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IPS Awards and Grantees
Check out some of the fantastic primate research and conservation projects from our grantees here. For a full record of recent awards scroll to the bottom of the page or see the list here: IPS all 201718 grant and award winners.xlsx
Grantee Spotlight: Conservation Grant - Jose Lopez Cruz
PROJECT UPDATE: Spatial distribution of the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) in relation to the plant structure in the Santa Emilia mountains, Danlí, Honduras.
JJ Cruz: jjcruz@unah.hn, Escuela de Biología, UNAH.
The Santa Emilia mountain (photo 1) is part of the "Macizo Montañoso Apaguíz-Apapuerta" a protected area of the Honduran Protected Areas System, which hosts a number of species of fauna and flora native to the country, including the howler monkey (Alouatta palliata; photo 2). This mountain is located an hour from the municipality of Danlí; known as the city of the hills ("Ciudad de Las Colinas"), in the eastern part of the country in the department of El Paraíso. You can find more information about the site here.. where JJ works with his guide Mario Contreras, an expert in local fauna and flora (photo 3; Contreras left, Cruz right).
All photographs © J.J.Cruz 2018
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Grantee Spotlight: Research Grant - Addisu Mekonnen
Sleeping site seletion of Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) at Kokosa forest fragment in southern Ethiopia
Addisu Mekonnen: addisumekonnen@gmail.com
Sleeping site selection is an important aspect in primate behavioural ecology, where safe sleeping sites and trees are crucial for individual survival and fitness. Several hypotheses have been proposed for sleeping site selection of many primate species. Nothing is know, however, about the sleeping site selection of the little-known, endemic, bamboo-eating Bale monkeys in southern Ethiopia.
The main aim of this study was to test four non-mutually exclusive sleeping site selection hypotheses: prediation avoidance, food access, range defense, and comfort and thermoregulation. The fieldwork was carried out between January and July 2014 in Kokosa forest fragment. The pre-sleeping behaviour of monkeys, characteristics of sleeping trees and sleeping sites were recorded every month. The results from the study will be crucial to increasing our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary adaptations essential for the species' long-term persistence in the southern Ethiopian highlands.
All photographs © Addisu Mekonnen 2017
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Grantee Spotlight: Research Grant 2017 - Laura Abondano
Mating strategies and reproductive endocrinology of female lowland woolly monkeys (Lagothrix logotricha poeppigii): Implications for female mate choice in a promiscuous primate.
Research Update: Woolly Monkey Mating Season and the Perks of Field Work in the Amazon Rainforest, Laura Abondano
The Amazon is a notoriously wet and humid place, I mean it's called a RAINforest after all. However, between the months of July and August, our field site receives the least amount of rainfall of the year and it can get really hot! Perhaps this is the reason why our study subjects, woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii), are being so lazy this month. Woolly monkeys typically spend about a third of their day travelling. However, during the past few days of behavioral follows some individuals, like the subadult male in the photo below, have been spending most of their time either resting or foraging in the same area and moving for only short periods of time. After all, who want to be moving around trees when it's so hot out there!

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Woolly monkeys are not the only ones finding the summer heat to be exhausting. While traveling into our field site, we were lucky to encounter the 'King of the Forest' as we were traveling down the Tiputini River. August and January are the months of the year when you are most likely to see jaguars (Panthera onca), since during these months when the river levels are lowest that there are more exposed beaches for these felines to find a spot to cool off.
As average temperatures being to go down in September, we hope to see the woolly monkeys become more active. It is around this time of year when we start to note an increase in sexual activity, and see females start soliciting copulations more frequently from multiple (if not all) males in the social group. With two field assistants, we are eager to start recording these behaviors and to be collecting faecal samples in order to characterize female's ovulation cycles. Using both behavioral and endocrinological data, we hope to determine whether females are choosing to mate with particular males when they are most fertile (i.e., around the time of ovulation), while mating with other males outside their fertility peak - perhaps to confuse paternity and obtain benefits (such as food sharing or protection) from multiple males once their babies are born.
