Density and abundance of the red-capped mangabey (cercocebus torquatus) in omo biosphere reserve and idanre forest reserve, south western Nigeria

The red-capped mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus) is a partially-terrestrial monkey that occurs from the coastal forests from western Nigeria into southern Cameroon, and within the course of Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni), and Gabon and the GabonCongo border on the Atlantic shore. Its southern restriction is south of the Ogooue River in Gabon. There had been unconfirmed opinions of its occurrence in Benin, and if it ever did arise it’ll now be extirpated. This species is mainly discovered in excessive wooded area, however it additionally occurs in mangrove, gallery and swamp wooded vicinity. It can also be observed in young secondary forests and close to cultivated regions. Group size has been pronounced to be between 14 and 23 animals in Equatorial Guinea. This species is indexed on Appendix II of CITES and on classification B of the African convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. This species is found in some of protected forests in Nigeria, which include: Cross River National Park; Okomu National Park, Douala-Edea Reserve, BanyangMbo Wildlife Sanctuary, Dja Reserve CampoMa’an National Park, and Korup National Park in Cameroon; Sette Cama Forest Reserve and Mayumba, Loango, Moukalaba-Doudou, and Pongara National Parks (Gabon); Conkouati-Douli National Park in Congo; and Monte Allen National Park in Equatorial Guinea [1]. The 2008 IUCN Red List categorized this species as vulnerable [2]. C. torquatus is a large mangabey which was once a common monkey in lowland forests of southwestern Nigeria [3,4]. However, recent study of primates in southwestern Nigeria [5] had disclosed that the animal population had reduced as evident by its little group sizes in several locations across the region. Although Red-capped mangabey got its name from Madagascar, they live solely on the continent of Africa, for instance, their range is fairly restricted, occupying the West and Central Africa to the Congo Basin in Central Africa Republic. Most of their habitats are being destroyed for agricultural purposes and settlements [6].