#9–10 / 2020 TF
JOZANI
CHWAKA
BAY
NATIONAL
PARK
COLOBUS MONKEYS
ON BAOBABS
The only national park on the island
of Zanzibar is famous for its
endemic primate, one of the species
of red colobus — the Kirk’s
colobus. This exotic monkey
is named after the Scottish naturalist,
British governor of Zanzibar
John Kirk, who once ended
the slave trade on the island.
It is believed that the animals
were genetically isolated during
the Pleistocene. Today, their
population is decreasing, and
scientists believe that the main
reason for this lies in a long infantile
period in young monkeys:
mother feeds kids with milk for
up to four years, and at this time
she cannot have new offspring.
The unusual tetrapods can
be seen sitting on the baobab
trees in the jungle that covers
most of the park. To see this, you
will have to wade through the
heavy growth of jungles, so wear
comfortable clothes and shoes.
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