In the extremely dangerous and challenging environment of the marshy forests of the Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, conservationist Rachel Ashegbofe Ikemeh is toiling hard to save one of the world's '25 most endangered primates.' The Niger Delta red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus epieni) numbers only around 500. Its highly restricted habitat is plagued by a multitude of threats - deforestation due to logging and expanding farms, illegal bushmeat trade, pollution from the oil industry, and armed resistance by militant groups. In the presence of such extreme threats, conducting conservation work to restore the populations of a disappearing species seems almost impossible. But Rachel is not ready to give up. This article discusses the stupendous efforts made by Rachel Ashegbofe Ikemeh, the founder and director of the SW/Niger Delta Forest Project, and her team, to protect the critically endangered Niger Delta red colobus.
Rachel Ikemeh - The Conservationist Battling All Odds To Save A Fast-Vanishing Monkey In Nigeria - WorldAtlas
Rachel Ikemeh - The Conservationist Battling All Odds To Save A Fast-Vanishing Monkey In Nigeria - WorldAtlas