#bushmeat — Public Fediverse posts

Vital seed dispersers in #African forests, African palm civets are hunted for #bushmeat in #Gabon 🇬🇦 #Liberia 🇱🇷 Say NO to #palmoil #deforestation and hunting. Fight for them! Be #Vegan 🫑🍆 #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🩸🚜☠️🔥❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetectives https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/11/13/african-palm-civet-nandinia-binotata/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=Palm+Oil+Detectives&utm_campaign=publer

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened

Locations: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela

Found in tropical rainforests and lowland jungles from southern Mexico through Central America to north-western South America.

The Keel-billed #Toucan, with their dazzling rainbow-coloured bills and bold black-and-yellow plumage, are one of the most iconic #birds of Central and #SouthAmerica. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, this species of spectacular #bird is facing steady declines due to #palmoil #soy and #meat #deforestation, #hunting, and capture for the illegal pet trade. The destruction of humid forest canopies — especially for cattle grazing and monocultures like palm oil — is pushing this vibrant forest specialist closer to extinction. Protect the colourful creatures of the Amazonian rainforest canopies! Every time you shop be #vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Showing up with a riot of colour and croaking, Keel-billed #Toucans 🌈✨🦜 are nature’s works of art. Help them survive against #palmoil and meat #deforestation in #Colombia and #Guatemala. Be #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

Iconic #birds of #Venezuela 🇻🇪 #Mexico 🇲🇽 #Honduras 🇭🇳 Keel-billed #Toucans are rainbow flocks of rainforest joy! 🦜🐦🪽 Help them survive be #vegan and call out #poaching and the illegal pet trade #Boycottpalmoil 🌴❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

https://youtu.be/yPM7uV9kL24

Appearance & Behaviour

The Keel-billed Toucan is impossible to miss. They are strikingly colourful birds, with black plumage, a vivid yellow throat, crimson tail-tip, and turquoise legs. Their oversized, multi-hued bill — lime green, orange, and cherry red — can reach up to 15 cm long but remains surprisingly lightweight thanks to a hollow keratin structure.

Highly social, they travel in small groups of 6 to 12 individuals, calling to each other with croaks and yelps as they glide between trees. They nest and sleep in tight tree cavities, often tucking their beaks and tails under their bodies to conserve space and heat. Recent research also shows they can detect fruit using their sense of smell — a rare trait in birds, highlighting their complex foraging behaviour.

Threats

Deforestation for agriculture and cattle ranching

Throughout their range, particularly in Mexico, Honduras, and Colombia, large areas of tropical rainforest are being cleared for cattle grazing, soy plantations, and subsistence farming. These forest clearances remove vital canopy nesting trees and reduce food availability, especially for highly frugivorous birds like the Keel-billed Toucan. Habitat fragmentation also isolates populations, reducing genetic diversity and increasing vulnerability to local extinction.

Palm oil and soy monocultures and forest degradation

Although not traditionally associated with Central America, palm oil cultivation is rapidly expanding in regions like Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia. These monocultures replace biodiverse forests with uniform, sterile plantations where toucans cannot nest or forage effectively. The clearing of tropical forest for palm oil is often accompanied by illegal logging, fire, and pesticide use, further degrading the ecosystem. Loss of tree cavities and fruiting species is directly linked to toucan population declines.

Hunting for meat and beak trade

In rural regions, toucans are hunted for their meat and their colourful beaks, which are sold as ornaments or used in traditional ceremonies. Though this practice is illegal in many countries, weak enforcement allows it to persist. The slow flight and conspicuous colours of the Keel-billed Toucan make them easy targets. As mature adults are most often targeted, these killings reduce breeding success and destabilise family groups.

Capture for the illegal pet trade

The Keel-billed Toucan is a sought-after species in the illegal exotic bird trade. Chicks are taken from nests and sold in pet markets across Latin America, often dying during capture or transport. Adults are also captured and kept in cramped cages, where they frequently suffer from iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) due to improper diets. Online wildlife trafficking has made it easier for these birds to be bought and sold internationally with little oversight.

Climate change and drought-related food shortages

Shifting rainfall patterns and increased dry seasons caused by climate change are altering fruiting cycles in tropical forests. For a bird so reliant on fruit, this poses a serious threat. Prolonged droughts can lead to localised starvation and reduce breeding success. With fragmented forests unable to support movement between food-rich areas, toucan populations may collapse in drier regions over time.

Geographic Range

Keel-billed Toucans are found in: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. They inhabit humid tropical and subtropical rainforests, ranging from sea level to 1,500 metres. While they can forage in degraded forests and plantations, they rely on undisturbed primary canopy for nesting and social cohesion. Populations are becoming increasingly fragmented as deforestation escalates.

Diet

Keel-billed Toucans are frugivores, but opportunistically omnivorous. They consume a wide range of soft fruits, tossing them into the air to swallow whole. Their dextrous bills help them reach fruit on thin outer branches inaccessible to other birds.

Their diet also includes insects, small lizards, eggs, and nestlings. In studies conducted in Costa Rica, toucans were shown to actively use olfactory cues — specifically, the scent of ripe banana and papaya — to locate food, suggesting their sense of smell plays a more important role in foraging than previously believed.

Mating and Reproduction

Keel-billed Toucans nest in existing tree cavities, laying between 1 to 4 white eggs. Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks once they hatch. Chicks are born blind and featherless with thick heel pads to protect them in the pit-covered nests. They remain in the nest for 8–9 weeks until their bills fully develop and they are ready to fledge.

These birds breed once annually, timed with fruiting seasons in tropical forests. Family groups share parenting responsibilities and maintain long-term bonds, often engaging in bill jousting and food-sharing behaviours.

FAQs

How many Keel-billed Toucans are left in the wild?

The global population is estimated to be between 50,000 and 499,999 mature individuals (Partners in Flight, 2019). However, numbers are declining rapidly, with up to 20–29% projected loss in the next three generations due to habitat destruction and hunting (BirdLife International, 2020).

Where do Keel-billed Toucans live?

They live in humid tropical forests across Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, ranging as far south as Colombia and Venezuela. They prefer the canopy and upper midstorey of primary forests but are increasingly forced into degraded habitats.

Why are Keel-billed Toucans endangered?

They are primarily threatened by deforestation for agriculture, palm oil and cattle ranching, as well as illegal pet trade and hunting. Their populations are declining faster than tree cover loss alone would suggest, due to their sensitivity to forest degradation and reliance on cavity-nesting trees.

Do Keel-billed Toucans make good pets?

No. Capturing and caging toucans is cruel and drives illegal wildlife trade. They suffer from disease, stress, and a short lifespan in captivity. Keeping them as pets contributes to population decline and ecosystem collapse. If you love toucans, help protect them in the wild — never buy or share content encouraging exotic pet ownership.

Take Action!

Help save the Keel-billed Toucan from extinction. Never buy exotic birds or support facilities that trade in wild animals. Boycott palm oil, beef, and soy products. Support forest restoration and indigenous-led protection of tropical canopies. Raise your voice to defend one of the most colourful birds on Earth. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Support Keel-billed Toucans by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

BirdLife International. 2021. Ramphastos sulfuratus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22682102A168670038. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22682102A168670038.en. Accessed on 17 April 2025.

Hernández, M. C., Villada, A. M., & Barja, I. (2022). Onto the sense of smell in macaws, amazons and toucans: Can they use volatile cues of fruits to make foraging decisions? Integrative Zoology, 17(6), 1003–1020. https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12694

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Asian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus

Marsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened

Locations: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela

Found in tropical rainforests and lowland jungles from southern Mexico through Central America to north-western South America.

The Keel-billed #Toucan, with their dazzling rainbow-coloured bills and bold black-and-yellow plumage, are one of the most iconic #birds of Central and #SouthAmerica. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, this species of spectacular #bird is facing steady declines due to #palmoil #soy and #meat #deforestation, #hunting, and capture for the illegal pet trade. The destruction of humid forest canopies — especially for cattle grazing and monocultures like palm oil — is pushing this vibrant forest specialist closer to extinction. Protect the colourful creatures of the Amazonian rainforest canopies! Every time you shop be #vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Showing up with a riot of colour and croaking, Keel-billed #Toucans 🌈✨🦜 are nature’s works of art. Help them survive against #palmoil and meat #deforestation in #Colombia and #Guatemala. Be #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

Iconic #birds of #Venezuela 🇻🇪 #Mexico 🇲🇽 #Honduras 🇭🇳 Keel-billed #Toucans are rainbow flocks of rainforest joy! 🦜🐦🪽 Help them survive be #vegan and call out #poaching and the illegal pet trade #Boycottpalmoil 🌴❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

https://youtu.be/yPM7uV9kL24

Appearance & Behaviour

The Keel-billed Toucan is impossible to miss. They are strikingly colourful birds, with black plumage, a vivid yellow throat, crimson tail-tip, and turquoise legs. Their oversized, multi-hued bill — lime green, orange, and cherry red — can reach up to 15 cm long but remains surprisingly lightweight thanks to a hollow keratin structure.

Highly social, they travel in small groups of 6 to 12 individuals, calling to each other with croaks and yelps as they glide between trees. They nest and sleep in tight tree cavities, often tucking their beaks and tails under their bodies to conserve space and heat. Recent research also shows they can detect fruit using their sense of smell — a rare trait in birds, highlighting their complex foraging behaviour.

Threats

Deforestation for agriculture and cattle ranching

Throughout their range, particularly in Mexico, Honduras, and Colombia, large areas of tropical rainforest are being cleared for cattle grazing, soy plantations, and subsistence farming. These forest clearances remove vital canopy nesting trees and reduce food availability, especially for highly frugivorous birds like the Keel-billed Toucan. Habitat fragmentation also isolates populations, reducing genetic diversity and increasing vulnerability to local extinction.

Palm oil and soy monocultures and forest degradation

Although not traditionally associated with Central America, palm oil cultivation is rapidly expanding in regions like Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia. These monocultures replace biodiverse forests with uniform, sterile plantations where toucans cannot nest or forage effectively. The clearing of tropical forest for palm oil is often accompanied by illegal logging, fire, and pesticide use, further degrading the ecosystem. Loss of tree cavities and fruiting species is directly linked to toucan population declines.

Hunting for meat and beak trade

In rural regions, toucans are hunted for their meat and their colourful beaks, which are sold as ornaments or used in traditional ceremonies. Though this practice is illegal in many countries, weak enforcement allows it to persist. The slow flight and conspicuous colours of the Keel-billed Toucan make them easy targets. As mature adults are most often targeted, these killings reduce breeding success and destabilise family groups.

Capture for the illegal pet trade

The Keel-billed Toucan is a sought-after species in the illegal exotic bird trade. Chicks are taken from nests and sold in pet markets across Latin America, often dying during capture or transport. Adults are also captured and kept in cramped cages, where they frequently suffer from iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) due to improper diets. Online wildlife trafficking has made it easier for these birds to be bought and sold internationally with little oversight.

Climate change and drought-related food shortages

Shifting rainfall patterns and increased dry seasons caused by climate change are altering fruiting cycles in tropical forests. For a bird so reliant on fruit, this poses a serious threat. Prolonged droughts can lead to localised starvation and reduce breeding success. With fragmented forests unable to support movement between food-rich areas, toucan populations may collapse in drier regions over time.

Geographic Range

Keel-billed Toucans are found in: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. They inhabit humid tropical and subtropical rainforests, ranging from sea level to 1,500 metres. While they can forage in degraded forests and plantations, they rely on undisturbed primary canopy for nesting and social cohesion. Populations are becoming increasingly fragmented as deforestation escalates.

Diet

Keel-billed Toucans are frugivores, but opportunistically omnivorous. They consume a wide range of soft fruits, tossing them into the air to swallow whole. Their dextrous bills help them reach fruit on thin outer branches inaccessible to other birds.

Their diet also includes insects, small lizards, eggs, and nestlings. In studies conducted in Costa Rica, toucans were shown to actively use olfactory cues — specifically, the scent of ripe banana and papaya — to locate food, suggesting their sense of smell plays a more important role in foraging than previously believed.

Mating and Reproduction

Keel-billed Toucans nest in existing tree cavities, laying between 1 to 4 white eggs. Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks once they hatch. Chicks are born blind and featherless with thick heel pads to protect them in the pit-covered nests. They remain in the nest for 8–9 weeks until their bills fully develop and they are ready to fledge.

These birds breed once annually, timed with fruiting seasons in tropical forests. Family groups share parenting responsibilities and maintain long-term bonds, often engaging in bill jousting and food-sharing behaviours.

FAQs

How many Keel-billed Toucans are left in the wild?

The global population is estimated to be between 50,000 and 499,999 mature individuals (Partners in Flight, 2019). However, numbers are declining rapidly, with up to 20–29% projected loss in the next three generations due to habitat destruction and hunting (BirdLife International, 2020).

Where do Keel-billed Toucans live?

They live in humid tropical forests across Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, ranging as far south as Colombia and Venezuela. They prefer the canopy and upper midstorey of primary forests but are increasingly forced into degraded habitats.

Why are Keel-billed Toucans endangered?

They are primarily threatened by deforestation for agriculture, palm oil and cattle ranching, as well as illegal pet trade and hunting. Their populations are declining faster than tree cover loss alone would suggest, due to their sensitivity to forest degradation and reliance on cavity-nesting trees.

Do Keel-billed Toucans make good pets?

No. Capturing and caging toucans is cruel and drives illegal wildlife trade. They suffer from disease, stress, and a short lifespan in captivity. Keeping them as pets contributes to population decline and ecosystem collapse. If you love toucans, help protect them in the wild — never buy or share content encouraging exotic pet ownership.

Take Action!

Help save the Keel-billed Toucan from extinction. Never buy exotic birds or support facilities that trade in wild animals. Boycott palm oil, beef, and soy products. Support forest restoration and indigenous-led protection of tropical canopies. Raise your voice to defend one of the most colourful birds on Earth. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Support Keel-billed Toucans by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

BirdLife International. 2021. Ramphastos sulfuratus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22682102A168670038. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22682102A168670038.en. Accessed on 17 April 2025.

Hernández, M. C., Villada, A. M., & Barja, I. (2022). Onto the sense of smell in macaws, amazons and toucans: Can they use volatile cues of fruits to make foraging decisions? Integrative Zoology, 17(6), 1003–1020. https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12694

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

Asian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus

Marsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened

Locations: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela

Found in tropical rainforests and lowland jungles from southern Mexico through Central America to north-western South America.

The Keel-billed #Toucan, with their dazzling rainbow-coloured bills and bold black-and-yellow plumage, are one of the most iconic #birds of Central and #SouthAmerica. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, this species of spectacular #bird is facing steady declines due to #palmoil #soy and #meat #deforestation, #hunting, and capture for the illegal pet trade. The destruction of humid forest canopies — especially for cattle grazing and monocultures like palm oil — is pushing this vibrant forest specialist closer to extinction. Protect the colourful creatures of the Amazonian rainforest canopies! Every time you shop be #vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Showing up with a riot of colour and croaking, Keel-billed #Toucans 🌈✨🦜 are nature’s works of art. Help them survive against #palmoil and meat #deforestation in #Colombia and #Guatemala. Be #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

Iconic #birds of #Venezuela 🇻🇪 #Mexico 🇲🇽 #Honduras 🇭🇳 Keel-billed #Toucans are rainbow flocks of rainforest joy! 🦜🐦🪽 Help them survive be #vegan and call out #poaching and the illegal pet trade #Boycottpalmoil 🌴❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

https://youtu.be/yPM7uV9kL24

Appearance & Behaviour

The Keel-billed Toucan is impossible to miss. They are strikingly colourful birds, with black plumage, a vivid yellow throat, crimson tail-tip, and turquoise legs. Their oversized, multi-hued bill — lime green, orange, and cherry red — can reach up to 15 cm long but remains surprisingly lightweight thanks to a hollow keratin structure.

Highly social, they travel in small groups of 6 to 12 individuals, calling to each other with croaks and yelps as they glide between trees. They nest and sleep in tight tree cavities, often tucking their beaks and tails under their bodies to conserve space and heat. Recent research also shows they can detect fruit using their sense of smell — a rare trait in birds, highlighting their complex foraging behaviour.

Threats

Deforestation for agriculture and cattle ranching

Throughout their range, particularly in Mexico, Honduras, and Colombia, large areas of tropical rainforest are being cleared for cattle grazing, soy plantations, and subsistence farming. These forest clearances remove vital canopy nesting trees and reduce food availability, especially for highly frugivorous birds like the Keel-billed Toucan. Habitat fragmentation also isolates populations, reducing genetic diversity and increasing vulnerability to local extinction.

Palm oil and soy monocultures and forest degradation

Although not traditionally associated with Central America, palm oil cultivation is rapidly expanding in regions like Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia. These monocultures replace biodiverse forests with uniform, sterile plantations where toucans cannot nest or forage effectively. The clearing of tropical forest for palm oil is often accompanied by illegal logging, fire, and pesticide use, further degrading the ecosystem. Loss of tree cavities and fruiting species is directly linked to toucan population declines.

Hunting for meat and beak trade

In rural regions, toucans are hunted for their meat and their colourful beaks, which are sold as ornaments or used in traditional ceremonies. Though this practice is illegal in many countries, weak enforcement allows it to persist. The slow flight and conspicuous colours of the Keel-billed Toucan make them easy targets. As mature adults are most often targeted, these killings reduce breeding success and destabilise family groups.

Capture for the illegal pet trade

The Keel-billed Toucan is a sought-after species in the illegal exotic bird trade. Chicks are taken from nests and sold in pet markets across Latin America, often dying during capture or transport. Adults are also captured and kept in cramped cages, where they frequently suffer from iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) due to improper diets. Online wildlife trafficking has made it easier for these birds to be bought and sold internationally with little oversight.

Climate change and drought-related food shortages

Shifting rainfall patterns and increased dry seasons caused by climate change are altering fruiting cycles in tropical forests. For a bird so reliant on fruit, this poses a serious threat. Prolonged droughts can lead to localised starvation and reduce breeding success. With fragmented forests unable to support movement between food-rich areas, toucan populations may collapse in drier regions over time.

Geographic Range

Keel-billed Toucans are found in: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. They inhabit humid tropical and subtropical rainforests, ranging from sea level to 1,500 metres. While they can forage in degraded forests and plantations, they rely on undisturbed primary canopy for nesting and social cohesion. Populations are becoming increasingly fragmented as deforestation escalates.

Diet

Keel-billed Toucans are frugivores, but opportunistically omnivorous. They consume a wide range of soft fruits, tossing them into the air to swallow whole. Their dextrous bills help them reach fruit on thin outer branches inaccessible to other birds.

Their diet also includes insects, small lizards, eggs, and nestlings. In studies conducted in Costa Rica, toucans were shown to actively use olfactory cues — specifically, the scent of ripe banana and papaya — to locate food, suggesting their sense of smell plays a more important role in foraging than previously believed.

Mating and Reproduction

Keel-billed Toucans nest in existing tree cavities, laying between 1 to 4 white eggs. Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks once they hatch. Chicks are born blind and featherless with thick heel pads to protect them in the pit-covered nests. They remain in the nest for 8–9 weeks until their bills fully develop and they are ready to fledge.

These birds breed once annually, timed with fruiting seasons in tropical forests. Family groups share parenting responsibilities and maintain long-term bonds, often engaging in bill jousting and food-sharing behaviours.

FAQs

How many Keel-billed Toucans are left in the wild?

The global population is estimated to be between 50,000 and 499,999 mature individuals (Partners in Flight, 2019). However, numbers are declining rapidly, with up to 20–29% projected loss in the next three generations due to habitat destruction and hunting (BirdLife International, 2020).

Where do Keel-billed Toucans live?

They live in humid tropical forests across Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, ranging as far south as Colombia and Venezuela. They prefer the canopy and upper midstorey of primary forests but are increasingly forced into degraded habitats.

Why are Keel-billed Toucans endangered?

They are primarily threatened by deforestation for agriculture, palm oil and cattle ranching, as well as illegal pet trade and hunting. Their populations are declining faster than tree cover loss alone would suggest, due to their sensitivity to forest degradation and reliance on cavity-nesting trees.

Do Keel-billed Toucans make good pets?

No. Capturing and caging toucans is cruel and drives illegal wildlife trade. They suffer from disease, stress, and a short lifespan in captivity. Keeping them as pets contributes to population decline and ecosystem collapse. If you love toucans, help protect them in the wild — never buy or share content encouraging exotic pet ownership.

