TANZANIA ~ Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park - Zanzibar~

... Great view of a "cool" looking monkey... Jozani Forest is lying at the centre of Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park... the main reason to visit the forest is to see the uniqe red colobus monkeys in their natural environment... the Zanzibar Red Colobus is recognised as a separate species and is said to be endemic to Zanzibar... they  are highly social, living in groups of 30 to 60 individuals... unfortunately the red colobus monkey is the most endangered primate species on the African continent due to their habitat loss, logging, mining and hunting... but thanks to efforts at the Jozani forest, there are estimates of about 2,000 of them now, most of them in the Jozani forest... Thanks Alena!【ツ】

© Photo: Javed Jaffzeji
The Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park is located in the southeastern part of the island and the only National Park in Zanzibar. The park was established in 2004, it covers a small area of around 50 km2 and is made up of several different areas, there is a coastal area, a salt marsh, a mangrove and swamp forest. 

The Zanzibar red colobus is also called Kirk’s red colobus, after Sir John Kirk, the British Resident of Zanzibar who first brought it to the attention of zoological science. Locals call the Zanzibar red colobus “kima punju,” meaning “poison monkey” in Swahili, due to their distinct, pungent smell. The Zanzibar red colobus’ leaps between trees can cover as much as 7.6 meters.

Jozani-Chwaka Bay Conservation Area is part of the tentative list of the UNESCO.

Stamp:

Wild Animals of Africa 

(Issued 28-10-2010)