Home

Travel log

About us

Videos

Conservation

Climbing

Founded in 1995, CERCOPAN is an non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to conserving Nigeria's primates through rainforest conservation, community education, primate rehabilitation, and research.

CERCOPAN offers sanctuary to orphaned monkeys that have been victims of habitat loss and the ever increasing bush meat trade. they also work towards rehabilitating the monkeys by providing an environment that mimics their natural home.

The sanctuary site offers home to two types of monkeys, Guenons (genus Cercopithecus) and Mangabeys (genus

Cercocebus). Both are found in the tropical rainforests of West Africa. The project currently has five species of Guenon (including the endangered Red-Eared, Sclater's and Preuss's guenons) and one species of Mangabey, the threatened Red-Capped Mangabey.

Nearly all the monkeys were orphaned as nursing infants when their mothers were shot for bush meat. hunting for bush meat in most of West Africa is no longer for subsistence, but instead for commercial trade. Rural communities supply bush meat to urban traders. This type of hunting is highly unsustainable and is having a devastating impact on primate populations across West Africa. nursing babies orphaned by this trade are sold, kept as pets, or eaten. Many of those kept as pets die from wounds or inappropriate care. The lucky ones are voluntarily donated to CERCOPAN, or in some cases, they are confiscated by wildlife officials.

One of CERCOPAN'S main objectives is education at all levels. It is a fundamental aspect of a successful conservation program. CERCOPAN offers many opportunities for both children and adults to learn about local wildlife issues from a new perspective. There are education centres at the Calabar headquarters and the forest site of Rhoko for anyone to visit. CERCOPAN visits secondary schools throughout Calabar teaching conservation, and they hold an annual conservation ralley. CERCOPAN has established Conservation Clubs in Calabar and has introduced new clubs into many schools and universities in Calabar, Iko Esai and neighbouring villages.

CERCOPAN also promotes and conducts research atht eforest site of Rhoko. They have had students and researchers from around the world come to study the amazing wildlife and ecology of tropical rainforest and identify hundreds of species of birds. different new species have been discovered in the community forest. At hte Rhoko forest site, weather, wildlife and on-timber forest products (NTFP) data are routinely collected.