For regular updates on her work and that of other woolly monkey researchers - check out the MonoChorongo blog!
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The 'King of the Forest'.
All photographs © Laura Abondano 2017
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Grantee Spotlight: Research Grant 2016 - Mareike Janiak
Adaptations for insectivory in digestive enzymes of new world primates.
Mareike Janiak; twitter: @MareikeCora
My research looks at enzymes that are produced in the guts of primates. All animals produce these enzymes to help them digest the foods they eat and I am trying to figure out if different primates have specialized enzymes depending on what foods they eat on a regular basis. For example, does a monkey that eats a lot of insects produce an enzyme to break down the tough exoskeletons of insects? To do this, I don't actually need samples from primate stomachs, but I can look for genes that code for these enzymes. So far I have found that most (but not all!) primates do have a functional gene that codes for a chitin-digesting enzyme. (Chitin is what the exoskeletons of insects are made of.) Interestingly, some primates that eat a lot of insects have more than one gene, while some of those primates that don't eat any insects also have no functional genes!

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All photographs © Mareike Janiak 2017
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Grantee Spotlight: Research Grant 2016 - Rachel F. Perlman
The energetics of male reproductive strategies in geladas (Theropithecus gelada).
Rachel F. Perlman w: www.rachelfperlman.com
Energy is classically considered a main limiting factor in the reproductive success of female primates, but not males. Yet males may also face energetic constraints, particularly when reproductive strategies involve direct competition. Such competitive behaviors are often mediated by testosterone, and because testosterone production is itself sensitive to nutritional shortfalls, testosterone-dependent behaviors and thus male reproduction is likely constrained by energetic condition. The way in which such constraints affect male reproductive success is, however, poorly understood.
My research examines the energetic dynamics of male reproductive strategies in geladas (Theropithecus gelada). Two kinds of gelada males are distinguished: harem-holding leader males siring 83-100% of offspring and bachelor males in all-male groups with no reproductive opportunities. To gain reproductive access, bachelors must takeover a leader's unit. Because takeovers involve intense chases and fighting, energetic condition likely mediates the male reproductive success. Intriguingly, the annual takeover season occurs at the end of the dry season when the main food source (grass) is less plentiful. This suggests that bachelors may target leaders when they are energetically vulnerable.
I will collect data from a population of wild geladas living in the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. I will combine non-invasive hormone analyses (thyroid hormone, C-peptide, testosterone) with behavioral observations to examine seasonal energetic variation, how energetics relates to male social status, and whether energetic condition influences testosterone and male reproductive strategies. This project will shed light on how energetics constrains testosterone-mediated reproductive effort and ultimately shapes male reproductive success in wild primates.
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Grantee Spotlight: Alison Jolly Lemur Conservation Grant 2016
Climate Change, Coups, and Critically Endangered Species: First Aerial Drone Surveys of Madagascar's Lemurs
Brandon Semel t: @brandonsemel w: brandonsemel.weebly.com
Critically endangered golden-crowned sifakas are found only in northern Madagascar. Traditional walking surveys in 2006/2008 suggested that at least 18,000 remained. Madagascar’s 2009 coup brought increased habitat loss and hunting across the species’ habitat while climate change continues to pose an additional, less tangible threat to the species’ persistence. We sought to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to update habitat maps and to assess their use for long-term sifaka monitoring. Walking transects also were conducted for comparison against UAV surveys.
Local guides facilitated walking surveys in five forest fragments. Unfortunately, evidence of lemur hunting was not uncommon, and our guides (local forest guardians) had to leave early one day to bring two poachers to the police. Our limited pilot season suggests that the current population size is closer to 11,500 individuals with an upper limit of 18,700. This represents a 36% population decline in the last 10 years. Sifakas were not disturbed by UAV flights (we feared the sifakas would think that UAVs were predatory hawks and flee!). While we could identify sifakas from the air, technological challenges prevented additional field-testing. More extensive surveys will take place in 2017, and we will work with local stakeholders to improve anti-poaching efforts.
