In our everyday life as humans, the day can be so hard and punctuated with lots of stress, hunger etc. Although quite similar to our distant cousins; the velvet monkeys, it can even be more challenging especially when you live in an urban area like Entebbe.
The wildlife education centre, has become a safe haven for many troops chased from Kituubulu, Nkumba, Lunyo, the Airport, Katabi and other surrounding areas that have seen an increased rate of forest conversion for human settlement.
These free range monkeys always wonder around the forest and the compound, waiting to find their victim, often a visitor carrying food, aware that the forests at UWEC is so small to provide food for all of the victims of human development (displaced monkeys).
With installation of new caution signs, that warns our visitors to take extra precaution with their food. It is becoming hard for the free range residents to get “freebies” as they used to. They have to therefore depend on leaves, aunts, wild fruits from the forest, and compete with the new comers on each day.
Marcus caught up with this velvet at 5 pm seemingly exhausted and having a nap on the new fence!
The visitors asked as questions such as;
If he falls off the fence, can’t they break?
- Unlike Humans, monkeys have very short bones and joints which enables them to to break easily.
- Their tail is an additional adaption to help them grasp branches in event that the hands and legs are compromised.
Pay us a visit and learn more about animals.