are on target for getting to Ghana on Monday. Can't wait. I have some great plans there! (Sorry, this map appears to be a bit fuzzy. I'll see if I can improve it.)

My job on the ship is to coordinate the academic program for the Lifelong Learners (adult learners, often retired, who've chosen to come along on this particular voyage as opposed to an alternate kind of cruise). I do this by inviting various faculty members to speak in our daily seminar. Occasionally, I throw a presentation of my own at them. The other day I gave my "Life as a Chimpanzee Researcher" talk for the Lifelong Learners and, later, gave a ship-wide talk on the topic of the "Bushmeat Crisis in Africa." I'll do a general baboon talk before we get to South Africa and some other, more research-focused talks thereafter.

I have a new family! There's a thing on board called the "Extended Family" program that matches up adults with (multiple) students in "family units."  This is a nice way for people to bond and helps those who are homesick. (No students are matched with their actual professors.) I have six lovely daughters.

I'm working on taking a few photos here and there on the ship and will post those soon. Hope everyone is enjoying their winter. (I CERTAINLY AM!)

Tuesday January 31 – Sunday February 5, 2012

I HAVE NOW SEEN MONKEYS!!!  In fact, the official count for the Sea Monkey Safari is FIVE species.

The last post I made (scroll down) was when we were entering the Amazon River. As I write this, we are now exiting the Amazon River and heading across the Atlantic to Africa. It’ll be a long stretch.

Our visit to Brazil was, by all accounts, a great success. We travelled up the Amazon to the city of Manaus. There are parts of Manaus that are quite nice, but much of it is a fairly standard, crowded city with very little appeal. Therefore, one must choose carefully where to spend one’s time. Remember that we are on a ship, so – unless we’re travelling away from the city – the ship serves as our hotel. That makes things so much easier and more comfortable.

I spent a few hours here and there walking around the city to get a feel for the place. I learned a very few words in Portuguese in advance – and often found my Spanish helped with a few people. (Shout out to Marsha: “Donde esta la biblioteca?”)

Our port stops include a choice of many arranged tours and “Faculty Directed Programs.” The latter are tours or activities that may be required by some faculty for their courses during the voyage. Those of us without responsibilities in port are free to choose (at a fee) among the available packages – or venture out on our own. So, while some of the students and faculty went off to Rio or to other far-flung places to swim with the dolphins or fish for piranha or learn about the local culture, I was on a monkey quest.

My first stop was to visit with colleagues at the Universidad Federal do Amazonas (UFAM; see map). I had been in touch with Marcelo Gordo, Director of the “Projeto de Sauim Coleira” in advance, with the plan to visit with him and see his study subjects. The university is nestled in a forest (literally a large fragment of the Amazon forest) within the city of Manaus. The forest is home to the Pied Tamarin (Saquinus bicolor), among other species. This endangered monkey is the subject of intense study by Marcelo and his students. We spent a long time discussing his research and he also discussed his work with the city of Manaus to develop wildlife corridors between some of the many fragments around the city. If successful, this will provide some relief to the pressure on the tamarins.

Although no Pied Tamarins were around when I was on the UFAM campus, I did have the opportunity to visit the captive Red-faced Black Spider Monkeys (Ateles paniscus) near Marcelo’s lab. These monkeys came into captivity as youngsters, orphaned when their mothers were killed for food. Marcelo and his team have been caring for the group (which has now managed to reproduce). Plans are underway to release them into a protected area, when funding for radio-collars can be found. (Despite the fact that they're captives, they're in their home country and "in transit",...so I am counting them in the Sea Monkey Safari census.)

Also at the meeting with Marcelo was Jefferson Barros, a student who studies Pied Tamarins in Tupe Reserve (see map). Jefferson and his girlfriend took me to INPA, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas. This area is another forest fragment in the city, with resident primate species. In addition to being a well-respected research center, this part of INPA is open to the public as a sort of walk-through zoo. (They also have a much larger research base north of the city).

This in-city site features a few exhibits for captive animals, but also has free-ranging monkeys, peccaries, and birds. So, while you stroll through this park-like/zoo-like setting, it’s easy to forget that the monkeys you see are native to the site; they weren’t plopped into the setting for the benefit of the public, but rather the public has been plopped into the monkeys’ habitat.

We saw a small troop of Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) running around the rooftops, totally habituated to our presence.

Squirrel Monkey, or as one of my colleagues calls them, "Little Eddie Munsters."

 A couple of days later, I finally had the opportunity to see a Brazilian primate field site. Jefferson and I met at a marina at the edge of town and hired a boat to take us up the Rio Negro. We travelled through a picturesque flooded forest, as I tried mostly unsuccessfully to spot birds along the way.

Our destination was Tupé Reserve (see map above), where Jefferson has collared two groups of Pied Tamarins. He uses radio-telemetry to track their movements to gain a better understanding of this species’ range (and behavior). While in the forest, we saw the Pied Tamarins several times (though, alas, never clear enough for a proper photo). We also saw the Golden-faced Saki (Pithecia pithecia chryosocephala) on one occasion.

Although the field assistant, Baru, said he SMELLED Howling Monkeys, we didn’t actually see any (so no tally mark for that one).

It wouldn't be a walk through the forest without a herp or two. Here's a toad found in Tupé. Though it's said to be common, since I've never seen this species before....it was a nice find.)

When we returned to camp, I was introduced to Baru’s family – and a pet monkey. They had somehow come into possession of an orphaned Brown-backed Black Bearded Saki Monkey (Chiropotes satanas) that they were raising as a pet. This is another endangered species, endemic to Brazil. Plans are to eventually release it, but I’m not so sure how that will go….. (She's pictured at right, on Jefferson's shoulder.)

Our boat had returned by early afternoon to take us back to Manaus, so we left lovely Tupé. As we drove from the marina back to the port, we passed along a rather busy two-lane street that had forest fragments on either side. With the car windows down, we could easily hear the forest around us: birds, insects, and – yes, you guessed it – monkeys. We stopped the car and, on either side of the road, were several Pied Tamarins and Golden-faced Sakis! This time, the setting allowed for decent photography, some of which I share here.

 

Pied Tamarin (Saguinus bicolor), living sympatrically with the Golden-faced Saki (Pithecia pithecia).

(Left: mom & kid; right: male.)

We spent some time with these guys before heading back to the port. All in all, Manaus was a very pleasant stop on my Sea Monkey Safari. Brazil has 116 species/subspecies. Of these, I saw only five – but they were a good five (three are endemic and two of those are endangered). So, I feel the monkey quest is off to a good start. Next stop, Ghana!

Bonus photo:

Which species is pictured here? (Look closely.)