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Local capacity building and engagement were crucial aspects of our work this summer. Here, Malagasy university students and local guides test the use of UAVs for lemur population and habitat monitoring. © Brandon Semel, 2017 |
Endangered crowned lemurs are found only in northern Madagascar. They are across their range hunted and little is known about their abundance. © Brandon Semel, 2017 |
Virginia Tech undergraduate, Paige Crane (with golden-crowned sifaka), joined the team for a month, where she learned about the complexity of conducting international research. © Brandon Semel, 2017 |
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Conservation
2018 IPS Conservation Grants awardees
Richard Busobozi |
Uganda |
Conservation to coexist: Participatory action research for primate conservation and community development |
Mohamed Kibaja |
Tanzania |
Conservation of the Endangered Ashy red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus tephrosceles) in the Ufipa escarpment, south western Tanzania. |
Elida Gamero |
Venezuela |
Genetic bases for the conservation of the critically-endangered Margarita Capuchin |
Wendy Erb |
USA |
Population monitoring of endangered gibbons and orangutans to support protection of a threatened Bornean landscape |
Dereje Yazezew |
Ethiopia |
The conservation status of Theropithecus gelada in Ethiopian highlands is not 'least concern' but 'data deficient': first population assessment in two different unprotected areas as an initial step to start filling the gap |
Cristian Paddock |
UK |
Population genomics and the viability of the Sanje Mangabey in the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania |
Pedro Mendez-Carvajal |
Panama |
Natural behaviour and conservation of Aotus zonalis in fragmented habitats, Cocle, Republic of Panama |
2017 IPS Conservation Grants awardees
*Chloe Chen-Kraus |
USA |
Assessing anthropogenic impacts on endangered Verreaux's sifaka and prospects for human-lemur coexistence in southwestern Madagascar |
Rami Ota |
Benin |
Ranging and feeding behavior of the mixed-species group of the last remaining white-thighed colobus (Colobus vellerosus) and the mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona) in Kikélé Sacred Forest and surveys of nearby community forests in the Republic of Benin (CCI). |
Paul Tehoda |
Ghana |
Status and conservation of the Critically Endangered western chimpanzee in Southwestern Ghana (CCI). |
Pedro Perez |
Peru |
Investigation of genetic diversity of pygmy marmosets (Cebuella) in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. |
Nestor Allgas |
Peru |
Primate Census at "La Jungla de los Monos" reserve, El Tambo, San Martin, Peru (CCI). |
Ryan Satria |
Indonesia |
Conservation of Floristic Habitat for Javan Slow Loris (Nycticebus javanicus) in Kemuning Forest. |
Jose Lopez Cruz |
Honduras |
Spatial distribution of the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata) in relation to the vegetal structure. |
*2017 Alison Jolly Lemur Conservation Grant winner
2016 IPS Conservation Grants awardees
Daniel Alempijevic |
USA |
A population assessment of the critically endangered Dryad monkey (Cercopithecus dryas) in the Balanda Community Forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo |
Parthankar Choudhury |
India |
Status survey and Conservation needs of Primates in the Inner Line Reserve forest, Cachar, Assam, India |
Allie Hofner |
UK |
Preuss's red colobus Procolobus pennantii preussi density and significance in northern Korup National Park: A multifaceted approach to understanding arboreal primate abundance and local perceptions and livelihoods in a protected area. |
Katharine Kling |
USA |
Testing time: Follow-up surveys of southeastern Malagasy rainforest fragments to assess long-term viability |