Take Action!

Help save the Keel-billed Toucan from extinction. Never buy exotic birds or support facilities that trade in wild animals. Boycott palm oil, beef, and soy products. Support forest restoration and indigenous-led protection of tropical canopies. Raise your voice to defend one of the most colourful birds on Earth. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Support Keel-billed Toucans by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

BirdLife International. 2021. Ramphastos sulfuratus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22682102A168670038. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22682102A168670038.en. Accessed on 17 April 2025.

Hernández, M. C., Villada, A. M., & Barja, I. (2022). Onto the sense of smell in macaws, amazons and toucans: Can they use volatile cues of fruits to make foraging decisions? Integrative Zoology, 17(6), 1003–1020. https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12694

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Asian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus

Marsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened

Locations: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela

Found in tropical rainforests and lowland jungles from southern Mexico through Central America to north-western South America.

The Keel-billed #Toucan, with their dazzling rainbow-coloured bills and bold black-and-yellow plumage, are one of the most iconic #birds of Central and #SouthAmerica. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, this species of spectacular #bird is facing steady declines due to #palmoil #soy and #meat #deforestation, #hunting, and capture for the illegal pet trade. The destruction of humid forest canopies — especially for cattle grazing and monocultures like palm oil — is pushing this vibrant forest specialist closer to extinction. Protect the colourful creatures of the Amazonian rainforest canopies! Every time you shop be #vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Showing up with a riot of colour and croaking, Keel-billed #Toucans 🌈✨🦜 are nature’s works of art. Help them survive against #palmoil and meat #deforestation in #Colombia and #Guatemala. Be #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

Iconic #birds of #Venezuela 🇻🇪 #Mexico 🇲🇽 #Honduras 🇭🇳 Keel-billed #Toucans are rainbow flocks of rainforest joy! 🦜🐦🪽 Help them survive be #vegan and call out #poaching and the illegal pet trade #Boycottpalmoil 🌴❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

https://youtu.be/yPM7uV9kL24

Appearance & Behaviour

The Keel-billed Toucan is impossible to miss. They are strikingly colourful birds, with black plumage, a vivid yellow throat, crimson tail-tip, and turquoise legs. Their oversized, multi-hued bill — lime green, orange, and cherry red — can reach up to 15 cm long but remains surprisingly lightweight thanks to a hollow keratin structure.

Highly social, they travel in small groups of 6 to 12 individuals, calling to each other with croaks and yelps as they glide between trees. They nest and sleep in tight tree cavities, often tucking their beaks and tails under their bodies to conserve space and heat. Recent research also shows they can detect fruit using their sense of smell — a rare trait in birds, highlighting their complex foraging behaviour.

Threats

Deforestation for agriculture and cattle ranching

Throughout their range, particularly in Mexico, Honduras, and Colombia, large areas of tropical rainforest are being cleared for cattle grazing, soy plantations, and subsistence farming. These forest clearances remove vital canopy nesting trees and reduce food availability, especially for highly frugivorous birds like the Keel-billed Toucan. Habitat fragmentation also isolates populations, reducing genetic diversity and increasing vulnerability to local extinction.

Palm oil and soy monocultures and forest degradation

Although not traditionally associated with Central America, palm oil cultivation is rapidly expanding in regions like Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia. These monocultures replace biodiverse forests with uniform, sterile plantations where toucans cannot nest or forage effectively. The clearing of tropical forest for palm oil is often accompanied by illegal logging, fire, and pesticide use, further degrading the ecosystem. Loss of tree cavities and fruiting species is directly linked to toucan population declines.

Hunting for meat and beak trade

In rural regions, toucans are hunted for their meat and their colourful beaks, which are sold as ornaments or used in traditional ceremonies. Though this practice is illegal in many countries, weak enforcement allows it to persist. The slow flight and conspicuous colours of the Keel-billed Toucan make them easy targets. As mature adults are most often targeted, these killings reduce breeding success and destabilise family groups.

Capture for the illegal pet trade

The Keel-billed Toucan is a sought-after species in the illegal exotic bird trade. Chicks are taken from nests and sold in pet markets across Latin America, often dying during capture or transport. Adults are also captured and kept in cramped cages, where they frequently suffer from iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) due to improper diets. Online wildlife trafficking has made it easier for these birds to be bought and sold internationally with little oversight.

Climate change and drought-related food shortages

Shifting rainfall patterns and increased dry seasons caused by climate change are altering fruiting cycles in tropical forests. For a bird so reliant on fruit, this poses a serious threat. Prolonged droughts can lead to localised starvation and reduce breeding success. With fragmented forests unable to support movement between food-rich areas, toucan populations may collapse in drier regions over time.

Geographic Range

Keel-billed Toucans are found in: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. They inhabit humid tropical and subtropical rainforests, ranging from sea level to 1,500 metres. While they can forage in degraded forests and plantations, they rely on undisturbed primary canopy for nesting and social cohesion. Populations are becoming increasingly fragmented as deforestation escalates.

Diet

Keel-billed Toucans are frugivores, but opportunistically omnivorous. They consume a wide range of soft fruits, tossing them into the air to swallow whole. Their dextrous bills help them reach fruit on thin outer branches inaccessible to other birds.

Their diet also includes insects, small lizards, eggs, and nestlings. In studies conducted in Costa Rica, toucans were shown to actively use olfactory cues — specifically, the scent of ripe banana and papaya — to locate food, suggesting their sense of smell plays a more important role in foraging than previously believed.

Mating and Reproduction

Keel-billed Toucans nest in existing tree cavities, laying between 1 to 4 white eggs. Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks once they hatch. Chicks are born blind and featherless with thick heel pads to protect them in the pit-covered nests. They remain in the nest for 8–9 weeks until their bills fully develop and they are ready to fledge.

These birds breed once annually, timed with fruiting seasons in tropical forests. Family groups share parenting responsibilities and maintain long-term bonds, often engaging in bill jousting and food-sharing behaviours.

FAQs

How many Keel-billed Toucans are left in the wild?

The global population is estimated to be between 50,000 and 499,999 mature individuals (Partners in Flight, 2019). However, numbers are declining rapidly, with up to 20–29% projected loss in the next three generations due to habitat destruction and hunting (BirdLife International, 2020).

Where do Keel-billed Toucans live?

They live in humid tropical forests across Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, ranging as far south as Colombia and Venezuela. They prefer the canopy and upper midstorey of primary forests but are increasingly forced into degraded habitats.

Why are Keel-billed Toucans endangered?

They are primarily threatened by deforestation for agriculture, palm oil and cattle ranching, as well as illegal pet trade and hunting. Their populations are declining faster than tree cover loss alone would suggest, due to their sensitivity to forest degradation and reliance on cavity-nesting trees.

Do Keel-billed Toucans make good pets?

No. Capturing and caging toucans is cruel and drives illegal wildlife trade. They suffer from disease, stress, and a short lifespan in captivity. Keeping them as pets contributes to population decline and ecosystem collapse. If you love toucans, help protect them in the wild — never buy or share content encouraging exotic pet ownership.

Take Action!

Help save the Keel-billed Toucan from extinction. Never buy exotic birds or support facilities that trade in wild animals. Boycott palm oil, beef, and soy products. Support forest restoration and indigenous-led protection of tropical canopies. Raise your voice to defend one of the most colourful birds on Earth. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Support Keel-billed Toucans by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

BirdLife International. 2021. Ramphastos sulfuratus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22682102A168670038. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22682102A168670038.en. Accessed on 17 April 2025.

Hernández, M. C., Villada, A. M., & Barja, I. (2022). Onto the sense of smell in macaws, amazons and toucans: Can they use volatile cues of fruits to make foraging decisions? Integrative Zoology, 17(6), 1003–1020. https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12694

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Asian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus

Marsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

Keel-billed Toucan Ramphastos sulfuratus

IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened

Locations: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela

Found in tropical rainforests and lowland jungles from southern Mexico through Central America to north-western South America.

The Keel-billed #Toucan, with their dazzling rainbow-coloured bills and bold black-and-yellow plumage, are one of the most iconic #birds of Central and #SouthAmerica. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, this species of spectacular #bird is facing steady declines due to #palmoil #soy and #meat #deforestation, #hunting, and capture for the illegal pet trade. The destruction of humid forest canopies — especially for cattle grazing and monocultures like palm oil — is pushing this vibrant forest specialist closer to extinction. Protect the colourful creatures of the Amazonian rainforest canopies! Every time you shop be #vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Showing up with a riot of colour and croaking, Keel-billed #Toucans 🌈✨🦜 are nature’s works of art. Help them survive against #palmoil and meat #deforestation in #Colombia and #Guatemala. Be #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

Iconic #birds of #Venezuela 🇻🇪 #Mexico 🇲🇽 #Honduras 🇭🇳 Keel-billed #Toucans are rainbow flocks of rainforest joy! 🦜🐦🪽 Help them survive be #vegan and call out #poaching and the illegal pet trade #Boycottpalmoil 🌴❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2026/04/05/keel-billed-toucan-ramphastos-sulfuratus/

https://youtu.be/yPM7uV9kL24

Appearance & Behaviour

The Keel-billed Toucan is impossible to miss. They are strikingly colourful birds, with black plumage, a vivid yellow throat, crimson tail-tip, and turquoise legs. Their oversized, multi-hued bill — lime green, orange, and cherry red — can reach up to 15 cm long but remains surprisingly lightweight thanks to a hollow keratin structure.

Highly social, they travel in small groups of 6 to 12 individuals, calling to each other with croaks and yelps as they glide between trees. They nest and sleep in tight tree cavities, often tucking their beaks and tails under their bodies to conserve space and heat. Recent research also shows they can detect fruit using their sense of smell — a rare trait in birds, highlighting their complex foraging behaviour.

Threats

Deforestation for agriculture and cattle ranching

Throughout their range, particularly in Mexico, Honduras, and Colombia, large areas of tropical rainforest are being cleared for cattle grazing, soy plantations, and subsistence farming. These forest clearances remove vital canopy nesting trees and reduce food availability, especially for highly frugivorous birds like the Keel-billed Toucan. Habitat fragmentation also isolates populations, reducing genetic diversity and increasing vulnerability to local extinction.

Palm oil and soy monocultures and forest degradation

Although not traditionally associated with Central America, palm oil cultivation is rapidly expanding in regions like Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia. These monocultures replace biodiverse forests with uniform, sterile plantations where toucans cannot nest or forage effectively. The clearing of tropical forest for palm oil is often accompanied by illegal logging, fire, and pesticide use, further degrading the ecosystem. Loss of tree cavities and fruiting species is directly linked to toucan population declines.

Hunting for meat and beak trade

In rural regions, toucans are hunted for their meat and their colourful beaks, which are sold as ornaments or used in traditional ceremonies. Though this practice is illegal in many countries, weak enforcement allows it to persist. The slow flight and conspicuous colours of the Keel-billed Toucan make them easy targets. As mature adults are most often targeted, these killings reduce breeding success and destabilise family groups.

Capture for the illegal pet trade

The Keel-billed Toucan is a sought-after species in the illegal exotic bird trade. Chicks are taken from nests and sold in pet markets across Latin America, often dying during capture or transport. Adults are also captured and kept in cramped cages, where they frequently suffer from iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) due to improper diets. Online wildlife trafficking has made it easier for these birds to be bought and sold internationally with little oversight.

Climate change and drought-related food shortages

Shifting rainfall patterns and increased dry seasons caused by climate change are altering fruiting cycles in tropical forests. For a bird so reliant on fruit, this poses a serious threat. Prolonged droughts can lead to localised starvation and reduce breeding success. With fragmented forests unable to support movement between food-rich areas, toucan populations may collapse in drier regions over time.

Geographic Range

Keel-billed Toucans are found in: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. They inhabit humid tropical and subtropical rainforests, ranging from sea level to 1,500 metres. While they can forage in degraded forests and plantations, they rely on undisturbed primary canopy for nesting and social cohesion. Populations are becoming increasingly fragmented as deforestation escalates.

Diet

Keel-billed Toucans are frugivores, but opportunistically omnivorous. They consume a wide range of soft fruits, tossing them into the air to swallow whole. Their dextrous bills help them reach fruit on thin outer branches inaccessible to other birds.

Their diet also includes insects, small lizards, eggs, and nestlings. In studies conducted in Costa Rica, toucans were shown to actively use olfactory cues — specifically, the scent of ripe banana and papaya — to locate food, suggesting their sense of smell plays a more important role in foraging than previously believed.

Mating and Reproduction

Keel-billed Toucans nest in existing tree cavities, laying between 1 to 4 white eggs. Both male and female take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks once they hatch. Chicks are born blind and featherless with thick heel pads to protect them in the pit-covered nests. They remain in the nest for 8–9 weeks until their bills fully develop and they are ready to fledge.

These birds breed once annually, timed with fruiting seasons in tropical forests. Family groups share parenting responsibilities and maintain long-term bonds, often engaging in bill jousting and food-sharing behaviours.

FAQs

How many Keel-billed Toucans are left in the wild?

The global population is estimated to be between 50,000 and 499,999 mature individuals (Partners in Flight, 2019). However, numbers are declining rapidly, with up to 20–29% projected loss in the next three generations due to habitat destruction and hunting (BirdLife International, 2020).

Where do Keel-billed Toucans live?

They live in humid tropical forests across Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, ranging as far south as Colombia and Venezuela. They prefer the canopy and upper midstorey of primary forests but are increasingly forced into degraded habitats.

Why are Keel-billed Toucans endangered?

They are primarily threatened by deforestation for agriculture, palm oil and cattle ranching, as well as illegal pet trade and hunting. Their populations are declining faster than tree cover loss alone would suggest, due to their sensitivity to forest degradation and reliance on cavity-nesting trees.

Do Keel-billed Toucans make good pets?

No. Capturing and caging toucans is cruel and drives illegal wildlife trade. They suffer from disease, stress, and a short lifespan in captivity. Keeping them as pets contributes to population decline and ecosystem collapse. If you love toucans, help protect them in the wild — never buy or share content encouraging exotic pet ownership.

Take Action!

Help save the Keel-billed Toucan from extinction. Never buy exotic birds or support facilities that trade in wild animals. Boycott palm oil, beef, and soy products. Support forest restoration and indigenous-led protection of tropical canopies. Raise your voice to defend one of the most colourful birds on Earth. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Support Keel-billed Toucans by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

BirdLife International. 2021. Ramphastos sulfuratus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T22682102A168670038. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22682102A168670038.en. Accessed on 17 April 2025.

Hernández, M. C., Villada, A. M., & Barja, I. (2022). Onto the sense of smell in macaws, amazons and toucans: Can they use volatile cues of fruits to make foraging decisions? Integrative Zoology, 17(6), 1003–1020. https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12694

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Asian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinereus

Marsupials thought extinct for 6,000 years found in West Papua

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

To fill in the blanks of my previous post.

In Madagascar’s cities, a quiet but lucrative market is reshaping the future of one of the world’s most imperiled groups of animals. Lemurs—already the most threatened mammals on the planet—are being sold as a kind of urban delicacy, traded through discreet channels that rarely resemble the conventional wildlife markets familiar across Africa or Asia.
#biodiversity #lemurs #bushmeat #endangeredspecies #madagascar

https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/lemurs-are-being-eaten-as-an-urban-delicacy-in-madagascar/

Madagascar’s lemurs face a new, additional and unprecedented threat — the demand for lemur meat among the country’s urban elite, falsely believed to have health benefits.
The elite should be taught a lesson. Don't know if a cartoon like this does the job. But it surely is another way of drawing the most necessary attention.
#biodiversity #lemurs #endangeredspecies #bushmeat #madagascar

https://news.mongabay.com/custom-story/2026/01/an-endangered-menu-cartoon/

Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered (CR)

Location: Vietnam and Laos

The Saola is an extremely rare #antelope species is restricted to the Annamite Mountains along the border of Laos and Vietnam. In Vietnam, they occur in Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua-Thien Hue and Quang Nam provinces. In Laos, they have been recorded in Xieng Khouang, Bolikhamxay, Khammouan, Savannakhet and Xekong provinces, generally within remote wet evergreen forests.

The elusive #Saola is one of the rarest and most mysterious animals on Earth. Described as Southeast Asia’s ‘unicorn’, this Critically Endangered #antelope is facing imminent #extinction due to indiscriminate snaring, illegal hunting, and #deforestation. No Saolas survive in captivity, and their numbers in the wild are estimated at fewer than 100. They are collateral victims of the region’s rampant #bushmeat and illegal wildlife trade, with their decline accelerated by roads, logging and expanding human access. Use your wallet as a weapon. To help the world’s rarest antelope and make sure you avoid all wildlife products, be #Vegan and choose #palmoilfree items. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/Y6mnFEbNmsM

Known as the ‘Asian #Unicorn’ the #Saola is like a wild #cow or #antelope 🐮🩷 They face unparalleled threats including #deforestation. Only around 100 now remain alive 😭 Be #Vegan for them 🥦 #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🩸☠️🔥🧐⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-beE

Shy, elusive and gentle #Saolas 🐮🐄 have beautiful facial markings. Known as Asian #Unicorns they’re the rarest hoofed #mammal alive. Just a handful remain. Fight for them when you shop, be #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://wp.me/pcFhgU-beE

Appearance & Behaviour

The Saola is a curious looking #ungulate often described as being antelope-like in appearance, yet they are more closely related to wild cattle. They have a sleek, chocolate-brown coat, with striking white markings on the face and long, gently curved horns that can grow up to 50 centimetres for both sexes. These parallel horns have earned them the nickname the ‘Asian Unicorn.’

Highly secretive and shy, Saolas are rarely seen even by local indigenous people, and much of what we know comes from a handful of camera-trap images and village interviews. Saolas are solitary ungulates or found in small groups and may use scent glands to mark their territories. Saolas appear to favour lower altitudes during the dry season and may migrate with seasonal changes in water and vegetation.

Threats

Widespread snaring and indiscriminate hunting

The primary threat to Saola survival is indiscriminate snaring across their forest habitat. These wire snares are set to catch a variety of animals like wild pigs, civets and muntjacs, but Saolas are frequently caught as bycatch. Because Saolas are not specifically targeted, their deaths often go unnoticed or unreported. The sheer density of snares—sometimes thousands per square kilometre—means that even extremely rare species like the Saola are at constant risk of entrapment.

Bushmeat and traditional medicine trade

Despite not being valued specifically for their meat or body parts, Saolas are still victims of Southeast Asia’s booming wildlife trade. They are often killed and consumed locally or caught up in snares set for animals more widely traded or consumed for bushmeat and medicinal purposes. The expansion of disposable income and demand for wild meat and medicinal wildlife products in Vietnam and China is driving this crisis. Villagers report a sharp drop in sightings, indicating Saolas are being wiped out as collateral damage in this unregulated trade.

Road construction and increased human access

The rapid expansion of roads such as the Ho Chi Minh Road and the East-West Economic Corridor has fragmented Saola habitat and created unprecedented access for poachers. These roads allow motorbikes and trucks to transport wildlife quickly to urban markets, making illegal hunting more efficient. The increased accessibility also brings in thousands of forest product collectors who opportunistically snare wildlife. Road development directly and indirectly fuels the extinction of Saolas by opening up remote refuges once safe from exploitation.

Deforestation for monocultures like palm oil

Although hunting is the most immediate threat, habitat loss is an intensifying danger due to shifting agriculture, logging, mining and hydropower development. The Annamite forests are being carved up into ever smaller fragments, making it harder for Saola populations to remain connected. Forest blocks under 100 km² are likely uninhabitable for Saolas, who depend on large tracts of wet evergreen forest with low human disturbance. As development pressures mount, remaining habitat is also degraded by noise, pollution and human presence.

Ineffective protected area management

While Saolas occur in several designated protected areas, most of these offer little real protection from hunting. Enforcement is weak or absent, and many parks are under pressure from the same road construction and development projects that threaten unprotected forests. In some cases, protected areas themselves have become conduits for illegal activities like poaching and logging. Without strong enforcement and dedicated anti-snare patrols, protected status does little to ensure Saola survival.

Population isolation and low genetic diversity

Saola populations are now so small and fragmented that individuals may be isolated from one another for breeding. The species’ naturally low densities and secretive behaviour are further compounded by habitat fragmentation and snaring. This isolation increases the risk of inbreeding and local extinctions. If individuals can no longer find mates or suitable territory, the population could collapse without ever being noticed.

