What can you do to help primate conservation?

Buy wood products conscientiously: The greatest threat to all wild animals is the destruction of their natural habitats by humans. In the case of primates this is usually indigenous rainforest. It's quite simple to aid forest survival by buying furniture or other wood products such as paper from environmentally friendly sources. Better still: opt for recycled and second-hand items or antiques. You can find out more at www.fsc.org or www.nrdc.org/land/forests/qcert.asp.

Go on an eco-holiday to visit the primates: A large proportion of people in primate habitat countries lives below the poverty line. They are therefore forced to destroy forests and animals in order to feed their families. As long as there is sufficient international interest in primates, then financial rewards from tourism encourage the creation and protection of sanctuaries and reserves. There are a lot of eco-tourism opportunities to be found on the web and one company even specialises on eco-friendly primate safaris:
http://www.worldprimatesafaris.com.

Discourage keeping primates as pets: Primates are social animals and they need the company of their own kind. They do not make good pets (unexpected biting, urination and masturbation are the most commonly cited problems from people who bring their pets to Monkeyland) and they suffer terrible psychological problems in captivity. If you encounter anyone who legally owns a non-human primate, please encourage them to find out more about Monkeyland or a similar local sanctuary. If you come across illegally kept primates, please contact the authorities, the International Primate Protection League (www.ippl.org) or Conservation International (www.conservation.org).

Encourage family planning incentives: The greatest threat to primates, and indeed most of the world's wildlife, is the ever-increasing human population. Ninety-nine percent of the population growth occurs in developing countries, which is also where nearly all the worlds' primates live. This means that pressure on the resources and primate habitat will continue growing unless family planning is encouraged and implemented. Please visit www.populationaction.org or www.prb.org for more information.

Educate yourself about primates: By taking an active interest in primates (e.g. searching the web for information about them, buying primate-related books, watching documentaries or educating others), you help to encourage a global interest in their plight. The more tourists, media teams and scientists enter habitat countries to observe primates, the easier it will be to protect the lives of these amazing creatures.

Make a contribution to a primate charity: There are plenty of charities out there trying to help primates. Many operate on very tight budgets and great ethics, but it's best to inform yourself as thoroughly as possible about where the money actually goes. One option is Touch A Monkey's Heart Foundation (TAMFH) at Monkeyland. See below for more information.

What is Touch A Monkey's Heart Foundation (TAMHF)?
By working with the non-profit organisation Touch A Monkey's Heart Foundation (NPO 008-464), Monkeyland has secured the future of all its primates. The Foundation is the sole custodian of all the primates at Monkeyland. TAMHF is currently building a Special Monkey Home for primates who are disabled, orphaned, elderly, blind or otherwise unable to live happily in the large forested areas. This project will be completed in 2007, but TAMHF will never run out of things to do. Future projects include buying the Monkeyland forest from the shareholders who currently own it to secure it indefinitely as a home for the TAMHF primates. Furthermore, TAMHF is active in replanting indigenous trees on unused local land (e.g. the farmland surrounding Monkeyland) to provide habitat for the indigenous vervet monkeys and baboons. The creation of an orangutan sanctuary for the many zoo orangutans that currently live in cages is also on our list of things to do. The proceeds from your purchase of this book will help with such sensible projects and we thank you very much for this contribution. If you wish to donate more funds, please do so into the following bank account:

Touch A Monkey's Heart Foundation - First National Bank (FNB) - Plettenberg Bay Branch code 210514 - Account number 62057839733

If you wish to contribute time, skills and/or materials, or if you have any questions, please e-mail . For more information, please visit www.tamhf.org.za.

Information supplied by:
Lara Mostert

www.monkeyland.co.za
www.birdsofeden.co.za

WILD ANIMAL CLUBS, ORGANISATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS