The
Colobus Trust works hard to conserve the highly endangered Colobus
Monkey, not only this species, but also many other primate species found in the
area. As a conservation volunteer you will help and assist the conservation
teams in their efforts to conserve these beautiful creatures, working alongside
more experienced conservationists and becoming actively involved in some of the
rehabilitation of the primates. You will also help to educate the local communities
on conservation and ethics issues.
There are a variety of projects underway
at the Colobus Trust. Volunteers will be allocated specific duties, working along
side experienced people. Duties will depend upon the individual's relative experience,
and present openings at the Trust. All volunteers should be willing to help out
with any aspect of the Trust's work when required.
During
your placement you may have the opportunity to experience: - Repairing
or installing ‘colobridges’ (monkey-crossing bridges over Diani Beach
road)
- Removing vegetation from power lines to stop monkeys from being
electrocuted
- Conduct forest surveys to determine resource extraction
(poles and timber)
- Build fences
- Assisting with school
education workshops
- Conducting monkey census or other research of
colobus, sykes, vervet and baboon populations
- Assisting with maintenance
and repair work - e.g. painting cages and building new infrastructure
- Clearing
invasive shrubs, planting trees and other practical conservation work in sacred
‘kaya’ forests
- Assisting with office-based work - e.g. preparing
Colobus Trust newsletters and helping with the membership programme
|
MORE
INFORMATION ...
Animal rescue and rehabilitation is conducted by the trained
staff of the Colobus Trust, however volunteers are welcome to observe.
 | Location
Just
an hour south of Mombasa in Kenya,
hidden away amongst almost twenty hectares of coastal forest, Colobus Cottage
is an office, research base, information centre, primate rescue facility, and
home for the Colobus Trust staff and volunteers since August 1997.
It
is also home to a habituated troop of Colobus monkeys, which reside almost entirely
within the boundary of our plot, making it an ideal site for ecological and behavioural
studies or to just come and watch. Other primates you will like see are the vervets,
sykes and baboons as they pass through on their daily search for food. | The
Colobus Trust is situated in Diani, South Coast Kenya, approximately 30 kilometres
south of the Likoni Ferry (Mombasa). We are located between Kim 4 Love sign and
Jadini / Africana Hotels along the Diani beach road. The forest of the Colobus
Cottage is also home to resident troops of baboons, Vervet and Sykes monkeys and
the endangered Black and White Angolan Colobus Monkey.
Click
here to read more about Kenya |
Accomodation
Accommodation
is simple. You will be sharing a room and bathroom with other volunteers. Facilities
include electricity, gas, showers (cold), overhead fans, mosquito net, cleaning
and laundry service. The cook will prepare good quality African meals. The house
is in a secure area and has a night guard who patrols the house and garden area.
The house and office is located on beachfront property. Nestled in the forest,
the house overlooks the Indian Ocean and the white sand beach. Camels often rest
in front of the stone fence. Also on the property are the rehabilitation cage
for monkeys and the veterinary clinic.
Time
Off
Your general working week at Colobus Trust will be Monday to Friday
0900 to 1700. Weekends and evenings are for your own account and you can experience
the surrounding area, either by relxing by the pool at the next door hotal or
travelling further a field to experience some of the amazing national parks of
Kenya.
Cool off swimming in the Indian Ocean or in the pool of the hotel
next door. There are also opportunities for scuba diving, snorkelling, windsurfing
and trips to sacred forests (own cost), the historic town of Mombasa and mangrove
swamps. A trip to the nearby national park, filled with elephants and other game
can also be arranged. |
Project
Duration and Rates
| 2
weeks | 3
weeks | 4
weeks | 8
weeks | 12
weeks | | | £1,399 | £1,699 | | |
More about The
Colobus Trust
Established in January 1997, the Trust has a unique niche
in the primate world by developing innovative conservation solutions with immediate
impact.
Over the six years of the Trust’s existence they have carried
out many research projects and projects that aim to reduce the impact of human
development. The visions of the trust are:- To conserve and protect the
Angolan Colobus and its habitat in Kenya;
- To inspire interest and
participation in primate and environmental conservation;
- To promote
the welfare of primates and to reduce the impact of human development on the environment
in Diani and Kenya;
- To further understanding of the primate species
and their conservation;
- To be able to respond and deliver a high
quality primate rescue and rehabilitation service; and
- To become
a role model for other conservation based charities in Kenya to follow and emulate.
- To be a considerate employer through training and fair wage structure,
to be self-funding, producing high quality valuable work and to be transparent.
Since the Trust was established in 1997 a number of special projects
have been undertaken and completed, these include: - Diani Sykes and
Vevet Census - The Sykes and Vervet population in Diani has traditionally been
largely unknown. The Colobus trust is planning research to identify the troops
and demography.
- Crop Raiding Primates Solutions - A project addressing
crop raiding primates on farmers fields began in the middle of the 2004. The primates
are affecting local farmers significantly and are looking for innovative solutions
to address this issue.
- Survey of Diani Forest - The surveys will
work with local land owners to make sustainable activities to preserving the remaining
patches of forest.
- Primate Pest Behaviour - Continuing our work on
primate pest behaviour, we will work with a number of solutions trying to solve
the hotel pest problem humanly including monitoring the baboon vasectomy programme.
s
- Good Woods - Promoting the use of sustainable tree species in the
tourist wood carving industry rather than forest hard woods.
* Many thanks
to Katie Madden for submitting her photographs for use in this website |
