Spotlight on Students: Primate Conservation

 The following is a guest post featuring the work of a student enrolled in SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology.  This exceptional work highlights the importance of primate conservation.  I hope you find this piece informative and are inspired to make a positive change in the world that will help this and other endangered primates.

 

Tana River Mangabey

 

By: Ragavi Premnath

The Endangered Tana River Mangabey

Every life of every species deserves a chance to survive and prove they are fit to thrive on this planet. Some species are dying out quickly, and they may never get the chance to prove their worth to the world that others are so fortunate enough to inhabit. One such species includes the Tana River Mangabey. This species is found to be a part of the primate family and possesses characteristics of that family. Like most endangered animals, humans have a cause behind their extinction; however, there are many preventional measures that humans can take to stop this primate from extinction and even further endangerment. Once humans realize the benefits that the Tana River Mangabey brings to the natural environment, they can start to find ways to save them from any dangers, and maybe even study them to recognize any behavioral habits. All species deserve to be protected whether they are endangered or not as they all bring value to our natural environment in some way. This essay will walk through the importance of the Tana River Mangabey, highlighting factors such as characteristics, human cause to their endangerment, ways to prevent their extinction, and the importance to protect the Tana River Mangabey species, as well as all other primate species.

Formally known as the Cercocebus galeritus, the Tana River Mangabey is found to be an Ethiopian native. According to Gregory Mittl of the Animal Diversity Web, the Tana River Mangabey has a body covered in a pale-brownish wavy coat. They possess a dark, black-furred face, with contrasting white eyebrows. Thick molar enamel is found within their dentition, allowing for them to mostly eat hard items, such as seeds and fruits. Just like the name states, the Tana River Mangabey inhabits the forests that line the Tana River in the country of Kenya. Every living thing is subject to predation; the Tana River Mangabey is not an exception to this. Known predators to the Tana River Mangabey include the African Rock Python, the African Crowned Eagles, the Martial Eagles, and the Nile Crocodiles. The Tana River Mangabey is a very socialistic primate, spending most of their time during the day on the ground within their multi-female societies. Lastly, Animal Diversity Web also states that the average lifespan of the Tana River Mangabey is projected to be 19 years of age (Mittl 1). Unfortunately, this lifespan is just the number of years the living Tana River Mangabeys can survive up to, leaving the rest of the population to sadly go extinct.

Endangered species usually face some sort of crisis to their habitat, typically caused by human interference. The same goes for the Tana River Mangabeys. Since they primarily live in the forest terrain of Kenya, they also run the risk of losing land to farming industries. Researcher Julie Wieczkowski explained in her article, Comprehensive Conservation Profile of Tana Mangabey, that forests are valuable to farmers as they, “are established on the most productive soils.” Furthermore, she explained that the forests become degraded by the human consumption and use of the natural resources the forests have to offer. Human activities, such as deforestation via the felling of canopy trees to make canoes, harvesting wild honey, and using tree branches as housing poles, can all disrupt the natural environment that these Tana River Mangabeys thrive in the most (Wieczkowski 1). In relation to habitat clearance, Gregory Mittl also explains how there are multiple threats to the Tana River Mangabeys, the main being an “unsustainable forest clearing and resource extraction.” There is, however, one other cause to the endangerment of the Tana River Mangabeys that is not directly related to human cause. This is the role that the ecosystem of the Tana River plays on these Tana River Mangabeys. Their gastrointestinal system is easily compromised. Multiple parasites have found these primates to be the perfect host to which they can survive in. Parasites such as Escherichia coli, Entamoeba histolytica, and Trichuris trichiura are all deadly parasites that use the Tana River Mangabey as their housing unit. Mittl also discusses that the Tana River Mangabey, “displays a high-diversity of gastrointestinal parasites because of the fragmentation and diversity of their habitat combined with their large home ranges” (1). While these natural causes of death cannot be prevented so largely, human factors that aid in the endangerment of the Tana River Mangabey can be monitored for the betterment of these primates.

There are multiple ways humans can decrease their cause for the extinction of the Tana River Mangabeys. One main way is to respect the habitats that these primates have set up for themselves. Other ways are to acknowledge their existence, and place protective measures to make sure they are safe. With only 1,000-1,200 Tana River Mangabeys remaining in existence, conservation of these primates is vital to their population. Created in 1978, the Tana River Primate National Reserve is the only national reserve that has made an effort to “stem the habitat degradation” of these Tana River Mangabeys (Mittl 1). This reserve organization, however, only carried about 56% of the Tana River Mangabeys. Later in 2007, the reserve ended up losing its official status as an “endangered animal reserve” and as a result, the Tana River Mangabeys are no longer protected (Mittl 1). This does not mean that human efforts need to stop in the protection of the Tana River Mangabeys; humans can still prevent extinction by educating themselves about the mangabeys, getting involved with wildlife protection agencies, and reducing their use of natural resources that are vital to these mangabeys (Mittl 1). With a look at the specific causes of the needs of protection, humans can still try to protect this species from extinction.

