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