Golden Monkeys In Volcanoes National Park

Besides the breathtaking experience of trekking gorillas in Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park offers traveller on Rwanda safaris and tours, a unique opportunity to encounter the golden monkeys.

What Is A Golden Monkey

The Golden Monkey (Cercopithecus kandti) is a species of Old World monkey found only in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa and nowhere else in the world.

Like mountain gorillas, golden monkeys can only be found in Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are considered an endangered species as they only live in the Virungas and come to about 4000 animals in total.

How Does A Golden Monkey Look Like

Golden monkeys have amazingly multi-coloured coats of rusty red, fiery oranges, shadowy blacks, tints of blue and of course some gold. Males weigh about 12 kilograms and females can weigh up to 6 kilograms.

How Do Golden Monkeys Move

Masters of foraging in the bamboo and the unspoiled highland vegetation, golden monkeys are skilled climbers and can swing from branch to branch with ultimate ease.

They swing their long tails of about 72 centimetres, balance in space as they land on branches with the aid of both their feet and arms that have gripping abilities.

Through natural adaptation, they swiftly indescribably navigate through the thick bamboo. If you’re looking for a reason to spend an extra day in the Volcanoes National Park, don’t miss the chance to track these rare primates.

What Is The Social Life Of A Golden Monkey

One of the qualities that make monkeys and other primates so fascinating is that they often live in complex social webs with relationships and bonds that can be reminiscent of those of humans. As for Golden monkeys, they usually live in packs of 30-100 individuals.

A golden monkey group is a lead by an alpha male. The females tend to guard one territorial region while the males may mate and then travel pack-to-pack.

What Does The Golden Monkey Eat

The golden monkey has a diet that consists primarily of young bamboo leaves, fruits, bamboo branchlets, bamboo shoots, invertebrates, flowers, and shrubs.

However, the golden monkey is an opportunistic feeder and its diet can easily be influenced by the availability of fruit. During seasons where ripe fruit is available, the golden monkey tends to feed more on fruit.

How Many Habituated Golden Monkey Troops Are In Volcanoes National Park

There are two habituated golden monkey troops for tourists in Volcanoes National Park. The larger, and most frequently visited troop, is Sabyinyo which is comprised of about 100 monkeys.