THE CRISIS
Every Colobus species is under threat.
Red, olive, and black-and-white colobus monkeys are quietly disappearing across Africa. As Africa’s most threatened group of monkeys, their habitat is shrinking, hunting pressures are mounting, and several species may vanish before the world even notices.
The crisis isn’t coming. It’s already here.
77%
Threatened Taxa: Of all Red Colobus taxa classified as Endangered or worse.
BY THE NUMBERS
78%
Habitat at Risk: Africa's protected forests are being squeezed from every side.
60%
Population Loss: Average decline across priority species in the past 30 years.
63%
Endangered Status: Of all 24 Colobus species classified as endangered or worse.
WHY COLOBUS MATTER
Colobus are the clue.
Colobus monkeys are unusually vulnerable to hunting. Red colobus, for example, live in large, vocal groups and tend to stay put rather than flee, making them easy targets and often among the first primates to vanish from a forest, even one that still looks intact.
Their disappearance is an early warning sign, not of habitat loss alone, but of the deeper wildlife decline and hunting pressure that can go unnoticed until it’s too late.
THE THREATS
No single threat. No simple solution.
Human pressure on Africa’s forests is reshaping the landscapes colobus depend on. Together, three compounding forces are driving these species closer to extinction.
HABITAT LOSS & FRAGMENTATION
Logging, mining, charcoal production, and infrastructure development are clearing and dividing Colobus forest habitat. Fragmented forests isolate Colobus groups and eliminate access to food.
HUNTING & BUSHMEAT TRADE
Commercial and subsistence hunting target colobus across their entire range. Their large group sizes, predictable habits, and loud territorial calls make them particularly easy targets.
AGRICULTURAL & HUMAN ENCROACHMENT
Forests are being converted to farmland and plantations to meet growing local and global demand for resources. As human populations grow, remaining Colobus populations are squeezed into smaller, increasingly isolated pockets.
SPECIES AT RISK
The front lines of extinction.
While all colobus face mounting pressure, these species are currently facing immediate risk of localized or total extinction.
Niger Delta Red Colobus
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Pushed into marsh forest pockets in Nigeria; threatened by habitat conversion and hunting. Fewer than a few hundred individuals remain.
Tana river red colobus
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Restricted to small, fragmented gallery forest patches along Kenya’s Tana River, severely isolated by land clearing.
PENNANT’s Red Colobus
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Endemic to Bioko Island, this species has lost nearly half its population in 20 years to relentless commercial hunting and habitat destruction.
WHY NOW?
Because the window to act is closing.
Viable populations exist, and conservation partners on the ground are already doing good work for some species. What’s missing is awareness, resources, and coordination at the scale the moment requires. Protecting Colobus today is the difference between stabilizing a species and documenting its loss.
Changing the course for Colobus takes all of us.
Whether you represent an accredited zoo, lead field conservation, educate the public, or support from afar, your involvement directly powers species survival. Discover how you can strengthen frontline defense for Africa's most threatened group of monkeys.
GET INVOLVED