Monkey Sanctuary

 Hello all!

This Christmas break, Clara (our program assistant) took us to a monkey sanctuary about two hours from Accra. At Shai-Hills, a forty acre reserve, there are three different species of monkeys, totaling about 35 groups. Each group has around 30 monkeys, so it's a well populated area!
The Reserve also has antelopes, though this is their mating season, and the herds usually remain hidden from the public spaces.

As soon as we drove through the gates, big baboons started moving on the sides of the roads. We were lucky enough to see two males and a female with a baby hanging from it's underside. The guard at the gate explained these were part of the most friendly group, and would occasionally roam the outer parts of the reserve for grass.
As in the picture above, the monkeys are outside the gates, and eventually also cross the highway. Luckily, they are said to be pretty savvy, and accidents only happen about once a year.

As the guard warned us, however, these were the only monkeys we would see for the rest of the day. Although we heard loud cries during our walk through the park, none of the other 30+ groups chose to reveal themselves.

After a short walk through what looked like a legitimate savanna (pictures of this on the next post!), we reached a cave. This so-called "bat-cave" was once home to a chief of the region, but now housed many bats. Consequently, the smell was not the most pleasant...

This was our last trip during our time in Accra! During the several excursions, we had opportunities to see regional and national dancing, art, religion, and now wildlife.

Wishing you all a happy new year,

Kwame