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Lybomi: South Africa
25% of profits from the sales of the 'Mystic Monkey' collection will go to Lybomi.
What Do Lybomi Do?
- Promote primate conservation and rehabilitation through a multidisciplinary interaction between Government, Organs of State, Action groups, the IUCN, the NSPCA, various tertiary establishments and the Public at large.
- Establish & uphold rehabilitation protocols in terms of: standards, methodology and best practice, with regard to scientifically founded, generally accepted norms in ethology, biology, physiology, medicine, behaviour, natural history of both fauna and flora, and wildlife rehabilitation biology.
- Collaborate with International and Local Universities and other stakeholders to provide graduate and post – graduate research experiences.
- Increase understanding of basic primate biology in order to improve animal health and quality of life through research.
- Generate new knowledge on the conservation and rehabilitation of primates as well as primate biology, from the molecular and whole animal levels to primate ecosystems.
- Facilitate research progress by providing expertise, resources and training to scientists worldwide.
- Manage Animal Human conflict.
Why Are We Supporting Lybomi?
25% of profits will go to Lybomi Wildlife, South Africa. Formerly Riverside Wildlife Rehabilitation center, this establishment is one of the only centers with a successful rehabilitation program for primates (with the world's highest animal welfare standards).
Many countries globally are using these standards in their respective conservation programs. Run by the Venter family, the establishment has become a pioneer in the field.
The founder Bob Venter, who has recently retired, saved a baby monkey from certain death in 1992. Its mother was shot by an individual, who then wanted to kill the baby by smashing it against a brick wall. Bob intervened and saved this baby monkey, before being dragged through the legal system and the courtroom as the law stated that it was an offense to care for this animal, as it was considered a pest.
This is where it all began.
To date, Riverside has rehabilitated and successfully reintroduced troops of vervet monkeys, troops of Chacma baboons, bush babies, and a multitude of other mammals, birds, and reptile species back into their native habitats.
Why are monkeys so important? Why do we want to help out distant relatives?
Many of the primate species are in threat of extinction. Loss and degradation of habitat means there is less food to eat and higher chances of disease, as monkeys become too congested in small habitable spaces. Monkeys are captured and sold in the illegal wildlife trade, the 4th largest illegal global trade, said to be worth up to $23 billion a year. Climate change, increasing temperatures, and hunting also puts pressure on these agile, intelligent creatures.
Did you know Monkeys are Expert Pollinators?
The distances they travel on the ground’s surface, as well as up the trees, enables them to spread precious pollen around unintentionally. Monkeys are vital for the ecosystem. Their ability to crack into stubborn flowers allows them to carry pollen that otherwise wouldn’t be able to move. Monkeys foraging for fruit and edible flowers means pollen gets stuck to their fur and pollinates vegetation wherever the monkeys decide to go. Plants and trees on the ground, plants and trees up in the canopy, are all available for pollination because of the monkeys movements. Monkeys, of course, eat fruit, therefore seeds are spread this way, as when it defecates it’s unconsciously sewing seeds away from the plant of origin. Seed germination rates are positively affected by the passing through the primate gut, some species of plant rely solely on primates for dispersal, with the gorilla in Gabon being the only primate that disperses the Cola lizae seed, even though many primates eat it. These large-seeded tree species often have higher carbon densities than trees with small seeds. Primate and rainforest tourism can create substantial revenue, meaning locals don’t have to turn to activities such as poaching or logging in order to survive. Job creation, through rainforest tourism, rather than compulsory illegal activities as a way to survive. A range of fauna is important to the biodiversity of ecosystems. Some plants grow faster than others, taking over space and nutrients from slower-growing plants. Primates help maintain the diversity of plant species by consuming the fast-growing, common plant, which gives the slow growers more of a chance to fight for vital nutrients in the soil. The loss of primates in Nigeria, due to hunting, has changed the relative abundances of other animals, creating large waves of disruption in plant communities.
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