It is important to protect the Tana River Mangabeys for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, the Tana River Mangabey is of the utmost importance to educational research and protection. They serve as a valuable subject to study non-invasively. Since there is only a certain number of this species left in the world, they are easily able to be studied via their ecosystem and environmental habits. According to the Animal Diversity Web such habits, which include their diets, are essential for the local environment; the Tana River Mangabeys can spread seeds around their forest near their habitat, making the land very fertile. Furthermore, the Tana River Mangabey is proven to be a very adaptable primate. In a source from researcher Julie Wieczkowski, the Tana River Mangabey can adapt to any habitat once its own habitat has either been diminished or disturbed. This is a useful method for the survival of the Tana River Mangabey; however, once all of its possible habitats get disrupted, the Tana River Mangabey will have nowhere to go, further threatening the population of these primates that are left in the world (1). The Tana River Mangabey serves to be an important figure to the environment and ecosystem that it inhabits, but just like these primates, there are multiple others that also serve to be a valuable asset to nature.

In conclusion, all endangered primates (and all species for that fact) must be protected from further endangerment. Primates are proven to have multiple cultural and ecological importance as according to Alejandro Estrada in the article, Impending Extinction Crisis of the World’s Primates: Why Primates Matter. In a cultural perspective, primates can be seen as a central figure to the regional traditional folklore and knowledge in the environment they inhabit. For example, primates in South Asian Hindu and Buddhist cultures (namely the Hanuman langur) are related to be holy figures that bring spiritual faith and beliefs to the people of the region. In an ecological perspective, primates can provide forest regeneration by dispersing seeds throughout the land to plant new trees. The article also states how primates can advance the researchers’ understanding of human evolution such as behavior, social bonds, and conflict resolution. Furthermore, researchers can study primates to discover how human diseases like “atherosclerosis, respiratory diseases, and HIV/AIDS” can affect the human body, since both the human and primate bodies are identical (Estrada 1). The Tana River Mangabey is only one of these primate species that must be protected from human interference to their habitats. Humans themselves must make sure that their actions do not put these animals in harm’s way as they can learn so much through research of these primates. Together, the remaining 1,200 Tana River Mangabeys can and will be saved from further extinction.

 Works Cited

Estrada, Alejandro, et al. “Impending Extinction Crisis of the World's Primates: Why Primates Matter.” Science Advances, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1 Jan. 2017, advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/1/e1600946.

Mittl, Gregory. “Cercocebus Galeritus (Tana River Mangabey).” Animal Diversity Web, 2020, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cercocebus_galeritus/#lifespan_longevity.

Wieczkowski, Julie. Comprehensive Conservation Profile of Tana Mangabey. ResearchGate GmbH. 2020. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227248163_Comprehensive_Conservation_Profile_of_Tana_Mangabeys

 

 

 

Spotlight on Students: Folkway Violations

This post highlights the work required of my SA 201: Introduction to Sociology students.  Students were tasked with learning about culture, cultural norms, and cultural values by violating a folkway. Eligible students were given the opportunity to have their exemplary work featured on the blog, and the students who provided permission have their work featured here in this and the following blog posts.   Please show your appreciation for their work through the comments.

 

Weird Al Yankovic's video "Tacky" covers various folkway violations.

 

 By: Emily Velazquez

Imagine you work at a state office. One day you wake up late and you throw on whatever because the only thing you are worried about is making it out of the house and to your job. In this case it is a pair of sweatpants and the first t-shirt you can find. You walk in and not much time goes by before your supervisor calls you into the office and asks you if everything is alright.  State office jobs have certain dress codes that you would have to meet every day of working. You would not be able to show up wearing pajamas or lounge wear attire. If you did, you most likely would not get the best of looks. Just like that a folkway is broken. In this essay I will be explaining what a folk- way is, how they are a part of our everyday lives, and giving an example of how I broke a folkway.

A folkway is defined as a mode of thinking, feeling, or acting common to a given group of people especially when it comes to a traditional social custom. (Merriam- Webster, 1828). Some other examples of folkways would be walking into an elevator and staring at the people instead of the door, not covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough, passing gas in public, etc. Think of how people might react in these situations. Would they react nonchalant because this is a normal thing that everybody does, or would they be concerned because it is not the normal thing for someone to do.

