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The Trust runs numerous projects addressing critical issues in habitat protection, animal welfare, biological and ecological research, as well as community development and outreach, education, eco-tourism and awareness programmes.

Diani Beach has some of the last remaining unique indigenous ‘coastal coral rag’ forest and contains rich biodiversity with some endemic and/or endangered species. The forest is being destroyed at an alarming rate to make way for farmland, hotel and tourist developments. Therefore, the Trust has a number of 'on the ground activities' aimed at increasing knowledge of colobus habitat requirements, increasing forest area and maintaining local interest in this region:

With ever increasing loss of forest, some of Diani’s other primate residents have adapted to the loss of their natural food resources by taking from tourists, hotel kitchens, waste sites and shambas (subsistence smallholding farms). Baboon, vervet and Sykes monkeys often raid developed areas, threaten, scratch and bite, destroy roofs and other property. Feeding on human food and waste, monkey populations increase to pest proportions and many of the local residents resort to inhumane methods of pest control, including poisoning, painting, trapping, clubbing and shooting monkeys. Therefore, the Trust’s key pest programmes focus on research into primate pest behaviour, removal of dangerous pest individuals and education of local people about primate pest issues:

As the home ranges of primates are bisected by Diani Beach road, they are prone to road injuries and death whilst crossing their ranges. Colobus monkeys are especially susceptible to injury as they are unaccustomed to ground travel. The Trust has conducted a comprehensive approach to slow down the traffic on Diani Beach road and protect primates from further injury on this major thoroughfare:

Uninsulated electric power cables (22,000 volts) are numerous in Diani and many of the primates are killed instantly when crossing between lines. Domestic (240 volt) lines often injure an animal through loss of limbs, leading to a high number of deaths due to infection. The Angola colobus is particularly vulnerable, given it’s dependency on the forest canopy for movement and feeding.

The Trust mainly deals with the snaring for bushmeat and primates as pets. Vervets, sykes and young baboons are commonly captured inadvertently by snares set for suni (a small antelope in the area). Mortality is usually a long slow process through gradual strangulation of the neck or waist. The Trust also receives confiscated primates from the illegal pet trade or from primates kept as pets in homes.

Many of the primate veterinarian cases are individuals beyond support, dead-on-arrival cases or primates so badly injured that they must be euthanised. A percentage of rescues involve short-term (hours to days) or medium-term rehabilitation and release (one week to a few months), either back to their home troops, or to safe natural areas when home troops are unknown.

Our education structure continues to aim at developing awareness amongst local schoolchildren, laying emphasis on local conservation and environmental issues through education workshops. Kenyan clubs, colleges, universities and local community groups can also have specifically-tailored environmental education upon request. Eco-tourism also plays a strong role in our education outreach work and includes: