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Cercopithecus preussi
A highly endangered and little known , the Preuss's guenon is
found only in south western Cameroon, on the island of Bioko and in south
east Nigeria. In Nigeria, it appears to be restricted to a tiny geographical
area, around the Obudu Plateau in Cross River State. In 2001 CERCOPAN
conducted a survey on the Obudu plateau, and found very few isolated troops
in disappearing habitat. Reaching an altitude of 1700m, the plateau is also
home to many endemic bird species.
Preuss's guenon is very quiet in comparison to
most other forest species, with a soft "sighing" contact call. The male
calls with a single loud resonant boom. They are adapted to live at high
altitudes, and in their prime habitat are often named as the most common
monkey by local people, along with the putty-nose guenon. However, because
of their extremely limited distribution, Preuss's guenon are highly
endangered due to both hunting and habitat loss.
With the co-operation of the local people and the State government, a small
nature reserve (approx. 40 ha) called "Becheve Nature Reserve" after the
host community, has been established close to the Obudu Ranch hotel. A local
NGO, Development in Nigeria (DIN), has been instrumental in the formation
and protection of this important initiative, which is currently managed by
the Nigerian Conservation Foundation. Unfortunately, no Preuss's guenons are
currently found in the reserve, but there may in future be potential for
reintroduction here.
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