THE LEAPING GOLD IN VIRUNGA FORESTS; THE GOLDEN MONKEYS

Golden monkey is a species of monkey only confined in some parts of the Virunga corridor of Eastern central Africanthat extends three countries; Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda (same habitat for Mountain gorillas!). Their conducive habitats are areas of high elevation with thick and dense Afromontane forests in the Mgahinga Gorilla (Uganda), Virunga and Kahozi-Biega (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Volcanoes national parks of Africa. These areas receive the  highest amounts rainfall that sustain constant and continuous plant growth so as to provide enough shoots, young leaves, shrubs, fruits, flowers, their main staple food. Heavy rains likewise speed up rotting and decaying of dead plant material in which insects lay their eggs that form a complimentary diet for the Golden monkeys.

Golden monkeys are social animals that live in groups called troops with members ranging between 3 to 70 of grandparents and their descendants. Adult male members weigh between 4-12kgs (male) and 3-5kgsfor their female counterparts.

Quite unique and more of what you will learn and observe about this species of monkeys on your safari into Rwanda is that Golden monkeys make particular base stations in some secure location from which they make “bed-like” structures by improvising heavy leaves of plant material from which they always set off at sunset to browse for foliage plant life and come back late evenings for the nights.

With rapid increasing human population pressure close to protected areas and ever increasing demand for farm land and materials to use in factories to produce and satisfy human demands and needs, Golden monkeys’ conducive habitat is reducing each passing time putting them under serious threat.

Traveling with Gorilla Cousins Rwanda on planned safaris is one in many ways of raising awareness of the dangers and threats these docile monkeys face. Through paying conservation fees to visit them in their natural habitat we generate revenue wildlife protection agencies that are used in conservation awareness and combating encroachment and reducing on threat beautiful Golden monkeys.