Climate and ecological constraints

Saolas are highly specialised to wet evergreen forests, which are rare and shrinking. Their apparent absence from degraded or secondary forests suggests they may be intolerant of even moderate ecological change. Unlike more adaptable species such as pigs or muntjacs, Saolas do not seem able to survive in altered landscapes. As climate patterns shift and dry seasons become more severe, even their last refuges may become inhospitable.

Rising wealth fuelling wildlife demand

Contrary to assumptions that poverty drives biodiversity loss, it is rising wealth and urban demand that most endanger Saolas. Affluent consumers in Vietnam and China are fuelling the demand for exotic meats and traditional medicine, spurring illegal hunting. The status-driven consumption of wildlife products—rather than subsistence need—is a primary force behind the escalating poaching crisis. Until demand is curbed at the source, rare species like the Saola will continue to vanish.

Geographic Range

The Saola is found exclusively in the Annamite Mountains along the border of Laos and Vietnam. In Vietnam, they are recorded from Nghe An to Quang Nam provinces. In Laos, they occur in Xieng Khouang, Bolikhamxay, Khammouan, Savannakhet and Xekong provinces.

Their historical range has shrunk drastically, and they are now believed to be confined to fewer than 10 forest blocks, with an estimated area of occupancy likely under 1,000 km². They are absent from small forest fragments and likely restricted to remote, difficult-to-access areas with lower hunting pressure.

Diet

The Saola is a #herbivore and a browser, feeding mainly on tender leaves, shoots, and possibly fruit. Their diet likely consists of foliage from forest understorey plants, but detailed studies are lacking due to the species’ extreme rarity and secretive nature.

Mating and Reproduction

Very little is known about Saola reproduction. Local reports suggest they give birth to a single calf, and births may occur in the summer. Their generation time is thought to be longer than that of sympatric species like muntjacs or pigs, with lower reproductive output. No captive births have ever occurred.

FAQs

How many Saolas are left in the wild?

Estimates suggest there are fewer than 100 individuals remaining in the wild, with a likely number of under 250 mature individuals (IUCN SSC, 2020). No confirmed sightings have occurred since 2013, and the vast majority of reports come from indirect sources such as camera traps or local accounts.

Do Saolas make good pets?

Absolutely not. Saolas are wild, elusive, and cannot survive in captivity. Every individual removed from the wild brings them closer to extinction. Keeping or capturing Saolas is illegal and a direct threat to their survival.

Why are Saolas so rare?

Saolas are not specifically targeted, but they are frequent victims of indiscriminate snaring, which is widespread in their range. The pressure from hunting is compounded by habitat fragmentation, road construction, and increased human encroachment, leaving them with few undisturbed refuges.

What is being done to protect Saolas?

Efforts include the Saola Working Group’s use of camera traps, dung analysis and local knowledge to pinpoint remaining populations. Conservationists are advocating for snare-removal programmes and more effective protected area management, but without a captive breeding programme or large-scale investment, Saolas remain perilously close to extinction (Wilkinson & Duc, 2016).

What type of forest do Saolas live in?

They are found in wet evergreen forests with minimal dry season, primarily on the Vietnamese slopes of the Annamite Mountains. These habitats are cooler, cloud-covered and have high year-round rainfall, creating a niche Saolas are uniquely adapted to. Unfortunately, such habitats are increasingly fragmented and degraded.

Take Action!

Saolas are being driven to extinction by snares and the relentless pursuit of wild meat and medicine. Every product you buy that contributes to forest loss—like those made with palm oil—accelerates their disappearance. Support local communities leading conservation efforts in Vietnam and Laos. Reject all exotic animal products. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan #BoycottMeat

Protect Saolas by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Wilkinson, N. M., & Van Duc, L. (2016). Rank aggregation of local expert knowledge for conservation planning of the critically endangered saola. Conservation Biology, 30(6), 1098–1107. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12853

IUCN SSC Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group. (2020). Pseudoryx nghetinhensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T18597A22195870. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18597/22195870

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Saola. Retrieved 6 April 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saola

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

Learn about other animals endangered by palm oil and other agriculture

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae

Sunda Flying Lemur Galeopterus variegatus

Western Parotia Parotia sefilata

Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus

Mountain Tapir Tapirus pinchaque

Tucuxi Sotalia fluviatilis

Learn about “sustainable” palm oil greenwashing

Read more about RSPO greenwashing

A 2019 World Health Organisation (WHO) report into the palm oil industry and RSPO finds extensive greenwashing of palm oil deforestation and the murder of endangered animals (i.e. biodiversity loss)

#poaching #bushmeat #Malawi #Africa

"In 2019, Malawi registered a massive win in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. Intelligence-driven operations culminated in the arrest of more than a dozen members of the Chinese-led 'Lin-Zhang gang,' one of Southern Africa’s most prolific trafficking syndicates.

Found to be in possession of hundreds of pieces of elephant ivory, rhino horn, pangolin scales and hippo teeth, the traffickers were sentenced to between 18 months and 14 years in prison.

The case was hailed as a milestone in Malawi’s growing capacity to curb wildlife crime. With help from international donors, the country has set up a forest and landscape monitoring center, trained police, judicial and anticorruption officials on forest and wildlife crime, and achieved major reductions in elephant ivory and pangolin scale trafficking — not bad for a nation with a GDP per capita of $602 a year.

Such progress, however, is now in jeopardy following the Trump administration’s sudden shutdown earlier this year of USAID and its sweeping freezes of conservation grant programs administered through several federal agencies.

U.S. funds channeled through NGOs in Malawi have helped equip frontline law enforcers and strengthen wildlife laws, according to Brighton Kumchedwa, director of Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife. Taking down the Chinese syndicate, he told Mongabay, 'would not have been possible”'without this assistance.

But in Malawi and elsewhere, the abrupt cuts now threaten to diminish this momentum, thrusting wildlife officials into what Kumchedwa describes as a 'difficult situation.'

The illicit wildlife trade is the world’s fourth-largest criminal enterprise, worth between $7 billion and $23 billion a year, and is contributing to the global extinction crisis now underway."

https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/wildlife-crime-crackdown-in-jeopardy-worldwide-after-us-funding-cuts/

#BushMeat

"For the past 25 years, conservation scientist E.J. Milner-Gulland of the University of Oxford in the UK has studied the often-opaque trade in wild animal meat, hides, horns, tusks, scales, bones and more, across Africa and Asia. Her initial interest was in understanding how much hunting would be sustainable — without causing worrying declines in wild animal populations — but she soon realized that understanding hunters and the people who eat wild meat was equally important."

https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/food-environment/2024/how-to-make-bushmeat-or-wild-meat-safe-and-sustainable

African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata — Palm Oil Detectives | Barbara Crane Navarro

African Palm Civets are vital seed dispersers in African forests they are persecuted for #bushmeat. They are also threatened by mining and #palmoil #deforestation in #Gabon #Liberia. Large tracts of rainforest where African palm civets live are threatened by commercial logging and large-scale oil palm plantations owned by foreign multinational companies.  Say no to palm oil every time…

http://nedhamsonsecondlineviewofthenews.com/2024/11/25/african-palm-civet-nandinia-binotata-palm-oil-detectives-barbara-crane-navarro-2/

African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata — Palm Oil Detectives | Barbara Crane Navarro

African Palm Civets are vital seed dispersers in African forests they are persecuted for #bushmeat. They are also threatened by mining and #palmoil #deforestation in #Gabon #Liberia. Large tracts of rainforest where African palm civets live are threatened by commercial logging and large-scale oil palm plantations owned by foreign multinational companies.  Say no to palm oil every time you shop, be #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket!

African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata — Palm Oil Detectives

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Source: African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata — Palm Oil Detectives | Barbara Crane Navarro

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#Boycott4Wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #deforestation #Gabon #Liberia #palmoil #vegan

Lax Laws in Indonesia Turn Blind Eye To Animal Trafficking

When Indonesian prosecutors went after the leader of an illegal wildlife syndicate operating near the Malacca Strait, they relied on the country’s then relatively new 2019 Quarantine Act to seek a prison sentence.

After being connected to the illegal smuggling of four lion cubs, a leopard, and 58 species of Indian Star tortoises from Malaysia to Indonesia, Irawan Shia received a four-year prison sentence and fine of IDR 1 billion (USD$65,468). If the fine is not paid, the replacement is three months imprisonment.

The sentence was the biggest ever handed out, but falls far short of what it could have been had Indonesia brought its laws in line with global conventions.

https://youtu.be/bLfth-tRprQ

Illegal #wildlife #crime is rampant in #Indonesia, from #birds to #orangutans, to coral. #Trafficking online is worth $852.6mil USD per year. Indonesia is weak in response. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #extinction @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2024/11/03/indonesias-lax-laws-fail-to-crack-down-on-rampant-animal-trafficking/

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™, written by Anugerah Rizki Akbari. Read the original article here.

Illegal trading of wildlife is rampant in Indonesia, from bird species and orangutans, to coral specimens. Wildlife traffickers using online platforms have found a new marketplace.

Environmental crime is the world’s third largest illegal trade, according to INTERPOL. It’s worth more than USD$20 billion a year but remains overlooked and under-prosecuted. In Indonesia, illegal trade of wildlife costs the economy an estimated USD$852,4 million every year, and according to INTERPOL it’s growing at between 5-7 percent per year.

Despite the numbers, Indonesia is falling short in its response to wildlife trafficking. Observers have called for better criminal investigations and more suitable punishments for the offenders as well as an upgrade to the legislative frameworks tackling these criminal activities.

Due to its lucrative nature and extensive markets, it is almost impossible for criminals to act individually when trafficking wildlife. Similar to drugs and human trafficking, illegal trade of wildlife requires a multitude of criminal networks with individuals holding various duties in committing the crime. Poachers, brokers, intermediaries, exporters-importers, wholesale traders, and retailers are all present in the chain of criminal enterprises.

The involvement of organised crime actors, other crime groups, officials, authorities, and militias in the different stages of wildlife trafficking complicates the state’s intervention to tackle an offence considered a nested complex crime. Because of this, the illegal trade of wildlife is generally considered to be transnational organised crime, requiring a matched response.

For example, the United Nations Conventions against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), in tackling transnational organised crime enables governments to criminalise participation, introduce liability for legal persons, undertake special investigation techniques and cooperate internationally. There are programmes for law enforcement agencies to effectively collaborate in combating these crimes, such as collecting, exchange and analysis of information on the nature of organised crime and training and technical assistance.

But Indonesia has yet to adopt these initiatives in its own regulations. Despite ratifying UNTOC in 2009, the primary foundation of Indonesia’s response to illegal trade of wildlife lies in its Conservation of Biological Natural Resources and their Ecosystems Law. This more than 30-year old law is not suited to combating today’s rampant wildlife trafficking.

For instance, the maximum criminal sentence of five years’ imprisonment and fines of up to IDR 100 million (USD$6,548) are far too lenient compared to the harm caused by the illegal wildlife trade. Indonesian law fails to regulate the involvement of corporations in the illicit trade of protected floras and faunas as it only criminalises individual offenders. Subsequently, it does not equip law enforcement agencies with the necessary powers to investigate and prosecute if such crimes have cross-border characteristics and involve syndicates.

The possibility of using technology to stop wildlife trafficking is yet to be regulated. Even though the government’s claims that Indonesia has succeeded in replenishing and restoring endangered species, the law remains insufficient to comprehensively react to the evolving nature of wildlife trafficking.

Despite being recorded as the biggest verdict of a wildlife-smuggling case, Shia’s prison time does not even reach the maximum term under the 1990 Conservation Law, which various observers considered too lenient. The Quarantine Act is not specifically designed to combat wildlife trafficking as it demands the complete documents for fauna coming to Indonesia. If the offenders could provide such paperwork, the possibility of prosecuting traffickers using this law would be off the table.

Being unable to consider it an organised crime, law enforcement agencies rarely proceed with wildlife trafficking cases until the very top of its business chain. Even though the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommends a complete analysis on the potential money laundering risks relating to the illegal wildlife trade, convictions haven’t gone beyond the leaders and their couriers.

The fact that money laundering and other high-ranking corrupt officers were never present in Shia’s trial reiterates the fragmented strategy of pursuing wildlife trafficking syndicates.

Indonesia’s approach to legislating against wildlife trafficking is threatening its ambition to remain a biodiversity hotspot in Southeast Asia as more endangered species come closer to extinction.

Anugerah Rizki Akbari is a PhD Candidate at the Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance, and Society, Leiden Law School, Universiteit Leiden. He also holds a non-permanent position as lecturer at Department of Criminology, Faculty of Social and Political Science, University of Indonesia. His research interests are crime, criminal law, and criminal justice. He can be found on Twitter @anugerahrizki. A.R. Akbari declares no conflict of interest and did not receive special funding in any form.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™, written by Anugerah Rizki Akbari. Read the original article here.

ENDS

Read more about deforestation and ecocide in the palm oil industry

Mountain Cuscus Phalanger carmelitae

The Mountain #Cuscus are fascinating and shy creatures who live in Papua New Guinea and #WestPapua. Thick, dark, woolly fur covers most of their bodies, while their bellies are white. The Mountain Cuscus…

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Deforestation and Mining Threaten Rare Species at Lake Poso

New #research highlights how #deforestation for #mining, and oil #palmoil expansion are pushing rare species of #wildlife at #Indonesia’s #LakePoso to the brink. This unique ecosystem, home to critically endangered #fish and other…

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Greasing the Wheels of Colonialism: Palm Oil Industry in West Papua 

A landmark study published in Global Studies Quarterly in April 2025 has revealed that the rapid expansion of the #palmoil industry in #WestPapua is not only fuelling #deforestation, #ecocide and environmental destruction but…

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Andean condor Vultur gryphus

The Andean condor Vultur gryphus is one of the largest flying #birds in the world, with a wingspan of up to 3.3 metres and a body weight of up to 15 kilograms. These…

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Support Helps Gorilla and Human Child Resilience

Young gorillas often suffer horrific events in their childhood: the death of their mother or father due to poachers, kidnapping and rough handling for the illegal pet trade. A study of 250 gorillas…

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Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#birds #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #corruption #crime #deforestation #extinction #illegal #illegalPetTrade #Indonesia #Indonesian #Malaysia #orangutans #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #poaching #trafficking #wildlife

African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata — Palm Oil Detectives | Barbara Crane Navarro

African Palm Civets are vital seed dispersers in African forests they are persecuted for #bushmeat. They are also threatened by mining and #palmoil #deforestation in #Gabon #Liberia. Large tracts of rainforest where African palm civets live are threatened by commercial logging and large-scale oil palm plantations owned by foreign multinational companies.  Say no to palm oil every time…

http://nedhamsonsecondlineviewofthenews.com/2024/05/14/african-palm-civet-nandinia-binotata-palm-oil-detectives-barbara-crane-navarro/

Smoked monkey and whole sharks: the suitcase smugglers feeding Europe’s hunger for bushmeat #AnimalRights #Europe #environment #wildlife #bushmeat https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/01/suitcase-smugglers-feeding-europe-bushmeat-wildlife-endangered

Smoked monkey and whole sharks: the suitcase smugglers feeding Europe’s hunger for bushmeat #AnimalRights #wildlife #marinelife #bushmeat #Europe https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/01/suitcase-smugglers-feeding-europe-bushmeat-wildlife-endangered

Goliath Frog Conraua goliath

Goliath Frog Conraua goliath

Red List Status: Endangered

Extant (resident): Cameroon; Equatorial Guinea

Presence Uncertain: Gabon

Goliath #Frogs are the largest frog in the world and can grow as large as a domestic cat. These muscle-bound #amphibians lift heavy rocks to build nests and protect their young. They face extinction from #palmoil #deforestation and human persecution including hunting.

Their nesting and reproduction is hugely dependent upon access to clean, fast-flowing rivers – for this reason the encroachment of industrial scale palm oil, cocoa and timber deforestation and p0llution and #pesticides of rivers are direct threats to the existence of the goliath #frog. Help them every time you shop in the supermarket and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/hANPCRD1dmE

Goliath #Frogs 🐸💚 are #endangered in #Gabon 🇬🇦 #Cameroon 🇨🇲 and Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶 by #palmoil #deforestation 🌴🔥 and #hunting. Help them every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🩸☠️🚜🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2023/10/29/goliath-frog-conraua-goliath/

Goliath #Frogs are the largest #frogs in the world 🐸🤯💚🫶 These muscly #amphibians 🏋️🪨 lift heavy rocks to build nests. They face #extinction from #palmoil. Fight for them when you #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🩸🤮🧐⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2023/10/29/goliath-frog-conraua-goliath/

Appearance & Behaviour

The goliath frog gets their name from the fact that they are the largest extant frog in the world weighing between 600 grams to 3.2 kilos. Male and females appear almost the same with sexual dimorphism minimal. Despite their abnormally large size, their eggs and tadpoles are a similar size as other frogs. The skin on the back and upper side of their body is a rusty emerald green colour with limbs and underside a yellowish orange hue. They have excellent hearing but don’t possess a vocal sack, meaning that they don’t have a mating call – as do many other frog species.

The Goliath Frog is adversely affected by the loss of forest habitat for agriculture (including the creation of new cocoa plantations, banana plantations, and palm oil plantations), logging and human settlements.

Read more

Geographic range

These frogs are typically found near fast flowing rivers with sandy bottoms in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. They may have now gone extinct in Gabon. They prefer clear and oxygenated water from clean rivers and streams in densely forested and humid parts of the rainforest. They typically stay in rivers during the heat of the day and will emerge onto land during the night time.

Goliath frogs don’t survive well in heavily degraded and deforested areas and prefer undisturbed forest, streams and fast-flowing rivers far away from villages.

Diet

Goliath tadpoles feed on a single aquatic plant Dicraeia warmingii which is found only in areas of clean oxygenated water close to waterfalls and fast-flowing rapids. This explains their range and serious vulnerability to extinction.

Adult goliath frogs are less fussy and will feed on multiple food sources including: baby turtles, young snakes, small mammals, bats, crustaceans, mollusks, fish, dragonflies, locusts, insects, spiders and worms.

Mating & reproduction

Unlike most other frogs, goliath frogs don’t have a vocal sac and therefore don’t call to their mates.

Goliath frogs create nesting sites for offspring – this is a form of parental care. Adult males will take their cue from the environment in order to build a nest that is going to be safest for their offspring. They have three kinds of nests.

Each nest type presents advantages and disadvantages depending on whether it is the dry or the rainy season and the presence or absence of predators of the eggs at different sites.

1. rock pools cleared of leaf litter.
2. Washouts at riverbanks.
3. Depressions dug into the gravel of riverbanks.

The third kind of nest is arduous to create and is typically one metre in diameter. The building of this kind of nest requires brute strength for moving large rocks. It is thought that this is why goliath frogs are so large and muscular. Other extra large frog species such as gladiator frogs, bornean giant river frogs also perform this task.

The construction of nest is used by males as a way of demonstrating their prowess and reproductive fitness as mates to females. Male frogs provide most of the parental investment in the eggs and nest building, whereas females will deposit the eggs after fertilisation and then depart afterwards. Larval development of eggs to tadpoles to frogs takes approximately 85-95 days.

Threats

The Goliath Frog is adversely affected by the loss of forest habitat for agriculture (including the creation of new cocoa plantations, banana plantations, and palm oil plantations), logging and human settlements.

Read more

Goliath frogs face multiple human-related threats, including:

• Agricultural pollution and run-off: Pesticides and chemicals used in palm oil and cocoa plantations in this region are toxic to Goliath frogs, who require clean rivers to reproduce.
• Industrial timber, palm oil, meat and cocoa deforestation
• Human consumption: Both for local subsistence and sold to bushmeat markets.
• Collection for the illegal pet trade: Animals are exported from Cameroon to Zoos in the USA and Europe. Although captive frogs live longer than their wild relatives, they are not able to breed in captivity.

Support Goliath Frogs by going vegan and boycotting palm oil in the supermarket, it’s the #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2019. Conraua goliath. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T5263A96062132. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T5263A96062132.en. Accessed on 12 November 2022.

Goliath Frog on Animalia.bio

Goliath Frog on Wikipedia

Marvin Schäfer, Sedrick Junior Tsekané, F. Arnaud M. Tchassem, Sanja Drakulić, Marina Kameni, Nono L. Gonwouo & Mark-Oliver Rödel (2019) Goliath frogs build nests for spawning – the reason for their gigantism?, Journal of Natural History, 53:21-22, 1263-1276, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2019.1642528

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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Enter your email address

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Africa #AfricanNews #Amphibian #amphibians #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #Cameroon #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #EquatorialGuinea #extinction #ForgottenAnimals #Frog #Frogs #Gabon #GoliathFrogConrauaGoliath #herpetology #hunting #illegalPetTrade #PalmOil #palmoil #pesticides #pollution

African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata — Palm Oil Detectives

African Palm Civets are vital seed dispersers in African forests they are persecuted for #bushmeat. They are also threatened by mining and #palmoil #… African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata — Palm Oil Detectives

http://nedhamsonsecondlineviewofthenews.com/2023/10/25/african-palm-civet-nandinia-binotata-palm-oil-detectives-2/

4 kg #BushMeat fand der #Zoll bei einem Reisenden aus 🇨🇲 am
Flughafen Stuttgart - teilweise von unter #Artenschutz stehenden Tieren wie #Steppenwaran, #Felsenpython u.nd #Panzerechse.
➡️ Sicherstellung

https://presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/121263/5628641

#HZAstuttgart #Einfuhr #Lebensmittel #Tierseuchenschutz

Waigeo Cuscus Spilocuscus papuensis 

Waigeo Cuscus Spilocuscus papuensis 

Vulnerable

Extant

West Papua (Waigeo Island)

Cryptic and solitary marsupials, Waigeo Cuscuses cling to tree canopies on a Waigeo Island, West Papua. They are classified as vulnerable on IUCN Red List due to palm oil deforestation and mining on the tiny island where they live. Help them each time you shop and be #vegan, #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/mQ_9zBvJ51U

Cryptic and solitary #marsupials, Waigeo #cuscus 🐒 cling to tree canopies on Waigeo Island #WestPapua, they are vulnerable from #palmoil 🌴🪔🩸💀⛔️ #deforestation. Help them and go #vegan and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2023/07/09/waigeo-cuscus-spilocuscus-papuensis/

Pocket sized cuties 🧸😻🩷 Waigeo #Cuscus are #vulnerable due to #palmoil #deforestation on a tiny island in #WestPapua. Fight for their survival, go #vegan 🥦🍅 and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🪔🔥🧐🏂🙈🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife each time you shop https://palmoildetectives.com/2023/07/09/waigeo-cuscus-spilocuscus-papuensis/ via @palmoildetect

Behaviour & Appearance

Waigeo Cuscus, also known as the Waigeou Spotted Cuscus are cryptic and solitary marsupials of the family Phalangeridae. Not much is known about their ecology and behaviour and more research is needed in this area.

Waigeo Cuscus like other cuscus species have a strong prehensile tail that allows them to swing and hang in tree canopies.

Different cuscus species have eyes of varying colours. Waigeo Cuscuses have amber or orange eyes with have vertical pupils, similar to a cats or reptiles. This allows cuscuses to have superior night time vision. Like other cuscus, Waigeo Cuscuses have long nails to help with grip on tree branches and for grooming.

Geographical range

They are restricted to a small islet off the coast of the West Papua province called Waigeo Island. They prefer to live in primary or secondary tropical forests.

Threats

Their isolated and small geographic location makes their existence fragile and threatened by increased palm oil deforestation and mining in Waigeo Island, which is now taking place. An increase in hunting, mining and palm oil deforestation on the island would have a disastrous impact on this species.

Waigeo Cuscuses are classified as Vulnerable on IUCN Red List as they face many human-related threats including:

• Palm oil deforestation: Concessions for palm oil have been sold which invade into the Waigeo Cuscus’ range. They are limited to the small island and so any reduction in georgraphic range for palm oil will have disastrous consequences for them.
• Hunting and human persecution: These cuscus are hunted for their meat and fur.
• Mining: Mining concessions on Waigeo Island have been sold and this limits the geographic range of the Waigeo Cuscus across the small island.

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Helgen, K., Aplin, K. & Dickman, C. 2016. Spilocuscus papuensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T20638A21949972. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T20638A21949972.en. Accessed on 16 November 2022.

Waigeo Cuscus on Animalia.bio

Waigeo Cuscus on Wikipedia

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #cuscus #cuscuses #deforestation #ForgottenAnimals #hunting #Indonesia #Mammal #Marsupial #marsupials #mining #PalmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #PapuaNewGuineaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #possum #possums #vegan #vulnerable #VulnerableSpecies #WaigeoCuscusSpilocuscusPapuensis #WestPapua #WestPapua

one imagines Colombians looking up some tasty #African #bushmeat recipes, in lieu of any other solution when inflation locally is figured in...

African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata

African Palm Civet Nandinia binotata

Red list status: Least concern (in 2016) but likely becoming endangered now.

Locations: Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe.

African Palm Civets Nandinia binotata are ecosystem-critical seed dispersers in Africa’s forests. Their spotted coats blend into the dappled forest shadows of #Liberia and #Gabon in #Africa. Although they were once widespread, the African palm civet now faces mounting pressure from palm oil-driven deforestation, mining, and relentless hunting for #bushmeat. Their survival hangs in the balance —fight for their survival every time you shop, be #Vegan for them and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFpLVDC6IM0

Vital seed dispersers in #African forests, African palm civets are hunted for #bushmeat in #Gabon 🇬🇦 #Liberia 🇱🇷 Say NO to #palmoil #deforestation and hunting. Fight for them! Be #Vegan 🫑🍆 #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🩸🚜☠️🔥❌ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2022/11/13/african-palm-civet-nandinia-binotata/

Appearance & Behaviour

The African palm civet is a small, cat-like omnivore, their slender body and long, ringed tail perfectly adapted for life in the treetops. Their fur ranges from grey to dark brown, with distinctive dark spots decorating their back. Males are slightly larger than females, typically weighing between 1 and 3 kilograms and measuring 30 to 70 centimetres in length. Two scent glands beneath their abdomen allow them to mark territory and communicate with potential mates. African palm civets are nocturnal, spending most of their lives high in the canopy, where they forage, rest, and raise their young. They are nocturnal and spend the majority of their lives in the tree canopies of rainforests eating from fruit-bearing trees like banana, papaya, fig and corkwood.

Threats

The main threats to African palm civets are anthropogenic and include:

Large tracts of rainforest where African palm civets live are threatened by commercial logging and large-scale oil palm plantations owned by foreign multinational companies.  

Hunting for bushmeat trade

Around 8,000 palm civets are hunted in the Nigerian and Cameroon part of the Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests. Throughout Africa these small animals are treated as hostile by locals and are killed for this reason. They are regularly found in bushmeat markets.

Palm oil deforestation: a major threat

The upper Guinean rainforests in Liberia are a biodiversity rich hotspot and they are rapidly being fragmented and destroyed by palm oil and timber deforestation, along with mining.

Habitat

The African palm civet’s range spans much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal and Gambia in the west, through Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. They inhabit deciduous forests, lowland rainforests, gallery forests, riverine peatlands, and swamplands. Once widespread, their habitat is now fragmented by deforestation, agriculture, and mining, leaving only scattered pockets of forest where the African palm civet can still be found.

Diet

African palm civets are omnivorous, their diet shifting with the rhythm of the seasons. Fruits such as persimmon, African corkwood, Uapaca, fig, papaya, and banana form the core of their diet. When fruit is scarce, they hunt rodents, lizards, birds, frogs, insects, and even raid farms for small livestock. Their foraging is a quiet, methodical search through the canopy, and they are vital seed dispersers, helping to regenerate the forests they call home.

Mating and breeding

African palm civets are mostly solitary, coming together only to mate. Males range over territories that overlap with those of several females. Breeding occurs year-round, with peaks during the rainy seasons, especially from September to January. After a gestation of about 64 days, females give birth in tree hollows to litters of up to four cubs. The young are weaned after about two months, remaining with their mothers as they learn to forage and navigate the treetops. Sexual maturity is reached at around three years, and the generation length is estimated at seven years. The bond between mother and cub is strong, forged in the safety of the canopy and tested by the dangers of the shrinking forest.

FAQs

Where do African palm civets sleep?

African palm civets are highly arboreal and seek shelter high in the treetops, where they find safety from predators and the elements. They commonly rest or sleep during the day in the forks of large trees, among lianas, or in tangled vines, blending into the foliage with their spotted coats. Occasionally, as forests shrink and human settlements expand, African palm civets adapt by sleeping in less typical places such as gutters, thick undergrowth at farm and village margins, woodpiles, old dead trees, piles of dead leaves, and even in thatched roofs or overgrown shrubbery in rubbish dumps. Their choice of sleeping site is always guided by the need for concealment and protection, reflecting their nocturnal and secretive nature.

Can African palm civets climb trees?

African palm civets are exceptional climbers, spending most of their lives in the forest canopy. Their bodies are built for agility among the branches: they have powerful limbs, long tails for balance, and sharp, retractile claws that allow them to grip bark and vines securely. African palm civets move swiftly and silently through the treetops, foraging, resting, and raising their young high above the ground, rarely descending except to cross open areas in search of food or new shelter. Their arboreal lifestyle is so pronounced that they are sometimes described as “tree cats,” and their climbing abilities are vital for evading predators and accessing fruit-laden branches.

Are palm civets carnivorous?

African palm civets are omnivores, with a diet that is more varied than simply carnivorous. While they do eat small mammals, birds, eggs, insects, and occasionally carrion or even raid farms for small livestock, fruit forms the largest part of their diet. They consume a wide range of fruits, including those from umbrella trees, sugar plums, corkwood, wild figs, and even the fleshy pulp from oil palms. African palm civets are opportunistic feeders, adapting their diet to what is available seasonally and in their environment, but they are not strictly carnivorous and play a significant role as seed dispersers in their forest habitats.

How big are African palm civets?

African palm civets are small to medium-sized mammals, with males generally larger than females. Adult males typically measure between 39.8 and 62.5 centimetres in body length, with tails adding another 43 to 76.2 centimetres, and can weigh from 1.3 to 3 kilograms. Females are slightly smaller, with body lengths of 37 to 61 centimetres and tails of 34 to 70 centimetres, weighing between 1.2 and 2.7 kilograms. Their long, muscular tails and compact bodies make them agile climbers, and their size allows them to navigate the dense forest canopy with ease.

Take Action!

The #Boycott4Wildlife offers a way for consumers to fight back against palm oil deforestation and other forms of animal cruelty and slavery. Please help us and raise your voice for African Palm Civets, join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.

You can support this beautiful animal

There are no known formal conservation activities in place for this animal. Make sure that you #Boycottpalmoil and #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket and raise awareness of the plight of beautiful African palm civets in order to support their survival! Find out more here

Further Information

The IUCN has declared that this animal was of ‘Least Concern’ in 2016. However, their habitat is rapidly declining and they deserve more intensive protection and regular assessment.

Gaubert, P., Bahaa-el-din, L., Ray, J. & Do Linh San, E. 2015. Nandinia binotata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T41589A45204645. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T41589A45204645.en. Accessed on 07 September 2022.

Kotelnicki, S. (2012). Nandinia binotata. Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nandinia_binotata/

Wikipedia. (n.d.). African palm civet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Palm_Civet

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#africa #african #africanPalmCivetNandiniaBinotata #animals #benin #boycott4wildlife #boycottpalmoil #burundi #bushmeat #cameroon #centralAfricanRepublic #congo #cotedivoire #deforestation #equatorialGuinea #forgottenAnimals #gabon #ghana #hunting #kenya #liberia #malawi #mammal #mining #nigeria #omnivore #omnivores #palmOil #palmOilDeforestation #palmoil #poaching #rwanda #seedDispersers #seeddispersal #sierraLeone #tanzania #togo #uganda #vegan #viverrid #vulnerableSpecies

2) Die wenig sanftmütige Nachricht: #Bonobos haben einen großen Fressfeind, und der heißt Mensch. Das Fleisch der Primaten landet sogar in Restaurants. #Bushmeat gilt als Delikatesse & wird teuer verkauft. Wir müssen was tun, ihr könnt helfen: https://www.wwf.de/spenden-helfen/fuer-ein-projekt-spenden/bonobos

How bushmeat could help us meet the world’s climate goals - Enlarge / While the term "bushmeat" has regional connotations, Indigeno... - https://arstechnica.com/?p=1801919 #bushmeat #wildmeat #science #climate #carbon

Black Bearded Saki Chiropotes satanas

Black Bearded Saki Chiropotes satanas

Red List Status: Endangered

Locations: North-eastern Amazon, Brazil (specifically from the Tocantins River in Pará east to around the Grajaú River in Maranhão)

Beneath the towering canopy of the Amazon’s north-eastern forests, the Black Bearded Saki moves with quiet purpose, their distinctive shaggy beard and robust body a testament to their resilience in a world under siege. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and the distant calls of unseen creatures, but the forest is changing—#roads, #dams, and #agriculture are carving scars across the landscape, fragmenting the Black Bearded Saki’s ancestral home. The black bearded saki’s survival is threatened by relentless deforestation and hunting, their fate bound to the fate of the forest—fight for their survival every time you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife.

https://youtu.be/Cjh19F9Ux9o

Black Bearded #Sakis are #endangered large #monkeys 🐒 endemic to #Brazil 🇧🇷 #SouthAmerica they are #endangered by #timber #palmoil #hydroelectric dam #deforestation. Help save them and #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🩸🔥🙊⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/08/28/black-bearded-saki-chiropotes-satanas/

Appearance and Behaviour

Black bearded sakis are medium-sized primates, their bodies draped in thick, dark fur and their faces framed by a distinctive, flowing beard. Adults typically measure around 50 centimetres in length, with a tail nearly as long as their body, and weigh between 2.5 and 3.5 kilograms. Their robust build and strong limbs allow them to move with surprising agility through the upper canopy, where they spend most of their lives. The black bearded saki’s most remarkable feature is their powerful jaw and specialised teeth, which enable them to crack open the hard shells of unripe fruits to reach the nutritious seeds inside. This adaptation makes them one of the most efficient seed predators and seed dispersers in the Amazon, and their foraging habits play a vital role in shaping the forest ecosystem.

Black bearded sakis live in groups of up to 40 individuals, though smaller groups are more common. They are highly social, with strong bonds between group members, and communicate through a variety of vocalisations, including chirps, whistles, and alarm calls. Their days are spent foraging, resting, and moving through the canopy, rarely descending to the forest floor. The black bearded saki’s presence is often marked by the sound of falling fruit and the rustle of leaves as they leap from branch to branch.

Threats

The greatest risks for the future survival of the Black Bearded Saki, also known as the Black Cuxiú are the loss and fragmentation of their habitat and hunting pressure.

IUCN Red list

Palm oil, meat, and soy deforestation

The black bearded saki is classified as Endangered on the Red List, with the loss and fragmentation of their forest habitat the primary threat to their survival. In the north-eastern Amazon, large-scale infrastructure projects—such as highways and the Tucurúi Dam—have destroyed vast tracts of forest, while smaller-scale logging and agriculture continue to fragment the remaining habitat. The forest, once a living, breathing entity, is being replaced by roads, fields, and settlements, leaving only isolated patches where the black bearded saki can survive. This fragmentation isolates populations, reduces genetic diversity, and increases the risk of disease and local extinction. The black bearded saki’s ability to adapt to habitat loss is limited, and their long-term survival depends on the protection and restoration of connected forest landscapes.

Hunting and poaching

Hunting for bushmeat is a persistent threat to the black bearded saki, with individuals targeted for their meat and, in some cases, their tails, which are used as dusters. The influx of people into previously uninhabited areas of the Amazon has increased hunting pressure, and the loss of habitat makes sakis more vulnerable to capture. Hunting disrupts social groups, reduces population numbers, and threatens the genetic health of remaining populations. The black bearded saki is already locally extinct in much of its original range, and continued hunting could push them closer to extinction.

Habitat fragmentation and climate change

The fragmentation of the Amazon’s forests has profound effects on the black bearded saki. Small, isolated forest patches limit the availability of food and mates, and groups living in these fragments often show reduced movement and vocalisation, as well as increased resting. Population densities in small fragments can increase, leading to higher rates of disease and parasite transmission. Climate change adds further pressure, altering rainfall patterns and the availability of key food sources. The black bearded saki’s world is becoming hotter, drier, and less predictable, with the forests they depend on shrinking year by year.

Diet

Black bearded sakis are among the most specialised seed dispersers in the Amazon, with seeds making up the majority of their diet. They spend at least 75% of their feeding time consuming seeds from more than 50 different fruit species, using their powerful jaws and specialised teeth to crack open hard-shelled fruits that few other animals can access. Their diet also includes ripe fruit, flowers, leaf stalks, and arthropods such as caterpillars, termites, and gall wasps. The black bearded saki’s foraging habits are closely tied to the seasonal availability of fruit, with peak feeding activity during the rainy season when many trees are fruiting. Their role as seed predators helps shape the composition of the forest, and their ability to exploit hard-shelled fruits gives them a unique niche in the ecosystem.

Reproduction and Mating

Little is known about the reproductive habits of black bearded sakis in the wild, but observations in captivity and from related species suggest that births occur at the beginning of the rainy season, typically in December or January. Gestation is estimated to last four to five months, and females give birth to a single infant. The mother is the primary caregiver, nursing and carrying her young until the infant is weaned at around three months of age. After weaning, infants remain close to their mothers for protection, and strong social bonds within the group help ensure the survival of young sakis. The reproductive success of black bearded sakis is closely tied to the availability of food and the stability of their forest home.

Geographic Range

The black bearded saki is endemic to the far eastern Amazon in Brazil, with a range restricted to a relatively small region from the Tocantins River in Pará east to around the Grajaú River in Maranhão. They inhabit primary terra firme forests and, occasionally, regenerating forests, rarely descending to the forest floor. The natural home range of a black bearded saki group can vary from 200 to 250 hectares, but habitat loss and fragmentation have reduced the size and connectivity of these ranges. The black bearded saki is already locally extinct in much of its original range, and the remaining populations are increasingly isolated and vulnerable.

FAQs

How many black bearded sakis are left?

Estimates suggest that fewer than 2,500 mature black bearded sakis remain in the wild, with populations continuing to decline due to habitat loss, fragmentation, and hunting. The species is already locally extinct in much of its original range, and the remaining individuals are scattered across increasingly isolated forest fragments.

What are the characteristics of the black bearded saki?

The black bearded saki is a medium-sized primate with thick, dark fur and a distinctive, flowing beard. Adults typically measure around 50 centimetres in length, with a tail nearly as long as their body, and weigh between 2.5 and 3.5 kilograms. They are highly specialised seed predators, with powerful jaws and unique dentition that allow them to crack open hard-shelled fruits. Black bearded sakis live in social groups, communicate through a variety of vocalisations, and spend most of their lives in the upper canopy.

What do black bearded saki eat?

Black bearded sakis are highly specialised seed predators, with seeds making up the vast majority of their diet. They spend at least 75% of their feeding time consuming seeds from more than 50 different fruit species, using their robust jaws and specialised teeth to crack open hard-shelled fruits that many other animals cannot access. Their diet also includes fleshy fruits and, to a lesser extent, insects. They are particularly fond of plants from the Sapotaceae, Lecythidaceae, and Chrysobalanaceae families. This dietary flexibility allows black bearded sakis to adapt to changing forest conditions, but their reliance on certain tree species makes them vulnerable to habitat loss and selective logging.

Is the black bearded saki a monkey?

Yes, the black bearded saki is a monkey—specifically, a New World monkey native to the Amazon rainforest. Unlike apes, monkeys have tails, and the black bearded saki’s long, muscular tail helps them balance as they move through the trees. They are part of the bearded saki group, known for their robust build, thick fur, and specialised feeding habits.

What are the main threats to the survival of the black bearded saki?

The main threats to the survival of the black bearded saki are habitat loss and fragmentation caused by infrastructure projects, logging, and agriculture, as well as hunting for bushmeat. The loss of forest isolates populations, reduces genetic diversity, and increases the risk of disease and local extinction. Hunting further reduces population numbers and disrupts social groups.

How does habitat fragmentation affect the black bearded saki?

Habitat fragmentation isolates black bearded saki groups, reducing the availability of food and mates and increasing the risk of disease. Groups living in small, isolated forest patches often show reduced movement and vocalisation, as well as increased resting. Population densities in small fragments can increase, leading to higher rates of disease and parasite transmission. The black bearded saki’s ability to adapt to habitat loss is limited, and their long-term survival depends on the protection and restoration of connected forest landscapes.

Do black bearded sakis make good pets?

Black bearded sakis do not make good pets. Captivity causes extreme stress, loneliness, and early death for these highly social, intelligent primates. The pet trade and hunting for bushmeat rip families apart and fuel extinction, as infants are stolen from their mothers and forced into unnatural, impoverished conditions. Protecting black bearded sakis means rejecting the illegal pet trade and supporting their right to live wild and free in their forest home.

Where do bearded sakis live?

Bearded sakis, including the black bearded saki, are endemic to the Amazon rainforest in South America. The black bearded saki specifically inhabits a small region in north-eastern Brazil, from the Tocantins River in Pará east to the Grajaú River in Maranhão. They prefer primary tropical rainforests with dense, continuous canopies, which provide safety from predators and abundant food sources. Their natural home ranges can vary from 200 to 250 hectares, but habitat fragmentation has dramatically reduced the size and connectivity of these ranges. Today, black bearded sakis are found only in scattered forest fragments, making their survival increasingly precarious.

What is the lifespan of a black bearded saki?

The lifespan of the black bearded saki is estimated to be up to 18 years in the wild, with sexual maturity typically reached at around 4 years of age. Females usually give birth every two years, and the long interval between births suggests a relatively slow reproductive rate. Closely related bearded saki species have been known to live up to 20 years in the wild, though specific data for the black bearded saki remains limited. Their longevity is closely tied to the quality and continuity of their forest habitat, with threats such as habitat destruction and hunting potentially reducing average lifespans in fragmented environments

Take Action!

Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife. Support indigenous-led conservation and agroecology. Reject products linked to deforestation, mining, and the illegal wildlife trade. Adopt a #vegan lifestyle and #BoycottMeat to protect wild and farmed animals alike. Every choice matters—stand with the black bearded saki and defend the forests of the Amazon.

You can support this beautiful animal

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Further Information

Boubli, J. P., de Lima, E. M., Silva, M. N. F., & Silva Júnior, J. S. (2009). Bearded sakis in south-eastern Amazonia—back from the brink? Oryx, 43(2), 283–288. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/bearded-sakis-in-southeastern-amazoniaback-from-the-brink/703BC0853B02C2FB8017AD73EDA6BAB8

Neprimateconservancy.org. (n.d.). Black Bearded Saki, Chiropotes satanas. https://neprimateconservancy.org/black-bearded-saki/

Port-Carvalho, M., Muniz, C.C., Fialho, M.S., Alonso, A.C., Jerusalinsky, L. & Veiga, L.M. 2021. Chiropotes satanas (amended version of 2020 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T39956A191704509. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T39956A191704509.en. Downloaded on 05 June 2021.

van Roosmalen, M. G. M., Mittermeier, R. A., & Fleagle, J. G. (1988). Diet of the northern bearded saki (Chiropotes satanas chiropotes): A neotropical seed predator. American Journal of Primatology, 14(1), 11–35. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.1350140103

Veiga, L. M., & Ferrari, S. F. (2007). Conservation status of the black-bearded saki Chiropotes satanas in Maranhão, Brazil. International Journal of Primatology, 28(2), 347–358. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-007-9146-6

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Black bearded saki. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_bearded_saki

Black Bearded Saki Chiropotes satanas

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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

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Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus

Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus

IUCN Status: Endangered

Location: Brazil (southern Bahia, eastern Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo). In Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where morning mist clings to ancient trees, the crested capuchin moves through their shrinking world with quiet intelligence.

The crested capuchin stands as one of Brazil’s most endangered primates. Their distinctive scarlet crests catch filtered sunlight as they navigate forest fragments between the Jequitinhonha and Doce rivers. With only 14,400 individuals remaining, these intelligent tool-users face extinction as palm oil plantations, soy agriculture, and urban sprawl devour their ancestral homes. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop and be #Vegan to help their survival.

https://youtu.be/tu9-T8Aapg8

Cheeky Crested #Capuchins are gregarious tool-using #monkeys, #endangered in #Brazil 🇧🇷 from #palmoil 🌴⛔️ meat 🥩🐮⛔️ and soy #deforestation and the illegal #pettrade 🏹 Help save them, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/06/12/crested-capuchin-sapajus-robustus/

Main threats to Crested Capuchins are agriculture, urban sprawl, deforestation, increasing energy matrix, increasing road matrix habitat fragmentation, habitat reduction, hunting, harvesting and extensive areas of monoculture eucalyptus and pine.

IUCN red list

Appearance and Behaviour

The Crested Capuchin’s most striking feature blazes against the Atlantic forest canopy —a conical crest of brilliant scarlet adorned with a black spot. Their crests may extend around their faces, creating elegant black beards. Their robust bodies measure 33-57 centimetres with tails reaching 40-47 centimetres. Males weigh up to 3.8 kilograms.

These remarkable and gregarious primates reveal intelligence through sophisticated tool use. They employ eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. The social structure of Crested Capuchins features linear hierarchies spanning both sexes, with dominant males commanding respect from highest-ranking females.

Diet

Crested capuchins are master foragers. As frugivore-insectivores, they feast on fruits from 56 native species, protein-rich arthropods, tender shoots and leaves, and occasionally small mammals. Their nimble little hands extract seeds from tough-shelled fruits with craftsperson precision. Crested capuchins maintain preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic options become available, allowing them to maintain home ranges of approximately 120 hectares.

Reproduction and Mating

Groups of capuchins ranging from 12 to 27 individuals create dynamic communities. Males typically disperse from natal groups seeking new territories. Females remain within birth communities, creating matrilineal bonds spanning generations. Dominant males secure priority access to females during breeding seasons. Mothers teach essential foraging skills and social behaviours determining offspring survival prospects.

Geographic Range

Once ranging broadly between the Doce and Jequitinhonha rivers across Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia, crested capuchins now survive primarily in forest fragments. Climate projections predict significant habitat deterioration by 2070. Their extent of occurrence spans greater than 119,000 square kilometres, yet actual occupancy remains unknown as habitat fragments into smaller islands.

Threats

Cattle ranching, timber, palm oil and soy deforestation

Palm oil plantations strip away multilayered canopy, replacing complex ecosystems with sterile monocultures. Soy cultivation and cattle ranching carve geometric scars across landscapes. Roads slice through forest fragments, creating barriers preventing genetic exchange. Energy infrastructure fragments habitat further. Urban sprawl consumes forest edges with relentless appetite. Pine and eucalyptus plantations replace native forest with fast-growing exotic trees providing neither food nor shelter.

Hunting and illegal wildlife trade

Hunters target crested capuchins for bushmeat near human settlements. The illegal pet trade tears infants from mothers’ arms, condemning them to stress, loneliness, and early death. Young capuchins suffer psychological trauma often proving fatal. Local communities facing economic hardship may turn to hunting as protein sources. Law enforcement struggles to patrol vast fragmented areas.

Climate change

Rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns disrupt seasonal rhythms. Prolonged droughts stress fruit trees, reducing food source abundance. Earlier or delayed fruiting seasons create mismatches between peak food availability and energy demand periods. Extreme weather events caused by climate change destroy habitat and force populations of crested capuchins into marginal areas.

Take Action!

Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife every time you shop. Reject soy-fed meat and adopt a vegan lifestyle protecting wild and farmed animals. Support indigenous-led protection and agroecology. Refuse products containing palm oil and meat, which is driving Atlantic Forest deforestation. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife and go plant-based every time you shop.

FAQs

What is the current population of crested capuchins?

The total remaining population of Crested Capuchins is estimated at 14,400 individual monkeys based on census data in protected areas. Population densities range from 2.47 sightings per 10 kilometres in protected areas to 0.22 groups per 10 square kilometres in degraded habitats. Groups of capuchins typically consist of 12-15 individuals, though larger assemblages of up to 27 individuals show remarkable fluidity. The species faces ongoing population decline of at least 50% over three generations due to continuing habitat loss.

How long do crested capuchins live?

Related capuchin species typically live 15-25 years in the wild and potentially longer in captivity. Their longevity depends heavily on habitat quality, food availability, and human disturbance levels. Dominant individuals may enjoy better access to resources and greater longevity. However, ongoing deforestation and declining food availability may be reducing average lifespans of Crested Capuchins as individuals face increased stress and greater exposure to human-related mortality factors.

What are the main conservation challenges facing crested capuchins?

The primary challenge is relentless destruction of their Atlantic Forest habitat, with less than 12% of original forest remaining in small, isolated fragments. Palm oil plantations, soy cultivation for livestock feed, and cattle ranching continue converting forest into monocultures. Climate change compounds pressures by altering rainfall patterns, potentially making suitable habitat uninhabitable by 2070. Hunting for bushmeat and illegal pet trade further reduce numbers while disrupting social structures. Their restricted range makes them particularly vulnerable to local extinctions.

What are some interesting and unusual facts about crested capuchins?

Crested capuchins display remarkable intelligence through sophisticated tool use, employing eleven distinct actions including hammering, probing, and sponging. They modify tools for specific tasks and learn from watching companions. Their most distinctive feature is the brilliant scarlet conical crest adorned with a black spot. They show remarkable dietary flexibility, maintaining preferences for wild forest fruits even when exotic cultivated options become available. Their social groups can reach up to 27 individuals with remarkable fluidity, sometimes forming temporary subgroups.

Do crested capuchins make good pets?

Absolutely not. Crested capuchins suffer extreme stress, loneliness, and early death in captivity. These highly social primates have complex needs that cannot be met domestically. The illegal pet trade rips infants from mothers’ arms, causing severe trauma while removing breeding individuals from critically endangered populations. They require sophisticated social interactions, diverse natural foods, and extensive territories. Legal ownership is prohibited under Brazilian law, making possession illegal and unethical.

Further Information

Chiarello, A. G. (1999). Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil. Biological Conservation, 89(1), 71-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00130-X

Fragaszy, D. M., Izar, P., Visalberghi, E., Ottoni, E. B., & de Oliveira, M. G. (2004). Wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus libidinosus) use anvils and stone pounding tools. American Journal of Primatology, 64(4), 359-366. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20085

Martins, W. P., de Melo, F. R., Kierulff, M. C. M., Mittermeier, R. A., Lynch Alfaro, J. W., & Jerusalinsky, L. (2021). Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en

Santos, P. M., Bocchiglieri, A., & Chiarello, A. G. (2023). Impacts of climate change and habitat loss on the distribution of the endangered crested capuchin monkey (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 85(11), e23548. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23548

Steinberg, D. L., Lynch, J. W., & Cartmill, E. A. (2022). A robust tool kit: First report of tool use in captive crested capuchin monkeys (Sapajus robustus). American Journal of Primatology, 84(11), e23428. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23428

You can support this beautiful animal

There are no known conservation activities for this animal. Share out this post to social media and join the #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife on social media to raise awareness

Further Information

Donate to help orphaned capuchins that are rescued from traffickers. At Merazonia Wildlife Sanctuary

Martins, W.P., de Melo, F.R., Kierulff, M.C.M., Mittermeier, R.A., Lynch Alfaro, J.W. & Jerusalinsky, L. 2021. Sapajus robustus (amended version of 2019 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T42697A192592444. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T42697A192592444.en. Downloaded on 06 June 2021.

Wikipedia

Reduced range of the endangered crested capuchin monkey (Sapajus robustus) and a possible hybrid zone with Sapajus nigritus

Crested Capuchin Sapajus robustus

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

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The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Brazil #bushmeat #capuchin #Capuchins #climateChange #climatechange #CrestedCapuchinSapajusRobustus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #hunting #illegalPetTrade #insectivore #meatAgriculture #meatAndSoyDeforestationInBrazil #monkey #monkeys #palmoil #petTrade #pettrade #Primate #primates #SouthAmericaSpeciesEndangeredByPalmOilDeforestation #vegan

Drill Mandrillus leucophaeus

Drill Mandrillus leucophaeus

IUCN Red List Status: Endangered

Location: Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko Island)

The Drill is one of the most visually arresting, emotionally complex, and endangered #monkeys on Earth. Endemic to a narrow slice of rainforest in #Nigeria, #Cameroon, and Bioko Island, these intelligent primates have lost over 50% of their population in just three decades. They face a terrifying gauntlet of threats: #palmoil plantations, #hunting for the #bushmeat trade, #timber logging, and a tidal wave of new #infrastructure creation. Though rarely seen, Drills are capable of extraordinary behaviour—forming multi-species foraging alliances, mourning their dead, and navigating their crumbling world with grace and resilience. Only a few thousand of these precious #primates remain alive. Take action every time you shop, be #Vegan and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/B4NvJuRJhoA

#Drills are colourful and shy #primates 🐒🤎 who are endangered directly by #palmoil #deforestation in #Cameroon 🇨🇲 and #Nigeria 🇳🇬 Help save them each time you #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🛢️🤮🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife in the supermarket @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/04/10/drill-mandrillus-leucophaeus-2/

Colourful #Drills are shy #primates 🐒🤎 who just want to be left alone! They’re endangered directly by #palmoil #deforestation and hunting in #Cameroon 🇨🇲 and #Nigeria 🇳🇬 Help save them #Boycottpalmoil 🌴🛢️🤮🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/04/10/drill-mandrillus-leucophaeus-2/

Appearance and Behaviour

The Drill is an extraordinary primate, often described as a living mosaic of colour and power. Adult males are especially striking: their dark, velvet-black faces are bordered by rippling, cobalt-blue cheek pads and a crimson midline that runs down the nose like a painted flame. These facial colours deepen with sexual maturity and dominance. Males also exhibit large, richly hued rumps in shades of lilac, mauve and indigo, which serve as visual signals in social communication. Their massive canines and robust skulls hint at their physical strength—males can weigh up to three times more than females.

Drills have muscular, barrel-chested bodies with long, sturdy limbs adapted to both terrestrial travel and arboreal sleeping. Their movements on the forest floor are purposeful and heavy-footed, but they climb gracefully at night to sleep in trees, often 10–20 metres above ground. Despite their strength and bold colouration, Drills are shy and cryptic, vanishing silently into the understorey when disturbed.

Recent research has revealed that Drills regularly form polyspecific associations with other monkeys in Cameroon’s Korup National Park. They are most often seen in loose foraging alliances with red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus)—despite competing for similar foods. This unusual cooperation may help them reduce predation risks or navigate foraging landscapes more efficiently, with each species using different forest layers and movement strategies to avoid direct conflict while benefitting from group vigilance (Astaras et al., 2011). These associations with other monkey species suggest a level of behavioural flexibility and ecological intelligence previously underestimated in Drills.

Diet

Drills are primarily frugivores in lowland forests, where up to 90% of their diet is made up of fruit. However, on Bioko Island and in montane regions, they shift to a more folivorous diet, consuming herbaceous stems, leaves, and fungi due to lower fruit availability (Owens et al., 2015). This ability to adjust their feeding strategies to suit local conditions reveals their remarkable adaptability. They are also known to consume seeds, insects, and small vertebrates opportunistically. Their robust jaws and thick enamelled teeth are well suited to cracking hard seeds and tough vegetation.

Reproduction and Mating

Drills live in complex, fission–fusion societies comprising multi-male, multi-female groups of 15–75 individuals. Mating is dominated by intensely colourful, high-ranking males, who gain the greatest access to fertile females. Sexual dimorphism in Drills is extreme: males possess vividly pigmented faces and rumps that function both as dominance signals and sexual ornaments. These visual cues are correlated with testosterone levels and social status rather than individual attractiveness alone (Marty et al., 2009). Females give birth to a single infant after a gestation of around 5–6 months, and maternal care is extensive and sensitive.

A remarkable insight into Drill social bonds comes from a 2023 thanatology study, which documented a mother caring for her deceased infant over several days. She groomed the dead infant intensively, carried them gently, and made repeated efforts to engage their eyes—behaviours indicating profound emotional attachment. Group members also showed interest, inspecting the infant and sometimes sitting near the mother in what appeared to be mourning-like behaviour. Two days later, the mother began to eat the corpse—a phenomenon seen in some other primates as a response to extreme stress or to recover nutrients after stillbirth. The act was not shared with others and appeared deliberate and solitary (Casetta et al., 2023).

These observations reveal that Drills are not only intelligent but deeply emotional animals capable of complex grief responses. Their inner lives—once invisible to science—are now starting to emerge through careful observation. Combined with their intricate dominance hierarchies, cooperative alliances, and nuanced communication, these findings make clear that the Drill is a primate of both immense ecological importance and profound emotional depth.

Drills are threatened by deforestation, particularly in Cameroon where multiple oil palm plantation projects are already underway or proposed (Morgan et al. 2013).

IUCN red list

Geographic Range

Drills are found only in the rainforests of southeastern Nigeria (Cross River region), southwestern Cameroon (Korup and Ebo regions), and Bioko Island off the coast of Equatorial Guinea. Their total range is estimated at just over 63,000 km², with an area of occupancy below 20,000 km²—much of it fragmented by plantations and roads (Morgan et al., 2013). Cameroon is home to roughly 75% of the global population, with estimates suggesting 3,000–5,000 Drills remain there. Nigeria supports fewer than 1,200 individuals, while Bioko’s population has declined by over 70% and may now number fewer than 1,000 (Cronin, pers. comm., 2016).

Threats

Habitat Loss from Palm Oil, Rubber and Tea Agriculture and Logging

Across Cameroon and Nigeria, massive tracts of rainforest have been razed to make way for oil palm, rubber, banana, and tea plantations. Logging concessions—even those supposedly regulated—continue to expand into primary Drill habitat. In the Mount Cameroon region and the Ebo corridor, these activities have erased once-continuous tracts of forest, leaving only small, isolated fragments where Drills are barely surviving (Morgan et al., 2013; Astaras, 2009).

Road, Mining and Infrastructure Projects Opening Up Poaching Opportunities

New roads—often tied to plantation and mining expansion—now dissect once-pristine Drill habitat. These roads do more than fragment forests: they act as conduits for hunters and settlers, opening up remote areas to poaching and development. Planned road networks in Cross River State, the Ebo region, and Bioko threaten to divide the last strongholds of this species permanently (Linder & Oates, 2011).

Hunting and the Bushmeat Trade

Drills are one of the most sought-after primates in the bushmeat trade. Adult males are especially prized for their fatty flesh. When a group is spotted, hunters with dogs may target the entire troop, killing multiple individuals in one hunt. Though once hunted opportunistically, Drills are now commercially targeted for sale in urban markets, further escalating population decline (Gadsby, 1990; Astaras, 2009).

Genetic Fragmentation and Isolation

The species is now fragmented into at least 10 isolated populations, with no natural corridors linking them. Bioko’s subspecies is completely cut off. Genetic isolation increases vulnerability to disease, reduces fertility, and limits the adaptability of remaining groups, accelerating the extinction spiral (Morgan et al., 2013).

Weak Law Enforcement and Corruption in the Illegal Wildlife Trade

While legal protections exist in all range countries, enforcement is virtually absent. Protected areas are rarely patrolled, corruption is rampant, and economic pressures often drive local communities to encroach on wildlife zones. Without empowered, well-funded, and community-supported conservation efforts, these laws remain words on paper (Linder & Oates, 2011).

Take Action!

The gentle and misunderstood Drill is a primate symbol of rainforest vitality, social intelligence, and emotional complexity. The extinction of these precious primates would be a moral and ecological tragedy. Take action every time you shop and Boycott palm oil. Support indigenous-led forest protection in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Bioko. Demand that roads and plantations be halted before more forest is lost. The time to act is now. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife, be #Vegan #BoycottMeat

FAQs

How many Drills are left in the wild?

It is estimated that only 4,000–6,000 Drills remain in total: about 1,000 in Nigeria, up to 5,000 in Cameroon, and fewer than 1,000 on Bioko Island. Most populations are isolated and in decline (Morgan et al., 2013; Cronin, pers. comm., 2016).

Do Drills form alliances with other species?

Yes. In Korup National Park, Cameroon, Drills have been observed forming polyspecific foraging groups with red-capped mangabeys and other monkeys. These temporary alliances may help reduce predation risk and improve foraging efficiency by sharing lookout roles and occupying different layers of the forest (Astaras et al., 2011).

What is known about their emotional or social intelligence?

A 2023 study documented a Drill mother grooming and attempting to revive her deceased infant for several days before eventually consuming the body. Group members also engaged in quiet observation. These behaviours suggest a profound capacity for grief, emotional bonds, and possibly stress-related coping strategies (Casetta et al., 2023).

