We were in Rwanda in January, 08 to track Mountain Gorillas. While we were at the base camp, we heard that a group of Golden monkeys were currently in the mountains and could be tracked also. We signed up immediately and were pleasantly surprised at how responsive they were to us. The small ones, in particular, repeatedly stopped their games to look at us, as though they wanted to be sure we were catching the action. The two wrestling monkeys you see in the video actually stopped playing at one point and moved about 50 yards away. They stood there and looked at us, waiting for us to regroup and get our cameras up again before they resumed the match. I noticed this behavior in baby seals when we were in the Galapagos. They seem to want human attention and somehow realize that raising a camera means they’re getting that attention. Or maybe it’s all the oohing and aahing over how cute they are.
We were told later that this is the only habituated group of Golden Monkeys in the world. According to the African Wildlife Foundation, they are a subspecies of the Blue Monkey. Although very rare, they do not currently have the endangered species designation. These little guys are much less famous (and therefore, much less supported monetarily) than the Mountain Gorillas. They are so human-like in their interactions - allowing them to become extinct would be a tragedy.
To find out more or to donate, check out:
African Wildlife Fund
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