RED ALERT
With species under threat in the Zanzibar Archipelago, is extinction inevitable? Jo Johnston looks at life for the Zanzibar red colobus and how they can be safeguarded.
Off the coastline of mainland Tanzania in East Africa, the Zanzibar Archipelago appears in all its stunning glory – a home to the Zanzibar red colobus.
Like many of the world’s most precious animal species, its population is declining.
The word ‘colobus’ comes from the Greek ‘ekolobóse’, meaning ‘he cut short or shortened’. But, thankfully, for the red colobus, this refers to the small thumb on the monkey’s finger that distinguishes it from other primates.
The Zanzibar red colobus (a subspecies of the red colobus) lives in the three forests of Zanzibar but it is reported that over 30% are living outside of designated conservation zones.