Why are Drills hunted?

Drills are highly sought in the bushmeat trade, especially large males for their meat. Hunting methods include dogs and firearms, often decimating entire groups in one raid. Most of this hunting is for commercial sale in cities rather than for subsistence (Astaras, 2009).

What do the colours of Drills signify?

Male Drills display intense facial and rump colouration that becomes more vibrant with dominance and testosterone levels. These visual traits are used in social signalling and mate competition, though studies suggest rank is more important than colour alone in determining reproductive success (Marty et al., 2009).

Do Drills grieve their dead?

A 2023 scientific study indicates that yes they do grieve their loved ones. The study documented a Drill mother gently carrying and intensively grooming her dead infant for two days, refusing to let go. Other Drills gathered around, quietly observing and touching the mother. On the third day, in an act both shocking and intimate, the mother began to eat the infant’s body in private. Researchers believe this behaviour may help the mother cope emotionally or recover nutrients after a traumatic loss. This rare observation shows that Drills, like other primates and humans, experience grief, maternal love, and perhaps even an awareness of death itself (Casetta et al., 2023). They are emotional beings—and they are vanishing. Help them to survive and #BoycottPalmOil.

Support the conservation of this species

The Drill Project

WCS Nigeria

Further Information

Gadsby, E.L., Cronin, D.T., Astaras, C. & Imong, I. 2020. Mandrillus leucophaeus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T12753A17952490. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T12753A17952490.en. Downloaded on 12 March 2021.

Astaras, C., Krause, S., Mattner, L., Rehse, C., & Waltert, M. (2011). Associations between the Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus) and sympatric monkeys in Korup National Park, Cameroon. American Journal of Primatology, 73(2), 127–134. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20877

Casetta, G., Nolfo, A. P., & Palagi, E. (2023). Record of thanatology and cannibalism in drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus). Primates, 64, 475–481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-023-01075-8

Marty, J. S., Higham, J. P., Gadsby, E. L., & Ross, C. (2009). Dominance, coloration, and sexual behaviour in male Drills. International Journal of Primatology, 30(6), 807–823. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-009-9382-x

Morgan, B. J., Abwe, E. E., Dixson, A. F., & Astaras, C. (2013). The distribution, status, and conservation outlook of the Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus) in Cameroon. International Journal of Primatology, 34, 281–302. DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-013-9661-4

National Geographic – Drills

Owens, J. R., Honarvar, S., Nessel, M., & Hearn, G. W. (2015). From frugivore to folivore: Altitudinal variation in the diet of the Bioko Island Drill. American Journal of Primatology, 77(11), 1263–1275. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22479

Drill Mandrillus leucophaeus

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

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Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

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Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Africa #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #Cameroon #deforestation #DrillMandrillusLeucophaeus #Drills #EquatorialGuinea #hunting #illegal #illegalPetTrade #infrastructure #monkey #monkeys #Nigeria #palmoil #poaching #Primate #primates #timber #vegan

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Status: Endangered (IUCN 2020)

Location: West Africa – Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia

The Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius is one of West Africa’s most #endangered #primates, facing an escalating crisis of habitat loss and overhunting. Once abundant in mature forests across the region, they have been driven to the brink of #extinction by rampant deforestation for charcoal, palm oil and mining and the increasing demand for #bushmeat. Widespread clearing of forests for industrial #palmoil plantations, #mining, and #timber has fragmented their habitat, isolating populations and making them more vulnerable to #poaching. Without urgent intervention, their future remains uncertain. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/wzKG-ezmLJ8

One of #WestAfrica and the world’s most endangered #primates 🐵you’ve never heard of is the enchanting Western Red #Colobus of #SierraLeone 🇸🇱 #Liberia 🇱🇷 #PalmOil 🌴☠️ and #poaching are major threats. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/

Forest clearing in #WestAfrica for #charcoal #palmoil and #mining ⛏️ are threats for the elusive and #endangered #primate 🐵🐒🙈 Western Red #Colobus. Help them to survive, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🤢🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/

Appearance and behaviour

Western Red Colobus are striking primates with a rich reddish-orange coat, contrasting with a darker face and limbs. They are highly social and live in large multi-male, multi-female groups of up to 90 individuals. Their interactions are characterised by grooming, play, and cooperative care of young, which strengthens group cohesion. Unlike some primates, they rely on an intricate vocal system to communicate, warning each other of danger and coordinating group movements.

Primarily arboreal, they move gracefully through the forest canopy, favouring mature, old-growth trees. However, in more northern populations, they have been observed travelling and foraging on the ground, a behaviour that may be increasing due to habitat destruction.

Diet

Western Red Colobus have a specialised diet consisting mainly of fruit, seeds, and young leaves. Unlike many other primates, they rely heavily on digesting leaves, which are fermented in their complex stomachs. This adaptation allows them to survive in environments where fruit is less abundant.

In degraded forests where food availability is low, these primates have been observed consuming cultivated crops such as mango, indicating a level of dietary flexibility. However, reliance on human-grown food brings them into conflict with local communities, increasing their vulnerability to persecution.

The diet of the Western Red Colobus (Piliocolobus badius) and other primates in Africa is shaped by food availability and environmental changes, with significant variation across different regions and seasons. DNA studies have revealed a diverse diet comprising a high richness of plant species, though individuals in fragmented forests consume a greater variety of plants than those in well-preserved habitats. In Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, 11% of their diet consists of cultivated foods like mango, highlighting their adaptability to human-altered landscapes. However, the long-term consequences of these dietary shifts remain unclear, raising concerns about their ability to sustain populations in degraded habitats (Aleixo-Pais et al., 2023).

Threats

Palm oil, charcoal and mining deforestation

The expansion of industrial palm oil plantations in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Guinea has destroyed vast tracts of forest, replacing diverse ecosystems with monoculture plantations. These plantations provide no habitat for wildlife, forcing colobus monkeys and other African primates such as mandrills and colobuses into increasingly smaller and more fragmented forest patches where survival is difficult.

Hunting for bushmeat

Western Red Colobus are one of the most heavily hunted primate species in West Africa. Their trusting nature and slow movement make them easy targets for hunters. In Guinea-Bissau alone, nearly 200 individuals are killed each dry season to supply urban bushmeat markets. Similar levels of hunting occur across their range, with skins also being sold for ritualistic practices.

Logging and habitat destruction

Deforestation through logging, charcoal production, palm oil and mining has significantly reduced the Western Red Colobus’ habitat. Forest loss in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea has been among the fastest in the world, with Côte d’Ivoire alone losing 17% of its forest cover between 2000 and 2015. Many areas designated as “protected” no longer contain forest, having been converted to plantations.

Civil conflict and human-wildlife conflict

Decades of civil unrest in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have devastated conservation efforts, allowing illegal hunting and habitat destruction to go unchecked. Additionally, as forests disappear, colobus monkeys are increasingly forced to enter agricultural land, where they are viewed as pests and killed in retaliation.

Reproduction and mating

Western Red Colobus do not have a fixed breeding season, and infants are born throughout the year. Newborns are highly dependent on their mothers, clinging to them for warmth and security. While mothers provide most of the direct care, other females in the group often assist in carrying and grooming the young.

Males play a more protective role, defending the group from predators and external threats. Unlike some primates, they do not exhibit strong territorial behaviour but will vocalise aggressively and form defensive group formations when threatened.

Geographic range

Western Red Colobus are found in fragmented populations across West Africa, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia. They primarily inhabit primary and secondary forests but can also be found in gallery forests, mangroves, and occasionally in human-modified landscapes.

FAQs

Why are Western Red Colobus endangered?

They are primarily threatened by habitat destruction due to palm oil plantations, logging, and mining, combined with intensive hunting for the bushmeat trade.

Do Western Red Colobus monkeys make good pets?

No. Keeping them as pets is both illegal and unethical. They are highly social, arboreal primates that require vast forest habitats to survive. The illegal pet trade further threatens their already declining populations.

Where can Western Red Colobus be found?

These primates are found in West Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. However, their populations are highly fragmented.

Are Western Red Colobus aggressive?

They are not typically aggressive towards humans but will display defensive behaviours if they feel threatened. They rely on vocalisations and group defence rather than physical confrontation.

How can we help Western Red Colobus?

Protecting their remaining habitat, banning hunting, and supporting conservation efforts are critical to ensuring their survival. Consumers can also help by boycotting products linked to deforestation, such as palm oil and timber.

Take Action!

The fate of the Western Red Colobus and other African primates is inextricably tied to the choices people make every day. By rejecting products that contain palm oil and supporting organisations fighting against illegal hunting and deforestation, individuals can help protect these remarkable primates. Conservation groups working in West Africa urgently need funding and international pressure to push governments to enforce anti-hunting laws and preserve remaining forests. Use your voice and purchasing power to demand change. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

In both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, more than half of the closed forest in the forest reserves has been converted to plantation or farmland, or cleared and left bare (Bitty et al. 2015).

IUCN Red List

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Support the conservation of this species

Colobus Conservation

Further Information

Aleixo-Pais, et. al. (2023). Dietary flexibility of western red colobus in two protected areas with contrasting anthropogenic pressure. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 1280277. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1280277

McGraw, S., Minhós, T., Bersacola, E., Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Galat, G., Galat-Luong, A., Gonedelé Bi, S., Mayhew, M., Oates, J.F. & Starin, E.D. 2020. Piliocolobus badius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T161247840A161259430. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T161247840A161259430.en. Downloaded on 15 February 2021.

Linder, J. M. et. al (2021). Red colobus (Piliocolobus) conservation action plan 2021-2026. IUCN/Primate Specialist Group.

Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Western Red Colobus. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_red_colobus

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Africa #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #charcoal #Colobus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #Guinea #GuineaBissau #IvoryCoast #IvoryCoast #Liberia #Mammal #mining #palmoil #poaching #Primate #primates #Sierra #SierraLeone #SierraLeone #timber #vegan #WestAfrica #WesternRedColobusPiliocolobusBadius

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Status: Endangered (IUCN 2020)

Location: West Africa – Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia

The Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius is one of West Africa’s most #endangered #primates, facing an escalating crisis of habitat loss and overhunting. Once abundant in mature forests across the region, they have been driven to the brink of #extinction by rampant deforestation for charcoal, palm oil and mining and the increasing demand for #bushmeat. Widespread clearing of forests for industrial #palmoil plantations, #mining, and #timber has fragmented their habitat, isolating populations and making them more vulnerable to #poaching. Without urgent intervention, their future remains uncertain. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/wzKG-ezmLJ8

One of #WestAfrica and the world’s most endangered #primates 🐵you’ve never heard of is the enchanting Western Red #Colobus of #SierraLeone 🇸🇱 #Liberia 🇱🇷 #PalmOil 🌴☠️ and #poaching are major threats. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/

Forest clearing in #WestAfrica for #charcoal #palmoil and #mining ⛏️ are threats for the elusive and #endangered #primate 🐵🐒🙈 Western Red #Colobus. Help them to survive, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🤢🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/

Appearance and behaviour

Western Red Colobus are striking primates with a rich reddish-orange coat, contrasting with a darker face and limbs. They are highly social and live in large multi-male, multi-female groups of up to 90 individuals. Their interactions are characterised by grooming, play, and cooperative care of young, which strengthens group cohesion. Unlike some primates, they rely on an intricate vocal system to communicate, warning each other of danger and coordinating group movements.

Primarily arboreal, they move gracefully through the forest canopy, favouring mature, old-growth trees. However, in more northern populations, they have been observed travelling and foraging on the ground, a behaviour that may be increasing due to habitat destruction.

Diet

Western Red Colobus have a specialised diet consisting mainly of fruit, seeds, and young leaves. Unlike many other primates, they rely heavily on digesting leaves, which are fermented in their complex stomachs. This adaptation allows them to survive in environments where fruit is less abundant.

In degraded forests where food availability is low, these primates have been observed consuming cultivated crops such as mango, indicating a level of dietary flexibility. However, reliance on human-grown food brings them into conflict with local communities, increasing their vulnerability to persecution.

The diet of the Western Red Colobus (Piliocolobus badius) and other primates in Africa is shaped by food availability and environmental changes, with significant variation across different regions and seasons. DNA studies have revealed a diverse diet comprising a high richness of plant species, though individuals in fragmented forests consume a greater variety of plants than those in well-preserved habitats. In Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, 11% of their diet consists of cultivated foods like mango, highlighting their adaptability to human-altered landscapes. However, the long-term consequences of these dietary shifts remain unclear, raising concerns about their ability to sustain populations in degraded habitats (Aleixo-Pais et al., 2023).

Threats

Palm oil, charcoal and mining deforestation

The expansion of industrial palm oil plantations in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Guinea has destroyed vast tracts of forest, replacing diverse ecosystems with monoculture plantations. These plantations provide no habitat for wildlife, forcing colobus monkeys and other African primates such as mandrills and colobuses into increasingly smaller and more fragmented forest patches where survival is difficult.

Hunting for bushmeat

Western Red Colobus are one of the most heavily hunted primate species in West Africa. Their trusting nature and slow movement make them easy targets for hunters. In Guinea-Bissau alone, nearly 200 individuals are killed each dry season to supply urban bushmeat markets. Similar levels of hunting occur across their range, with skins also being sold for ritualistic practices.

Logging and habitat destruction

Deforestation through logging, charcoal production, palm oil and mining has significantly reduced the Western Red Colobus’ habitat. Forest loss in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea has been among the fastest in the world, with Côte d’Ivoire alone losing 17% of its forest cover between 2000 and 2015. Many areas designated as “protected” no longer contain forest, having been converted to plantations.

Civil conflict and human-wildlife conflict

Decades of civil unrest in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have devastated conservation efforts, allowing illegal hunting and habitat destruction to go unchecked. Additionally, as forests disappear, colobus monkeys are increasingly forced to enter agricultural land, where they are viewed as pests and killed in retaliation.

Reproduction and mating

Western Red Colobus do not have a fixed breeding season, and infants are born throughout the year. Newborns are highly dependent on their mothers, clinging to them for warmth and security. While mothers provide most of the direct care, other females in the group often assist in carrying and grooming the young.

Males play a more protective role, defending the group from predators and external threats. Unlike some primates, they do not exhibit strong territorial behaviour but will vocalise aggressively and form defensive group formations when threatened.

Geographic range

Western Red Colobus are found in fragmented populations across West Africa, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia. They primarily inhabit primary and secondary forests but can also be found in gallery forests, mangroves, and occasionally in human-modified landscapes.

FAQs

Why are Western Red Colobus endangered?

They are primarily threatened by habitat destruction due to palm oil plantations, logging, and mining, combined with intensive hunting for the bushmeat trade.

Do Western Red Colobus monkeys make good pets?

No. Keeping them as pets is both illegal and unethical. They are highly social, arboreal primates that require vast forest habitats to survive. The illegal pet trade further threatens their already declining populations.

Where can Western Red Colobus be found?

These primates are found in West Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. However, their populations are highly fragmented.

Are Western Red Colobus aggressive?

They are not typically aggressive towards humans but will display defensive behaviours if they feel threatened. They rely on vocalisations and group defence rather than physical confrontation.

How can we help Western Red Colobus?

Protecting their remaining habitat, banning hunting, and supporting conservation efforts are critical to ensuring their survival. Consumers can also help by boycotting products linked to deforestation, such as palm oil and timber.

Take Action!

The fate of the Western Red Colobus and other African primates is inextricably tied to the choices people make every day. By rejecting products that contain palm oil and supporting organisations fighting against illegal hunting and deforestation, individuals can help protect these remarkable primates. Conservation groups working in West Africa urgently need funding and international pressure to push governments to enforce anti-hunting laws and preserve remaining forests. Use your voice and purchasing power to demand change. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

In both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, more than half of the closed forest in the forest reserves has been converted to plantation or farmland, or cleared and left bare (Bitty et al. 2015).

IUCN Red List

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Support the conservation of this species

Colobus Conservation

Further Information

Aleixo-Pais, et. al. (2023). Dietary flexibility of western red colobus in two protected areas with contrasting anthropogenic pressure. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 1280277. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1280277

McGraw, S., Minhós, T., Bersacola, E., Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Galat, G., Galat-Luong, A., Gonedelé Bi, S., Mayhew, M., Oates, J.F. & Starin, E.D. 2020. Piliocolobus badius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T161247840A161259430. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T161247840A161259430.en. Downloaded on 15 February 2021.

Linder, J. M. et. al (2021). Red colobus (Piliocolobus) conservation action plan 2021-2026. IUCN/Primate Specialist Group.

Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Western Red Colobus. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_red_colobus

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Africa #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #charcoal #Colobus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #Guinea #GuineaBissau #IvoryCoast #IvoryCoast #Liberia #Mammal #mining #palmoil #poaching #Primate #primates #Sierra #SierraLeone #SierraLeone #timber #vegan #WestAfrica #WesternRedColobusPiliocolobusBadius

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Status: Endangered (IUCN 2020)

Location: West Africa – Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia

The Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius is one of West Africa’s most #endangered #primates, facing an escalating crisis of habitat loss and overhunting. Once abundant in mature forests across the region, they have been driven to the brink of #extinction by rampant deforestation for charcoal, palm oil and mining and the increasing demand for #bushmeat. Widespread clearing of forests for industrial #palmoil plantations, #mining, and #timber has fragmented their habitat, isolating populations and making them more vulnerable to #poaching. Without urgent intervention, their future remains uncertain. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/wzKG-ezmLJ8

One of #WestAfrica and the world’s most endangered #primates 🐵you’ve never heard of is the enchanting Western Red #Colobus of #SierraLeone 🇸🇱 #Liberia 🇱🇷 #PalmOil 🌴☠️ and #poaching are major threats. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/

Forest clearing in #WestAfrica for #charcoal #palmoil and #mining ⛏️ are threats for the elusive and #endangered #primate 🐵🐒🙈 Western Red #Colobus. Help them to survive, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🤢🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/

Appearance and behaviour

Western Red Colobus are striking primates with a rich reddish-orange coat, contrasting with a darker face and limbs. They are highly social and live in large multi-male, multi-female groups of up to 90 individuals. Their interactions are characterised by grooming, play, and cooperative care of young, which strengthens group cohesion. Unlike some primates, they rely on an intricate vocal system to communicate, warning each other of danger and coordinating group movements.

Primarily arboreal, they move gracefully through the forest canopy, favouring mature, old-growth trees. However, in more northern populations, they have been observed travelling and foraging on the ground, a behaviour that may be increasing due to habitat destruction.

Diet

Western Red Colobus have a specialised diet consisting mainly of fruit, seeds, and young leaves. Unlike many other primates, they rely heavily on digesting leaves, which are fermented in their complex stomachs. This adaptation allows them to survive in environments where fruit is less abundant.

In degraded forests where food availability is low, these primates have been observed consuming cultivated crops such as mango, indicating a level of dietary flexibility. However, reliance on human-grown food brings them into conflict with local communities, increasing their vulnerability to persecution.

The diet of the Western Red Colobus (Piliocolobus badius) and other primates in Africa is shaped by food availability and environmental changes, with significant variation across different regions and seasons. DNA studies have revealed a diverse diet comprising a high richness of plant species, though individuals in fragmented forests consume a greater variety of plants than those in well-preserved habitats. In Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, 11% of their diet consists of cultivated foods like mango, highlighting their adaptability to human-altered landscapes. However, the long-term consequences of these dietary shifts remain unclear, raising concerns about their ability to sustain populations in degraded habitats (Aleixo-Pais et al., 2023).

Threats

Palm oil, charcoal and mining deforestation

The expansion of industrial palm oil plantations in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Guinea has destroyed vast tracts of forest, replacing diverse ecosystems with monoculture plantations. These plantations provide no habitat for wildlife, forcing colobus monkeys and other African primates such as mandrills and colobuses into increasingly smaller and more fragmented forest patches where survival is difficult.

Hunting for bushmeat

Western Red Colobus are one of the most heavily hunted primate species in West Africa. Their trusting nature and slow movement make them easy targets for hunters. In Guinea-Bissau alone, nearly 200 individuals are killed each dry season to supply urban bushmeat markets. Similar levels of hunting occur across their range, with skins also being sold for ritualistic practices.

Logging and habitat destruction

Deforestation through logging, charcoal production, palm oil and mining has significantly reduced the Western Red Colobus’ habitat. Forest loss in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea has been among the fastest in the world, with Côte d’Ivoire alone losing 17% of its forest cover between 2000 and 2015. Many areas designated as “protected” no longer contain forest, having been converted to plantations.

