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"Colobridges" are used by other primates, not just the colobus monkeys.
A large percentage of tree-dwelling wildlife in Diani use the bridges on
a daily basis including sykes monkeys, vervet monkeys, bushbabies and
even squirrels! Colobus and other primates utilise the same pathways
through the forest as when the roads were not in place, making arboreal
species at grave risk of traffic accidents.
The Trust has been involved in building
bridges in other places and for other species, including in [Zanzibar],
so if you are interested in building such a bridge, or would like
information, please email us at
info@colobustrust.org. |
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How to Build a Colobridge |
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In 1999, the Colobus Trust compiled a small guide with illustrations as
a guide to building a colobridge. An important tip in building such
bridges -- It is far more inexpensive to position such bridges between
existing trees, than to construct new bridges with poles. Poles
entail more cost (poles, pole treatment, cement, etc.) and time for
preparation of the poles and construction of the bridge and cement
infrastructure. [See
this guide online here]. |
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The Use of Elevated Road-Spanning Ladders by Primates in Diani, Kenya |
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The usage of elevated ladder-like bridges (Colobridges)
spanning a busy Highway in Diani was investigated, in relation to
overall primate road crossing activity. The chain-link ‘ladder’ is
suspended 8 meters above the ground between two trees, one on either side of the road. We consider the Colobridges in Diani to be a useful and effective means of reducing
primate road traffic accidents and reducing subpopulation isolations.
A report is currently in preparation on the use of Diani's
colobridges. Initial work shows that 110,000 primate crossings
occur per year on 22 colobridges.
Wakuluzu, The Friends of Colobus Trust seeks to share the knowledge
gained in eight
years of Colobridge design, installation, and maintenance.
Inquiries from interested parties who feel that the bridges could aid
conservation of primates elsewhere in the world welcomed. Read [the text of the report].
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