CERCONEWS March 2010

1. CERCO-NEWS M A R C H 2 0 1 0
V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 3
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Going,
going….gone
1 Going, going….gone.
development found friend.
From the 2 proposal to The nature of the
Director
international work we undertake can
donors and mean that we experience
A Graceful 2 are planning a moments of extreme
Entrance!
number of sadness, for example when
Mike and the
other projects we lose an animal or a friend
2
monkeys
using the from our host village. During
revenue such times, we keep
Thank you Iko 3 gained as a ourselves ahead through
Esai! Richard Carroll has return for the village’s mutual support, avoiding at
fulfilled his three years with conservation efforts. This all costs a spiral of gloom.
2010: A Fresh us as Rhoko Manager. As we sends a vital message Richard had that key team
Focus on Eco- 4 say goodbye to him, it’s his throughout the community skill in endless amounts,
tourism people skills that stand out that conservation brings its ready at times like this with
Conservation 4 most in our memories. just rewards. his strong words of
surveys Richard recognizes Richard built a loyal consolation, and then his
completed individuality in each person, team at Camp. Their ability quick-fire, tangential
and accommodates his or to work effectively with him humour to turn us pointing
New Arrivals 5 her needs in the and each other was forwards once more.
Robot and circumstances. Be he grounded on his attention to While Richard now
Sacramento mentoring his staff, their home concerns, and carries a few physical scars
or negotiating within the fairness in resolving with him from his arduous
twisting world of community disputes. And our short-
Out with the old 5 work in the field, he leaves
and in with the politics, everyone feels that term volunteers and eco-
new they’ve been heard, and that tourists had their visits behind only positive marks
makes things work. ribbon-tied by Richard, as in the minds of all he
Want to be a part 6
of it ? Just to take one their host, star chef, encountered.
example, the re- entertainer, and newly
establishment of Iko Esai’s
Community Conservation &
Development Committee
was long held off as the
community thought that it
was impossible to hold a
free and fair election.
Richard however, through
his patience and
perseverance facilitated the
universal support required
to hold a transparent
democratic election. The
newly elected CCDC have
already submitted their first

2. PAGE 2
From the Director
Arrivals or Departures? staff at camp, and with our again in the climactic
Hmmmm. I’ve driven to varied visitor programmes. instant when a thousand
Calabar airport so many For me, though, it was representatives from five
times in the past month, I recognition of the intuitive communities, caught up in
have to have a quick think professional the event, chanted ‘Allow
as I step down from the understanding we had Monkey to Live’ in unison
truck. In the case of between us that brought as we all celebrated the
Richard Carroll’s leaving, tears of loss at the airport. first primate release in
though, it was more a case We have been together for West Africa.
of denial. I would have some of the most In the same vein,
much preferred that this profound experiences of Ric and I know that
Claire Coulson was another time when my life, made a time- Arrivals has brought us
CERCOPAN we were there jointly to capsule forever because talented and motivated
Director welcome a new visitor. precisely the same replacements, and
I trust our lead thoughts were running together with my life-long
article makes clear how through our heads as the friend I now look forward
the application of events unfolded. Ric has to this new era.
Richard's talents in shared with me the
affecting people positively harrowing moment of grief
has brought about lasting when we witnessed a
change within our host post-mortem on a beloved
community, amongst our monkey, and he was there
“Educated as an
ecologist at the
University of
A Graceful Entrance!
We are excited to the exciting role of Rhoko marketing approaches will
Toronto, Grace
announce the arrival of Manager. Educated as an be a great asset to
has a strong our new Rhoko manager, ecologist at the University CERCOPAN.
Grace Rawnsley. of Toronto, she has a Grace and her
background in Grace is originally strong background in partner, Alex Gerard, who
Canadian but has research on ecological arrives in March will be
conservation
considerable experience statistics and co-managing Rhoko. They
biology.” managing nature reserves conservation biology. will use their experience
in the UK and Canada. She Grace has considerable and enthusiasm to
left the WWT Arundel field experience, working continue the excellent
Wetland Centre, where in Northern Ontario on work undertaken by the
she ran both the community ecology. organisation.
marketing and education Her knowledge of
departments to take up finances, fundraising and
Mike and the monkeys!
The CERCOPAN crew is working for CERCOPAN , three keepers and the
increasing again! We are he has demonstrated his head keeper, Mike will
happy to announce that motivation and hard discover the intricacies of
Michael Uki has been work. His dedication to primate care and become
appointed the new CERCOPAN and to a key member of staff in
Mike feeding Calabar primate keeper. learning about primate Calabar.
our Sclater’s Michael started his career conservation was evident
guenons with CERCOPAN as a in his application and Welcome to the
temporary grounds secured him the position. CERCOPAN team Mike!
keeper. During his time Learning from the other

3. VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 PAGE 3
Thank you Iko Esai!
Each year excellent baseline against
CERCOPAN provides a gift of which to measure
food to the community of population and socio-
Iko Esai in appreciation for economic change and so to
all their support and judge the success of
generosity towards the CERCOPANS’s alternative
organisation over the livelihood projects.
months and years. An additional bag
The giving of of rice and salt was given to
CERCOPAN’s annual gift to the Community
Iko Esai was completed in Conservation and
February and was an Development Committee as
overwhelming success! Over an extra thank you for their
400kg of rice and 400kgs of hard work in assisting the
salt were given out to over development of the village.
800 individual households in The Chief’s council
Iko Esai. also received additional rice
We also used this and salt in recognition of
opportunity to conduct a their strong support for
census of the village in order CERCOPAN’s and Iko Esai’s
to generate accurate conservation efforts over
population figures, including the past year. The giving
the proportion of villagers was undertaken by
under and over 15. This data CERCOPAN’s community
will be built on over the Liaison Officer Mike Ekpe “Over 400kgs of
coming months to develop a and the new Community
clear picture of the socio- Conservation Manager rice and 400kgs
economic status of the Rachel Hemingway.
village which will provide an of salt were given
to the heads of
over 800
individual
households in Iko
Esai”

4. PAGE 4
2010...a fresh focus on Ecotourism
We are extremely As part of further tourism lodges in April,
happy to announce that all improvements to our which will increase our
“We hope to of our tourist and student tourism infrastructure, we capacity for overnight stays.
accommodations have just have also updated the These
host more
been fitted with brand new, shower facilities and are developments and the
international beautiful roofs! The new currently renovating both arrival of our new Rhoko
green long-span aluminum the camp and visitors Managers, are part of a
and national roofs help integrate the toilets. We were able to fresh focus on tourism at our
tourist huts into the forest undertake all of this work stunning field site. We hope
visitors than behind them to provide a thanks to a generous grant to host more international
seamless look. In addition to from the Leventis and National visitors than
ever before this
the aesthetic benefits of the Foundation. ever before this year. If you
year “. new roofs, they are also A further grant would like to visit Rhoko
more durable and require from the International Forest, please visit our
considerably less Union for the Conservation website www.cercopan.org
maintenance than their of Nature (IUCN) will allow for further information.
former zinc and raffia us to begin the construction
equivalents. of two new deluxe eco-
Conservation surveys completed
Sylvain and Osam, spent days trekking. of the surveyed areas.
our brave forest explorers, On this trip, sadly they did The high primate
conducted the final series of not see quite as many diversity and escalating
primate surveys in Iko Esai primates as on previous levels of disturbance
Research Area and expeditions. In the dry revealed far from
Community Forest this season, the food that CERCOPAN’s permanent
month, again kindly funded monkeys rely upon is presence have highlighted
by the scarce, causing primates the need to increase
International and other mammals to protection in this area. This
Primate travel and change their will form a priority for
Society. movement patterns to find CERCOPAN in the coming
Following good sources of food, thus year.
Caption
tracks and making it difficult for our Following from this
describing
listening team to track them. study, further expeditions
picture or
carefully to In the end, several will also be undertaken to
graphic.
detect signs groups of guenons were continue to improve our
of primate encountered and observed. knowledge of primate
species in the Specifically, groups of putty- densities and abundance in
forest, with a nosed guenons, Mona Iko Esai forest and to
special focus guenons and red-eared provide further information
on the rare guenons. Good data on on which to base our long-
and group composition was term conservation
Sylvain mapping endangered Preuss Red obtained, as well as strategies.
the trails Colobus, Sylvain and Osam accurate mapping of trails

5. VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 PAGE 5
New Arrivals: Robot & Sacramento
This month before she would eat anything we discovered that they
CERCOPAN rescued two other than pawpaw seeds. were red-eared guenons.
new orphan primates, Gradually, she
Robot and Sacramento. started getting better and less The man was a
Robot, a female red-eared selective, tasting bananas, hunter and told us that he
guenon, arrived in a terrible oranges and beans. Robot had killed the monkeys
state and gave our Director now happily eats anything and mothers and then kept
several sleepless nights everything offered with relish them as pets for some
before showing any signs of and guzzles bowls of milk time. The man came to
recovery. The poor animal readily. She spends her days CERCOPAN on his own
had apparently been playing in a special area of our accord however and did
transported on a bus in full centre with her friend not even ask for money as
sun on a chain and was so Sacramanto and they are both most monkey owners do. We Robot now
dehydrated she was unable brought into the house at took the opportunity to explain loves all food!
to stand for long without night to keep them warm. to him at length the rationale
falling over. She initially Only a few days after behind not hunting monkeys
refused to drink water or Robots arrival, a man living in and hope that we succeeded in
milk unless forced, Ogoja, North of the Cross convincing him to change his
preferring to drink her own River National Park, arrived at ways.
urine, undoubtedly a sign our compound and Sacramento is
that she had been denied announced he was ready to healthy and doing very well as
“We all would
access to water for quite give us three monkeys. his owner had looked after
some time. Gradually Several days later he returned him with care. We all would prefer that this
however, Claire rehydrated and brought only a one year prefer that this monkey had
her, giving a few millimeters old putty-nosed, Sacramento. stayed with his mother in the monkey had stayed
of water every hour through He explained to us that the forest, but at least he will find
a syringe. Eating was also a two others monkeys had died an adopted family in our with his mother in
problem and it took days and after speaking with him rehabilitation centre.
the forest, but at
Out with the old...and in with the new least he will find an
In the past dilemma . feels like a glimpse of the adopted family in
CERCOPAN has generally So how have we future as we are effectively
built enclosures using nailed eventually solved that one? starting the construction for our rehabilitation
timber frames. We’ve been very fortunate our new site.
Unfortunately, timber indeed to receive, gratis, the Thanks to a grant centre”.
frames do not last forever expert consultation services of from the International
and with age timber a construction engineer, Gary Primatological Society, and
enclosures carry quite high Young, who has turned his further generous support from
maintenance costs. Indeed, mind towards monkey our tireless engineering
several enclosures at enclosures. His innovative ‘volunteer’, work has now
CERCOPAN have now construction design provides begun on our first project using
reached the point where it structures that require less the new concept. Instead of
is actually cheaper to re- maintenance, have a longer timber frames, the new
build than to continue life-span, and are more proof enclosure design incorporates
weekly maintenance. against escapes. But more pipe-fittings, which attach
As we await the importantly, they are galvanised steel poles together
move from our portable. They can be taken to form the structure without
overcrowded city site to a down and rebuilt at a new the need for welding,
new 11 hectare plot location. They can even be threading, bolting or drilling.
however, we do not want to reconfigured, and/ or This strategy can be
start building new extended. replicated with other
enclosures now only to Phew! Now we can enclosures at our existing site
repeat the expense at the work on replacing our oldest as they reach the end of their
new site. This situation has enclosures, without the life-span, and we are now
left us in something of a concern of duplicating costs. It seeking funding to expand the
initiative.

6. WANT TO BE A PART OF IT?
Make a cash donation to CERCOPAN via our
website...every little helps!
Stay in touch with our on-going programme
by bookmarking our home page Buy a gift for friends or family from the
http://www.cercopan.org/ and our Blog site Good Gifts Catalogue (www.goodgifts.org).
http://cercopan.wildlifedirect.org/ You can buy a month's supply of fruit for
growing CERCOPAN orphan monkeys -
Volunteer for CERCOPAN in either Nigeria or called in the catalogue 'A-peeling Monkeys'
the UK. We offer a range of different for only £20! The price of the gift is passed
programmes so there is something for on to CERCOPAN. So, it is an excellent way
everyone! Visit our website volunteer of solving your gift problems, and
section for further details. supporting our work! Alternatively visit the
CERCOPAN gift shop on our website today.
Help CERCOPAN attain corporate funding. If
you work for a corporate sponsor who may Donate useful goods and equipment such as
be interested in funding CERCOPAN please building and fencing materials, veterinary
contact claire.coulson@cercopan.org medicines, old laptop computers etc. or
services such as printing, blood testing and
Undertaken a sponsored event to raise architectural design.
funds for CERCOPAN.
www.cercopan.org
http://cercopan.wildlifedirect.org
All photos in this newsletter were taken at CERCOPAN or Iko Esai
by staff, volunteers and visitors.
Photo Credits:
© Copyright CERCOPAN 2010
Design Layout by Claire Coulson; Written by Claire Coulson, Amy Baxter; Edited by Claire
Coulson