           Last Friday I went on a date with a guy. We went out to eat and he offered to pay for the whole meal. I broke a folkway by not only paying for my meal but paying for the whole meal overall. It has become “normal” in society to have the men pay for every- thing, especially on the first date. A few decades ago this might have been looked at differently, like the man should be the main provider, but as the years go by we see that this has definitely changed. Women have become way more empowered and independent and that is definitely looked up to now. I, on the other hand, have never liked people paying for me. I have always been the type to pay for everything that is mine because I feel like then I do not owe anyone anything in return or they cannot hold any- thing against me. I at least made a deal with him that I would pay for the meal and he could leave the tip. I felt like if I paid I did not have to give him any more of my time in return, and we could just end things there. His reaction at first was surprised, and he made sure to ask me several times if I was sure. I made it known to him several of times that it was okay and I just felt more comfortable this way.

 I personally do not find that there is any importance in this specific folkway in society; in fact, it should be seen as something normal. I know that it is nice for other individuals to buy you stuff because, of course, it makes you feel important and loved. I also think it is important for other people to know that you do not need to depend on anybody but yourself to get stuff. I encourage all women to pay for themselves on the first date because first impressions are important. This may start the relationship off different, whether it be a friendship or loving relationship. They may take that first impression and base it on what your future relationship may look like and could treat you differently because of that.

In conclusion I do think that folkways are important to have in society, although they can change or lose importance over the years folkways help us communicate and better understand one another. It is important to know how folkways can vary through- out different cultures and with different people. If they are broken, it may come off as rude to others or may have certain consequences in your personal life.

 

Works Cited

 

“Folkway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/folkway. Accessed 24 Sep. 2020.

 

 

 By: Maddie Welker

A folkway can help a person navigate through their own society. Folkways help people know what a respectful action in everyday life is. Every culture has their own set of folkways or social norms (Bry et al. 59). One folkway might be normal in one country’s society but completely rude in another. Folkways “are norms without any moral upbringings” (Bry et al. 59). In other words when someone breaks a folkway, they are breaking an appropriate norm in society. Norms in society are actions based off of what society perceives as normal (Bry et al. 58). When a folkway is broken people in society think that the person who broke it is rude or acts inappropriately. Folkways are important to society because they help people know what it normalized in society.

The folkway that I decided to break is to chew with my mouth open at the dinner table. One night during dinner with my roommate, I decided to violate this folkway with the fettuccine alfredo that we had made. While eating the food I made sure to smack my lips together and chew very loudly. This is breaking a folkway because in American culture, it is very rude to chew with your mouth open. Our social norm is to maintain politeness as described in America, which is to not make excessive noise while you eat. When someone eats with their mouth open people, others may view that person as disgusting and nasty. Eating with your mouth open could also be seen as a choking hazard, which also makes it inappropriate to do at the table. Children at a young age are taught table manners, and this includes chewing food with your mouth closed. Breaking a folkway can cause different reactions based on where a person is from.

When I sat at the dinner table and chewed with my mouth open, my roommate had a mix of emotions. She started to stare at me with a confusing look on her face. When I proceeded to continue the inappropriate act, I could tell she grew more and more annoyed. After five minutes of me chewing with my mouth open, my roommate would not make eye contact with me. Then, she started to roll her eyes and type on her phone. Usually when we eat dinner together, we always talk about our day or softball. During this particular dinner she did not say a word to me and there was constant awkward silence. I could tell she kept growing more and more frustrated as the dinner continued, but I continued to be obnoxious while chewing. It was very hard for me not to start laughing during the dinner or to keep a straight face. Finally, at the end of dinner I had to explain to her that this was an assignment and she started to laugh. She then explained that throughout the entire dinner it was taking all of her control to not yell at me. Once she knew that I was acting like this for an assignment, she thought it was funny.

The folkway that I broke is important because having table manners in America is very important.  When a person goes to eat any meal with people, they should always have appropriate table manners because if they do not then, they will be perceived as rude. Breaking a folkway for this assignment has made me realize how seriously people take polite manners, due to my roommate’s reaction.

Folkways are important to society because they create norms that most people will follow. Without folkways, people within a society would not know the polite way to act or how to communicate with others. Learning and understanding other cultures’ folkways can also help people understand other people’s background history and where they came from. Breaking a folkway on purpose made me feel very uncomfortable and awkward, especially since I knew that it was bothering my roommate. Growing up, I was always taught to have great table manners and to always chew with my mouth closed. Participating in this assignment helped me realize how important a folkway is and how much others value folkways. Folkways are a great thing to have in society and will always hold people accountable for their actions.

 

Works Cited

 

Bry, Jeff, et al. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX. OpenStax, 2017. pp 58-59