Civil conflict and human-wildlife conflict

Decades of civil unrest in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have devastated conservation efforts, allowing illegal hunting and habitat destruction to go unchecked. Additionally, as forests disappear, colobus monkeys are increasingly forced to enter agricultural land, where they are viewed as pests and killed in retaliation.

Reproduction and mating

Western Red Colobus do not have a fixed breeding season, and infants are born throughout the year. Newborns are highly dependent on their mothers, clinging to them for warmth and security. While mothers provide most of the direct care, other females in the group often assist in carrying and grooming the young.

Males play a more protective role, defending the group from predators and external threats. Unlike some primates, they do not exhibit strong territorial behaviour but will vocalise aggressively and form defensive group formations when threatened.

Geographic range

Western Red Colobus are found in fragmented populations across West Africa, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia. They primarily inhabit primary and secondary forests but can also be found in gallery forests, mangroves, and occasionally in human-modified landscapes.

FAQs

Why are Western Red Colobus endangered?

They are primarily threatened by habitat destruction due to palm oil plantations, logging, and mining, combined with intensive hunting for the bushmeat trade.

Do Western Red Colobus monkeys make good pets?

No. Keeping them as pets is both illegal and unethical. They are highly social, arboreal primates that require vast forest habitats to survive. The illegal pet trade further threatens their already declining populations.

Where can Western Red Colobus be found?

These primates are found in West Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. However, their populations are highly fragmented.

Are Western Red Colobus aggressive?

They are not typically aggressive towards humans but will display defensive behaviours if they feel threatened. They rely on vocalisations and group defence rather than physical confrontation.

How can we help Western Red Colobus?

Protecting their remaining habitat, banning hunting, and supporting conservation efforts are critical to ensuring their survival. Consumers can also help by boycotting products linked to deforestation, such as palm oil and timber.

Take Action!

The fate of the Western Red Colobus and other African primates is inextricably tied to the choices people make every day. By rejecting products that contain palm oil and supporting organisations fighting against illegal hunting and deforestation, individuals can help protect these remarkable primates. Conservation groups working in West Africa urgently need funding and international pressure to push governments to enforce anti-hunting laws and preserve remaining forests. Use your voice and purchasing power to demand change. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

In both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, more than half of the closed forest in the forest reserves has been converted to plantation or farmland, or cleared and left bare (Bitty et al. 2015).

IUCN Red List

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Support the conservation of this species

Colobus Conservation

Further Information

Aleixo-Pais, et. al. (2023). Dietary flexibility of western red colobus in two protected areas with contrasting anthropogenic pressure. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 1280277. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1280277

McGraw, S., Minhós, T., Bersacola, E., Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Galat, G., Galat-Luong, A., Gonedelé Bi, S., Mayhew, M., Oates, J.F. & Starin, E.D. 2020. Piliocolobus badius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T161247840A161259430. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T161247840A161259430.en. Downloaded on 15 February 2021.

Linder, J. M. et. al (2021). Red colobus (Piliocolobus) conservation action plan 2021-2026. IUCN/Primate Specialist Group.

Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Western Red Colobus. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_red_colobus

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Africa #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #charcoal #Colobus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #Guinea #GuineaBissau #IvoryCoast #IvoryCoast #Liberia #Mammal #mining #palmoil #poaching #Primate #primates #Sierra #SierraLeone #SierraLeone #timber #vegan #WestAfrica #WesternRedColobusPiliocolobusBadius

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Status: Endangered (IUCN 2020)

Location: West Africa – Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia

The Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius is one of West Africa’s most #endangered #primates, facing an escalating crisis of habitat loss and overhunting. Once abundant in mature forests across the region, they have been driven to the brink of #extinction by rampant deforestation for charcoal, palm oil and mining and the increasing demand for #bushmeat. Widespread clearing of forests for industrial #palmoil plantations, #mining, and #timber has fragmented their habitat, isolating populations and making them more vulnerable to #poaching. Without urgent intervention, their future remains uncertain. Help them every time you shop and be #vegan #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/wzKG-ezmLJ8

One of #WestAfrica and the world’s most endangered #primates 🐵you’ve never heard of is the enchanting Western Red #Colobus of #SierraLeone 🇸🇱 #Liberia 🇱🇷 #PalmOil 🌴☠️ and #poaching are major threats. #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/

Forest clearing in #WestAfrica for #charcoal #palmoil and #mining ⛏️ are threats for the elusive and #endangered #primate 🐵🐒🙈 Western Red #Colobus. Help them to survive, when you shop #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🤢🔥⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/15/western-red-colobus-piliocolobus-badius/

Appearance and behaviour

Western Red Colobus are striking primates with a rich reddish-orange coat, contrasting with a darker face and limbs. They are highly social and live in large multi-male, multi-female groups of up to 90 individuals. Their interactions are characterised by grooming, play, and cooperative care of young, which strengthens group cohesion. Unlike some primates, they rely on an intricate vocal system to communicate, warning each other of danger and coordinating group movements.

Primarily arboreal, they move gracefully through the forest canopy, favouring mature, old-growth trees. However, in more northern populations, they have been observed travelling and foraging on the ground, a behaviour that may be increasing due to habitat destruction.

Diet

Western Red Colobus have a specialised diet consisting mainly of fruit, seeds, and young leaves. Unlike many other primates, they rely heavily on digesting leaves, which are fermented in their complex stomachs. This adaptation allows them to survive in environments where fruit is less abundant.

In degraded forests where food availability is low, these primates have been observed consuming cultivated crops such as mango, indicating a level of dietary flexibility. However, reliance on human-grown food brings them into conflict with local communities, increasing their vulnerability to persecution.

The diet of the Western Red Colobus (Piliocolobus badius) and other primates in Africa is shaped by food availability and environmental changes, with significant variation across different regions and seasons. DNA studies have revealed a diverse diet comprising a high richness of plant species, though individuals in fragmented forests consume a greater variety of plants than those in well-preserved habitats. In Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau, 11% of their diet consists of cultivated foods like mango, highlighting their adaptability to human-altered landscapes. However, the long-term consequences of these dietary shifts remain unclear, raising concerns about their ability to sustain populations in degraded habitats (Aleixo-Pais et al., 2023).

Threats

Palm oil, charcoal and mining deforestation

The expansion of industrial palm oil plantations in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Guinea has destroyed vast tracts of forest, replacing diverse ecosystems with monoculture plantations. These plantations provide no habitat for wildlife, forcing colobus monkeys and other African primates such as mandrills and colobuses into increasingly smaller and more fragmented forest patches where survival is difficult.

Hunting for bushmeat

Western Red Colobus are one of the most heavily hunted primate species in West Africa. Their trusting nature and slow movement make them easy targets for hunters. In Guinea-Bissau alone, nearly 200 individuals are killed each dry season to supply urban bushmeat markets. Similar levels of hunting occur across their range, with skins also being sold for ritualistic practices.

Logging and habitat destruction

Deforestation through logging, charcoal production, palm oil and mining has significantly reduced the Western Red Colobus’ habitat. Forest loss in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea has been among the fastest in the world, with Côte d’Ivoire alone losing 17% of its forest cover between 2000 and 2015. Many areas designated as “protected” no longer contain forest, having been converted to plantations.

Civil conflict and human-wildlife conflict

Decades of civil unrest in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have devastated conservation efforts, allowing illegal hunting and habitat destruction to go unchecked. Additionally, as forests disappear, colobus monkeys are increasingly forced to enter agricultural land, where they are viewed as pests and killed in retaliation.

Reproduction and mating

Western Red Colobus do not have a fixed breeding season, and infants are born throughout the year. Newborns are highly dependent on their mothers, clinging to them for warmth and security. While mothers provide most of the direct care, other females in the group often assist in carrying and grooming the young.

Males play a more protective role, defending the group from predators and external threats. Unlike some primates, they do not exhibit strong territorial behaviour but will vocalise aggressively and form defensive group formations when threatened.

Geographic range

Western Red Colobus are found in fragmented populations across West Africa, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and The Gambia. They primarily inhabit primary and secondary forests but can also be found in gallery forests, mangroves, and occasionally in human-modified landscapes.

FAQs

Why are Western Red Colobus endangered?

They are primarily threatened by habitat destruction due to palm oil plantations, logging, and mining, combined with intensive hunting for the bushmeat trade.

Do Western Red Colobus monkeys make good pets?

No. Keeping them as pets is both illegal and unethical. They are highly social, arboreal primates that require vast forest habitats to survive. The illegal pet trade further threatens their already declining populations.

Where can Western Red Colobus be found?

These primates are found in West Africa, including Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. However, their populations are highly fragmented.

Are Western Red Colobus aggressive?

They are not typically aggressive towards humans but will display defensive behaviours if they feel threatened. They rely on vocalisations and group defence rather than physical confrontation.

How can we help Western Red Colobus?

Protecting their remaining habitat, banning hunting, and supporting conservation efforts are critical to ensuring their survival. Consumers can also help by boycotting products linked to deforestation, such as palm oil and timber.

Take Action!

The fate of the Western Red Colobus and other African primates is inextricably tied to the choices people make every day. By rejecting products that contain palm oil and supporting organisations fighting against illegal hunting and deforestation, individuals can help protect these remarkable primates. Conservation groups working in West Africa urgently need funding and international pressure to push governments to enforce anti-hunting laws and preserve remaining forests. Use your voice and purchasing power to demand change. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

In both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, more than half of the closed forest in the forest reserves has been converted to plantation or farmland, or cleared and left bare (Bitty et al. 2015).

IUCN Red List

Western Red Colobus Piliocolobus badius

Support the conservation of this species

Colobus Conservation

Further Information

Aleixo-Pais, et. al. (2023). Dietary flexibility of western red colobus in two protected areas with contrasting anthropogenic pressure. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, 1280277. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1280277

McGraw, S., Minhós, T., Bersacola, E., Ferreira da Silva, M.J., Galat, G., Galat-Luong, A., Gonedelé Bi, S., Mayhew, M., Oates, J.F. & Starin, E.D. 2020. Piliocolobus badius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T161247840A161259430. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T161247840A161259430.en. Downloaded on 15 February 2021.

Linder, J. M. et. al (2021). Red colobus (Piliocolobus) conservation action plan 2021-2026. IUCN/Primate Specialist Group.

Wikipedia Contributors. (2024). Western Red Colobus. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_red_colobus

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram
• WordPress
• YouTube
• Mail
• Mastodon

Enter your email address

Sign Up

2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Africa #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #charcoal #Colobus #deforestation #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #Guinea #GuineaBissau #IvoryCoast #IvoryCoast #Liberia #Mammal #mining #palmoil #poaching #Primate #primates #Sierra #SierraLeone #SierraLeone #timber #vegan #WestAfrica #WesternRedColobusPiliocolobusBadius

Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus

Malayan Tapir Tapirus indicus

IUCN Red List Status: Endangered

Locations: Thailand, Myanmar, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra (Indonesia)

Found in tropical lowland and montane forests of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, with isolated populations in western Thailand and the Thai-Myanmar border region.

The Malay Tapir is listed as Endangered due to a severe and ongoing population decline of over 50% in the past 36 years. This is driven primarily by deforestation from palm oil expansion, fragmentation of habitat, road kills, and accidental deaths in illegal snares. Their forest homes are being rapidly replaced by palm oil monoculture plantations, especially in Sumatra and Malaysia, leaving fewer than 2,500 mature individuals in the wild. Despite being important seed dispersers in their ecosystem they face a dire future, particularly in Sumatra where remaining tapir populations are critically low and fragmented. Use your wallet as a weapon—#BoycottPalmOil and demand forest protection to stop the extinction of these elusive and important forest dwellers. #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/WdrwMWbzQTw

Gentle Malayan #Tapirs are gorgeous creatures living in #Sumatra #Myanmar #Thailand #Indonesia they are endangered by #palmoil #deforestation. Say no to their #extinction when you shop #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🤮💀🔥🙈🧐🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/05/malay-tapir-tapirus-indicus/

Baby Malayan #Tapirs have spotty coats to blend into the forests of #Malaysia 🇲🇾 #Indonesia 🇮🇩 They face big threats from #PalmOil #Ecocide and the illegal wildlife trade. Fight for them #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔🤮💀🔥🙈🧐🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/02/05/malay-tapir-tapirus-indicus/

Population declines are estimated to have been greater than 50% in the past three generations (36 years) driven primarily by large scale conversion of tapir habitat to palm oil plantations and other human dominated land-use. The main reason for declines in the past is habitat conversion, with large tracts land being converted into palm oil plantations. However, increasingly as other large ‘prey” species decline in the area hunters are beginning to look towards tapir as a food source.

iucn RED lIST

Appearance and Behaviour

The Malay Tapir, also known as the Asian Tapir, is instantly recognisable due to their striking black-and-white colouring—black at the front and back with a pale saddle across the midsection, a form of disruptive camouflage in low-light forest. They are the largest of the tapir species and the only one found in Asia. Solitary and nocturnal, Malay Tapirs are shy browsers that patrol large territories, communicating through high-pitched whistles and squeals. Recent studies have revealed they have individually distinct vocalisations, likely used for identification and social interactions in dense forest (Walb et al., 2021).

Diet

Malay Tapirs are generalist herbivores, browsing on more than 380 species of plants. They prefer young shoots, leaves, fruits, and twigs, often breaking branches to access foliage. Though not considered strong seed dispersers due to seed chewing, their selective feeding plays an important ecological role in maintaining forest structure.

Reproduction and Mating

Breeding is non-seasonal, with females giving birth to a single calf after an 11–13 month gestation. Calves are born with brown and white striped coats, providing excellent camouflage. They stay with their mother for up to two years. In captivity, a rare case of twin births has been documented, suggesting the potential for delayed implantation.

Geographic Range

Malay Tapirs are distributed in three main regions:

• Sumatra, Indonesia: Southern and central regions, with highly fragmented and declining populations.
• Peninsular Malaysia and Southern Thailand: This region supports the largest and most stable population, though southern forest fragments are facing increasing isolation.
• Thailand–Myanmar border: Populations here are small and fragmented, primarily surviving in transboundary protected areas such as the Western Forest Complex and Taninthayi Range. The species is presumed extinct in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Threats

Palm oil deforestation

The conversion of lowland tropical rainforest into palm oil plantations remains the single largest threat to Malay Tapirs. Their preferred habitat—dense, moist forests—is being cleared at an alarming rate, particularly in Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. This habitat destruction not only reduces the available range but also isolates populations into small, disconnected forest fragments. These plantations also increase human-wildlife conflict and create ecological dead zones that offer no viable resources for tapirs to survive.

Habitat fragmentation and road kills

As forests are dissected by roads and settlements, Malay Tapirs are forced to cross dangerous terrain in search of food or mates. This leads to a growing number of road-related mortalities. In Malaysia alone, more than 50 displaced tapirs were recorded from 2011–2013, with a third of them killed by vehicles. These roads also hinder genetic flow between populations, worsening inbreeding risks and reducing overall population viability.

Illegal snaring and accidental trapping

Tapirs are often the unintended victims of wire snares set for other species. These traps are indiscriminate and deadly, frequently causing injuries or deaths. In Sumatra, tapirs have been killed or maimed by these snares, often set by local hunters targeting wild boar or deer. Although not the primary target, tapirs are especially vulnerable due to their large size and solitary movements through the forest.

Increased hunting pressure

While Malay Tapirs are traditionally not hunted in most of their range due to cultural taboos or lack of desirability as bushmeat, this is beginning to change. As populations of more desirable prey like deer decline, hunters are starting to target tapirs out of desperation. In some areas, such as Sumatra, tapir meat has been sold in local markets. There are also concerns that declining rhino populations may prompt poachers to kill tapirs and sell their body parts as ‘placebo rhino’.

Live capture and illegal wildlife trade

In Indonesia, the capture of tapirs for private collections and zoos was once common, with reports of dozens of animals passing through institutions like Pekanbaru Zoo since the 1990s. Although this trade has diminished in recent years, likely due to increased awareness and regulations, any resurgence in live capture—whether for display or illegal sale—would place enormous pressure on already fragile wild populations.

Inbreeding and isolation in small subpopulations

Many of the remaining tapir populations are isolated in small forest patches, especially in southern Peninsular Malaysia and parts of Thailand. Subpopulations often contain fewer than 15 individuals, far below the viable threshold for long-term survival. Without corridors or human-managed gene flow, these populations suffer from inbreeding, reduced fertility, and increased risk of extinction due to random events or disease.

Loss of salt lick access

Salt licks are vital for tapirs to supplement their mineral intake, especially in areas with a plant-based diet low in sodium. However, the loss of access to natural salt licks due to forest clearance, road construction, and plantation expansion has a direct impact on their health and social behaviours. In Malaysia’s Belum-Temengor Forest Complex, research shows tapirs rely heavily on these mineral sources, often revisiting them every few weeks. The loss of salt licks fragments their home ranges and reduces fitness.

Unprotected habitat in Myanmar

In Myanmar, where only around 5% of the land is protected, much of the tapir’s habitat lies outside conservation zones and is increasingly targeted for rubber and palm oil expansion. Civil unrest and land tenure disputes further complicate conservation efforts, limiting access for researchers and increasing the likelihood of habitat destruction. Even where tapirs are present, the lack of formal protection makes long-term survival uncertain.

FAQs

How many Malay Tapirs are left in the wild?

Current estimates suggest fewer than 2,500 mature individuals remain globally, with some subpopulations containing as few as 10–15 individuals (IUCN, 2017). Populations in Sumatra are estimated at fewer than 500 individuals and continue to decline due to deforestation and snaring.

What is the average lifespan of Malayan Tapirs?

In the wild, Malay Tapirs may live around 25–30 years. In captivity, they can exceed this range under veterinary care, though stress-related illnesses are common.

Are Malay Tapirs hunted?

Although not traditionally consumed in Malaysia or Thailand, tapirs are sometimes hunted for meat or mistaken for other animals. In some areas, displaced tapirs are also killed in retaliation after wandering into plantations or villages. Live trade for zoos and illegal private collections was once common, particularly in Indonesia, but this appears to have declined in recent years.

?Do Malay Tapirs make good pets?

Absolutely not. Keeping a Malay Tapir as a pet is incredibly cruel and illegal. These solitary forest dwellers are endangered and belong in their natural habitat – deep in the rainforest. Capturing or trading them for private ownership contributes directly to their extinction and causes immense suffering.

Why are salt licks important to Malayan Tapirs?

Recent studies have shown that Malay Tapirs frequently visit salt licks to supplement their diet with essential minerals. These areas may also serve social functions, where male and female tapirs overlap and interact (Tawa et al., 2021).

Take Action!

• Boycott all products containing palm oil every time you shop. Learn how.
• Support rewilding and indigenous-led conservation efforts in Southeast Asia.
• Campaign for forest protection policies across Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.
• Demand accountability from zoos and wildlife traffickers involved in the live trade of endangered animals.
• #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife Go #Vegan and #BoycottMeat

Further Information

Pinondang, I. M. R., Deere, N. J., Voigt, M., Ardiantiono, Subagyo, A., Moßbrucker, A., … Struebig, M. J. (2024). Safeguarding Asian tapir habitat in Sumatra, Indonesia. Oryx, 58(4), 451–461. doi:10.1017/S0030605323001576

Tawa, Y., Mohd Sah, S. A., & Kohshima, S. (2021). Salt-lick use by wild Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus): Behaviour and social interactions at salt licks. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 67, 91. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-021-01536-9

Traeholt, C., Novarino, W., bin Saaban, S., Shwe, N.M., Lynam, A., Zainuddin, Z., Simpson, B. & bin Mohd, S. 2016. Tapirus indicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T21472A45173636. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T21472A45173636.en. Downloaded on 04 February 2021.

Walb, R., von Fersen, L., Meijer, T., & Hammerschmidt, K. (2021). Individual Differences in the Vocal Communication of Malayan Tapirs (Tapirus indicus) Considering Familiarity and Relatedness. Animals, 11(4), 1026. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041026

Malay Conservation Project

Malay Tapir Tapirus indicus

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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Enter your email address

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2. Contribute stories: Academics, conservationists, scientists, indigenous rights advocates and animal rights advocates working to expose the corruption of the palm oil industry or to save animals can contribute stories to the website.

Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Boycott4wildlife #BoycottMeat #BoycottPalmOil #bushmeat #deforestation #ecocide #EndangeredSpecies #extinction #herbivore #herbivores #hunting #illegalPetTrade #Indonesia #Laos #MalayTapirTapirusIndicus #Malaysia #Mammal #Myanmar #palmoil #SeedDispersers #seeddispersal #Sumatra #Tapir #Tapirs #Thailand #ungulate #ungulates #vegan #Vietnam #wildlifetrade

Thomas’s Langur Presbytis thomasi

Thomas’s Langur Presbytis thomasi

IUCN Status: Vulnerable (VU)

Location: Indonesia – Sumatra (Aceh Province)

Thomas’s Langur, also known as the North Sumatran Leaf #Monkey is famous for their bold facial stripes giving them a handsome profile. These monkeys are endemic to the lush forests of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Listed as Vulnerable by the Red List, this striking species is facing serious population declines due to habitat loss, primarily driven by illegal logging and oil palm deforestation. Though not as globally known as some of its neighbours, such as the Sumatran Orangutan, Thomas’s Langur plays an equally vital role in forest regeneration and seed dispersal. You can help protect them by using your consumer power: always choose palm oil-free products.#BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife #Vegan

https://youtu.be/kgSJha79_ew

The Thomas’s #Langur has striking stripes 🐵🐒🤎 They’re #vulnerable due to forest clearance for #palmoil and #timber in #Sumatra #Indonesia 🇮🇩 Protect this rare #monkey when you shop and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔☠️🩸🤮🙊🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/24/thomass-langur-presbytis-thomasi/

Sporting bold facial stripes, the Thomas’s #Langur is a handsome icon of #Sumatra #Indonesia 🇮🇩 Threats include #palmoil #deforestation and human persecution 🏹😿 Fight for their survival and #BoycottPalmOil 🌴🪔☠️🩸🤮🙊🚫 #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/24/thomass-langur-presbytis-thomasi/

Appearance and Behaviour

Thomas’s Langur is a small-bodied, highly distinctive primate. Their expressive amber eyes are framed by a whimsical ‘mohawk’ of fur – white at the front and dark grey along the midline – with flaring white cheek tufts giving them a perpetual look of surprise. Their back and limbs are grey, while the underparts are pure white, creating a dramatic contrast. Infants are born almost entirely white.

They live in social groups of 10–20 individuals and are arboreal, moving gracefully through the canopy. Though they are agile and peaceful, these monkeys are alert and cautious, especially in areas with higher predator or infanticide risk. They’ve been observed adjusting their vigilance levels depending on their location within the forest and the presence of neighbouring groups.

Diet

Thomas’s Langur is primarily folivorous, meaning their diet mainly consists of leaves. However, they also consume unripe fruit, flowers, toadstools, snails, and even rubber tree seeds when available. They have highly adapted digestive systems with gut microbes capable of breaking down cellulose, allowing them to extract nutrients from fibrous plant material. They tend to avoid ripe fruit, which could kill these microbes, and instead prefer high-pH, less acidic produce.

Reproduction and Mating

These langurs reach reproductive maturity around 5.4 years of age. The average interbirth interval is about 22 months, though this can vary depending on whether the previous infant survives. Females give birth to a single offspring at a time and care for them extensively. Infanticide by incoming males is a documented threat in overlapping territories, which may influence both vigilance and social dynamics within groups.

In the wild, Thomas’s Langurs live up to 20 years, with longevity extending to 29 years in captivity due to the absence of predators and reduced stress.

Geographic Range

Thomas’s Langur is restricted to northern Sumatra in Indonesia, primarily within Aceh Province. They are found north of the Alas (Simpangkiri) and Wampu Rivers, though newer records suggest they also exist just south of the Alas. Key populations reside in the Leuser Ecosystem, particularly around the Ketambe Research Station and Bukit Lawang in Gunung Leuser National Park. The species’ range is geographically fragmented by rivers and human activity.

Threats

The species is considered Vulnerable due to past and continued population declines, estimated at more that 30% over the past 40 years (three generations) due to loss of habitat, especially to logging and oil palm plantations. Due to continuing threats, it is suspected to decline at the same rate over the next one generation.

IUCN Red List

• Palm oil and timber deforestation

Thomas’s langur faces severe habitat loss due to widespread deforestation in northern Sumatra. Logging operations, both legal and illegal, have cleared vast tracts of primary forest, fragmenting the langurs’ habitat and forcing them into smaller, isolated patches. The conversion of forests into oil palm plantations is accelerating this destruction, leading to population declines estimated at more than 30% over the past 40 years. This fragmentation not only reduces available food sources but also isolates groups, limiting genetic diversity and increasing the risk of local extinctions.

• Hunting and human persecution

Though protected by the local Batak traditional and religious taboos, there is some ‘marginal’ hunting pressure in the other parts of their distribution. The species is sometimes killed for bushmeat or captured for traditional medicine practices. In areas where these taboos are not observed, or where poverty drives people to seek alternative food sources, hunting pressure remains a real threat. Even low levels of hunting can have significant impacts on slow-reproducing primates like Thomas’s langur.

• Illegal Pet Trade

Infant langurs are often captured and sold in wildlife markets, especially in areas close to tourism hotspots like Bukit Lawang. To obtain a baby, adult females are usually killed, which has devastating consequences for troop dynamics and survival. Captive langurs often suffer from malnutrition, stress, and poor care, and rarely survive long in the pet trade. This exploitation is driving the species further toward extinction and contributes to the destruction of wild populations.

• Human-Wildlife Conflict

As forests are cleared, Thomas’s langurs increasingly move into croplands and plantations in search of food. This brings them into direct conflict with farmers, who may perceive them as pests and shoot them to protect crops. These retaliatory killings are not only cruel but contribute to the already rapid decline in population numbers. Furthermore, such conflicts reduce public tolerance for the species and hinder conservation efforts unless addressed through community engagement and education.

Take Action!

Thomas’s Langur is a symbol of Sumatra’s disappearing biodiversity. Protecting their habitat means preserving the rich web of life in which they play an essential role. You can make a difference, every time you shop #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife. Advocate for indigenous-led conservation in Sumatra and campaign against the illegal wildlife trade. Support plant-based agriculture and rewilding efforts. Go #Vegan #BoycottMeat

FAQs

How many Thomas’s Langurs are left in the wild?

Exact population estimates for the Thomas’s Langur are unknown, but data suggests that their numbers have declined by more than 30% in the past 40 years (three generations). This is largely due to habitat destruction and fragmentation (Wich et al., 2007).

How long do Thomas’s Langurs live?

In the wild, they typically live around 20 years. In captivity, individuals have been known to live up to 29 years (Wich et al., 2007).

Why are Thomas’s Langurs endangered?

The main threat is deforestation from logging and conversion of land into palm oil plantations. This leads to loss of their primary rainforest habitat and forces them into closer contact with humans, where they may be shot or captured for trade (IUCN, 2021).

Do Thomas’s Langurs make good pets?

Absolutely not. Keeping Thomas’s Langurs as pets is not only unethical but illegal. The illegal pet trade contributes directly to their decline, as infants are taken from their mothers, often involving violence. Supporting this trade fuels cruelty and threatens their survival. Advocate against the exotic pet trade instead.

Further Information

Setiawan, A. & Traeholt, C. 2020. Presbytis thomasi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T18132A17954139. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T18132A17954139.en. Downloaded on 24 January 2021.

Ecology Asia. (n.d.). Thomas’s Leaf Monkey – Presbytis thomasi. Retrieved March 25, 2025, from https://www.ecologyasia.com/verts/mammals/thomas’s-leaf-monkey.htm

Sterck, E. H. M., Willems, E. P., van Schaik, C. P., & Wich, S. A. (2005). Demography and life history of Thomas langurs (Presbytis thomasi). American Journal of Primatology, 69(6), 641–651. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20386

Steenbeek, R., Piek, R. C., van Buul, M., & van Hooff, J. A. R. A. M. (1999). Vigilance in wild Thomas’s langurs (Presbytis thomasi): the importance of infanticide risk. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 45, 137–150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002650050547

Wich, S. A., Steenbeek, R., Sterck, E. H. M., Korstjens, A. H., Willems, E. P., & van Schaik, C. P. (2007). Demography and life history of Thomas langurs (Presbytis thomasi). American Journal of Primatology, 69(6), 641–651. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.20386

Wich, S. A., Schel, A. M., de Vries, H., & van Schaik, C. P. (2008). Geographic variation in Thomas Langur (Presbytis thomasi) loud calls. American Journal of Primatology, 70(6), 566–574. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajp.20527

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Thomas’s langur. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 25, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas%27s_langur

Thomas’s Langur Presbytis thomasi

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

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3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

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White-bellied Pangolin Phataginus tricuspis

White-bellied Pangolin Phataginus tricuspis

Endangered

IUCN Red List Status: Endangered
Location: Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Tanzania, Zambia

Found across the remaining fragments of West and Central African rainforest, the elusive White-bellied Pangolin is a nocturnal, arboreal insectivore whose very body has become a global commodity.

The White-bellied Pangolin also commonly known as the Tree Pangolin are fascinating creatures akin to giant pest controllers, estimated to consume around 70 million insects per year. #Pangolins don’t have teeth, rather they have scales lining their stomachs which aid them in the digestion of food that is swallowed whole. Baby pangolins often ride on their mother’s backs and and are known as pango pups. They are able to use their tails to support their body weight and can walk upright on their hind legs.

They are often captured and killed for the illegal #poaching trade in abandoned palm oil plantations in their native homelands in #WestAfrica. Now classified as #Endangered by the IUCN, White-bellied Pangolins face a terrifying future. The dual threats of industrial-scale trafficking and rampant #deforestation for agriculture—especially #palmoil plantations—are pushing them towards extinction Help them every time you shop and #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife

https://youtu.be/FnBYSGtzQ20?si=80-qlW_xbri9F5rG

White-bellied #Pangolins 🤎😻🙏 are threatened by #palmoil #cococa #meat #deforestation and #poaching. These amazing animals can walk upright on their hind legs🐾 Help them when you shop be #vegan #Boycottpalmoil 🌴⛔️#Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/18/white-bellied-pangolin-phataginus-tricuspis/

Meek and gentle white-bellied #pangolins are ruthlessly hunted for their scales which have ZERO medicinal value. A growing threat is #palmoil 🌴🪔🤢and #tobacco 🚭 #deforestation. Help them survive! #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect https://palmoildetectives.com/2021/01/18/white-bellied-pangolin-phataginus-tricuspis/

Appearance and Behaviour

With their bodies armoured in keratin scales and their gentle, silent movements through the treetops, white-bellied pangolins have been described as one of the most extraordinary yet most misunderstood creatures on Earth.

Also known as the African Tree Pangolin, these slender and shy mammals are covered head to tail in overlapping, pale brown or yellowish scales made entirely of keratin. These scales provide formidable protection against predators, curling into a ball when threatened—a defence mechanism that unfortunately makes them easy targets for poachers. Adults typically weigh between 1.5 to 2.5 kilograms and grow to about 30 to 40 cm in body length, with tails often longer than their bodies to aid climbing.

Although often thought of as ground-dwelling, White-bellied Pangolins are superb climbers, capable of scaling tall trees with ease. Their prehensile tails help them balance while they forage along branches. They are largely nocturnal, solitary creatures, most active in the dark hours of night when they hunt for ants and termites. Motion-activated camera traps in West and Central African forests have shown them traversing forest floors and climbing high into the canopy, displaying surprising agility and adaptability (Akpona et al., 2008).

Social encounters are rare and brief, usually related to mating. White-bellied pangolins are silent and secretive, with subtle olfactory communication being their primary form of interaction. Even within protected areas, their presence is more often indicated by signs—like feeding holes or scat—than by direct sightings. Despite this elusiveness, they are now frequently detected in bushmeat markets across the region, highlighting the immense pressure they are under (Boakye et al., 2016).

Diet

White-bellied Pangolins feed exclusively on social insects—primarily ants and termites—which they locate using an acute sense of smell. Once prey is detected, they use their powerful, curved claws to tear open nests and extract insects using a long, sticky tongue that can extend more than 25 cm. Unlike other insectivores, they have no teeth; instead, they rely on their muscular stomach to grind food.

Their diet makes them ecological engineers, playing a critical role in controlling ant and termite populations and aerating soil through their foraging activity. This insectivorous diet also makes them highly vulnerable to habitat degradation, since many of their preferred prey species are sensitive to disturbance and disappear from logged or converted lands. A recent survey in the Oluwa Forest Reserve found that pangolin presence was strongly correlated with the abundance of ant and termite mounds, both of which are declining due to increasing land use (Adeniji et al., 2023).

Reproduction and Mating

Pangolins have slow reproductive rates. Females typically give birth to a single offspring after a gestation of around 150 days. Newborns are tiny, weighing around 80-100 grams, with soft, pink scales that harden over time. Young are known as ‘Pango Pups’. For the first few weeks, infants are carried on their mother’s tail, clinging tightly as she forages.

Breeding appears to occur year-round, though data is scarce. Most pangolin offspring are likely born during periods of high insect availability. Observations in Gabon have noted that most adult females encountered during field surveys were pregnant or nursing, suggesting near-continuous breeding potential (Pagès, 1975). However, due to intense poaching, pregnant and nursing pangolins are disproportionately removed from the wild, further destabilising populations.

Geographic Range

Phataginus tricuspis is the most widespread of all African pangolin species, ranging from Guinea-Bissau and Senegal in the west to north-western Tanzania and northern Angola in the east and south. It is present in at least 23 countries. Despite this wide distribution, populations are heavily fragmented, and many former strongholds—especially in West Africa—have seen local extinctions or drastic declines.

In Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, intensive habitat conversion for logging, agriculture, and urban development has devastated forests, and pangolins are now rare outside protected areas. Studies in Osun and Ondo States have shown sharp declines even in conservation areas due to poaching and ineffective law enforcement (Owolabi et al., 2024; Adeniji et al., 2023). The Yaoundé bushmeat markets in Cameroon have been identified as key hubs for trafficking pangolins sourced from up to 600 km away, revealing the extent of illegal harvesting across Central Africa (Dipita et al., 2024).

Threats

Forests are disappearing rapidly in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, their strongholds, while pangolin scales are being smuggled in tonnes across continents. With an estimated 0.4–2.7 million pangolins hunted annually in Central Africa alone, and seizures of their scales numbering in the hundreds of thousands of individuals, this species is in crisis (Ingram et al., 2018; Challender et al., 2019).

White-bellied Pangolins were often caught in abandoned or little-used oil palm plantations.

IUCN Red List

• Wildlife Trafficking: Phataginus tricuspis is the most trafficked African pangolin species. Between 2013 and 2019, an estimated 400,000 individuals were killed for their scales alone (Challender et al., 2019).
• Traditional Medicine and Bushmeat: Pangolins are widely consumed across West Africa and used in traditional rituals and pseudo medicine, particularly in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon (Soewu & Ayodele, 2009).
• Palm Oil Deforestation: Industrial palm oil expansion is a major driver of forest loss throughout the species’ range. In Nigeria and Cameroon, pangolins are losing critical habitat to monoculture plantations (Adeniji et al., 2023).
• Habitat Fragmentation: Rapid human population growth and road expansion are isolating forest patches and making pangolins more accessible to poachers (Owolabi et al., 2024).

Take Action!

Boycott palm oil products to help save the White-bellied Pangolin and the forests they depend on. Support grassroots and indigenous-led conservation efforts in West and Central Africa. Demand stricter enforcement against wildlife trafficking and campaign online against the use of pangolins in traditional medicine. Use your wallet as a weapon and #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

FAQs

How many White-bellied Pangolins are left in the wild? 

There is no precise global population estimate due to their elusive nature and widespread poaching. However, local studies and market data suggest the species is in steep decline. In Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, hunters now consider the species to be rare or extirpated from many former habitats (Akpona et al., 2008; Ingram et al., 2018).

Why are pangolins hunted? 

They are hunted for meat, traditional medicine, spiritual rituals, and increasingly, for international markets in China and Vietnam where their scales are used in pseudo-medicinal compounds. Scales from at least 200,000 pangolins were trafficked between 2015 and 2019 (Challender et al., 2019).

Do palm oil plantations affect pangolins? 

Yes. The conversion of natural forest to palm oil monocultures destroys their habitat, reduces food sources, and makes pangolins more vulnerable to hunting. In southern Nigeria, White-bellied Pangolins were once found even in degraded farms, but monocultures support fewer ants and termites, removing their core diet (Sodeinde & Adedipe, 1994).

Do pangolins make good pets? 

Absolutely not. Pangolins are solitary, wild animals with highly specialised diets. They cannot survive long in captivity, and the illegal pet trade drives their extinction. Keeping them as pets is cruel and ecologically devastating.

White-bellied Pangolin Phataginus tricuspis

Further Information

Adeniji, A. E., Ejidike, B. N., Olaniyi, O. E., & Akala, V. T. (2023). Distribution and threat to white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) in Oluwa Forest Reserve, Ondo State, Nigeria. Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, 15(2). https://www.ajol.info/index.php/jrfwe/article/view/252333

Dipita, A. D., Missoup, A. D., Aguillon, S., Lecompte, E., Momboua, B. R., Chaber, A. L., … & Gaubert, P. (2024). Genetic tracing of the illegal trade of the white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) in western Central Africa. Scientific Reports, 14, 13131. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63666-9

Ingram, D. J., Coad, L., Abernethy, K. A., Maisels, F., Stokes, E. J., Bobo, K. S., … & Simo, M. (2018). Assessing Africa-wide pangolin hunting pressures and trade. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6, 25. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12389

Owolabi, B. A., Akinsorotan, O. A., Adewumi, A. A., & Sanusade, A. O. (2024). Locals’ perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes regarding the conservation of the critically endangered Phataginus tricuspis. ResearchSquare. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3944447/v1

Pietersen, D., Moumbolou, C., Ingram, D.J., Soewu, D., Jansen, R., Sodeinde, O., Keboy Mov Linkey Iflankoy, C., Challender, D. & Shirley, M.H. 2019. Phataginus tricuspis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T12767A123586469. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T12767A123586469.en. Downloaded on 17 January 2021.

Soewu, D. A., & Ayodele, I. A. (2009). Utilization of pangolins in traditional Yorubic medicine in Ijebu province, Ogun State, Nigeria. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 5, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-5-39

How can I help the #Boycott4Wildlife?

Take Action in Five Ways

1. Join the #Boycott4Wildlife on social media and subscribe to stay in the loop: Share posts from this website to your own network on Twitter, Mastadon, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube using the hashtags #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife.

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Wildlife Artist Juanchi Pérez

Read more

Mel Lumby: Dedicated Devotee to Borneo’s Living Beings

Read more

Anthropologist and Author Dr Sophie Chao

Read more

Health Physician Dr Evan Allen

Read more

The World’s Most Loved Cup: A Social, Ethical & Environmental History of Coffee by Aviary Doert

Read more

How do we stop the world’s ecosystems from going into a death spiral? A #SteadyState Economy

Read more

3. Supermarket sleuthing: Next time you’re in the supermarket, take photos of products containing palm oil. Share these to social media along with the hashtags to call out the greenwashing and ecocide of the brands who use palm oil. You can also take photos of palm oil free products and congratulate brands when they go palm oil free.

https://twitter.com/CuriousApe4/status/1526136783557529600?s=20

https://twitter.com/PhillDixon1/status/1749010345555788144?s=20

https://twitter.com/mugabe139/status/1678027567977078784?s=20

4. Take to the streets: Get in touch with Palm Oil Detectives to find out more.

5. Donate: Make a one-off or monthly donation to Palm Oil Detectives as a way of saying thank you and to help pay for ongoing running costs of the website and social media campaigns. Donate here

#Angola #Boycott4wildlife #BoycottPalmOil #Burundi #bushmeat #Cameroon #CentralAfricanRepublic #cococa #Congo #corruption #CoteDIvoire #crime #deforestation #DemocracticRepublicOfCongo #endangered #EndangeredSpecies #Gabon #Ghana #GuineaBissau #illegalPetTrade #IvoryCoast #Kenya #Liberia #Mammal #meat #Nigeria #palmoil #pangolin #Pangolins #poachers #poaching #pokemon #pokemons #SierraLeone #SierraLeone #SouthSudan #StopTheTrade #Tanzania #tobacco #Uganda #vegan #WestAfrica #WhiteBelliedPangolinPhataginusTricuspis #wildlifetrade #Zambia