Daniel Mwamidi |
Kenya |
Conservation of Roosting and Foraging Habitats for the Endemic Mountain Dwarf Galagos (Galagoides orinus) in Taita hills, Kenya |
Petro Scarascia |
Brazil |
Conservation Program of the black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) in the Carlos Botelho State Park and its Buffer Zone |
*Brandon Semel |
USA |
Climate Change, Coups, and Critically Endangered Species: First Aerial Drone Surveys of Madagascar's Lemurs |
Jaima Smith |
UK |
An examination and assessment of current conservation activities for Javan gibbons (Hylobates moloch) in West Java, Indonesia |
*2016 Alison Jolly Lemur Conservation Grant winner
2018 Precongress Training Program participants
Charles Maingi |
Kenya |
Dorothy Kirumira |
Uganda |
Raimi Ota |
Benin |
Jacinto Mathe |
Mozambique |
Tran Dung |
Vietnam |
Bojun Liu |
China |
Thi Anh Minh Nguyen |
Vietnam |
Dinda Prayunita |
Indonesia |
Karolina Medeiros |
Brazil |
Mabel Sanchez |
Peru |
Jones Goncalves |
Brazil |
Lucia Torrez |
Nicaragua
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2016 Precongress Training Program participants
Bruce Ainebyona |
Uganda |
Nestor Allgas |
Peru |
Nguyen Thi Lan Anh |
Vietnam |
Swtha Stotra Bhashyan |
India |
Dwi Yandhi Febriyanti |
Indonesia |
Lisley Pereira Lemos Nogueria Gomes |
Brazil |
Karine Galisteo Diemer Lopes |
Brazil |
David Momoh |
Sierra Leone |
Samedi Mucyo |
Rwanda |
Toky Hery Rakotoarinivo |
Madagascar |
Natalia Fuentes Salcedo |
Ecuador |
Bui Van Tuan |
Vietnam |
Education and Outreach
Outcome of the 2017 Charles Southwick Conservation Education Commitment Award
Bishwanath Rijal |
Nepal |
Primate Conservationist and Educator; secondary school biology teacher in Kathmandu, Nepal |
Bruce Ainebyona |
Uganda |
Education Officer for North Carolina Zoo's UNITE for the Environment program based in Uganda |
Mukesh Chalise |
Nepal |
Associate Professor in the Central Dept. of Zoology at Tribhuvan University and President and Founder of the Nepal Biodiversity Research Society |
Outcome of the 2017 Lawrence Jacobsen Education Development Grantees
Rosamira Guillen |
Colombia |
Keeping the Wild in Wildlife: Discouraging the Use of Cotton-Top Tamarins as Pets in Northern Colombia |
Kathy Kelly |
South Africa |
Baboon Matters Namaqualand Farm Project |
Genevieve Crisford |
Malawi |
LWT Primate Conservation Learning Facility |
Greg Tully |
USA |
Cameroon National Conservation Education Program |
Elysée Rasoamanana |
Madagascar |
Raising Awareness for the Conservation of Lemur Catta in the Surrounding Area of Mangily, Madagascar |
Outcome of the 2016 Charles Southwick Conservation Education Commitment Award
Herman Syahputra |
Sumatra |
Conservation Educator, Orang Utan Republik Foundation |
Outcome of the 2018 Lawrence Jacobsen Education Development Grantees
Sonya Kahlenberg |
USA |
Producation of an informative poster for awareness raising and conservation education on newly created Kimbi-Fungom National Park |
Tatiana Valença |
Brazil |
Protecting monkeys as a way of combating Yellow Fever |
Karina Atkinson |
Paraguay |
Training Paraguayan "Parabiologists" and future "Eco-Leaders" to save Paraguay's primates |
Liyong Emmanuel Sama |
Cameroon |
Production of an informative poster for awarness raising and conservation education on newly created Kimbi-Fungom National Park |
Outcome of the 2016 Lawrence Jacobsen Education Development Grantees
Thierry Inzirayineza |
Rwanda |
Using debate as a tool to increase young people awareness about the importance of primate conservation around Gishwati National Park, Rwanda |
Nick Marx |
Cambodia |
Primate Conservation Centre at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre |
Rebecca Smith |
Paraguay |
Paraguay's Little Monkeys: Inspiring Primate Conservation Heroes and Tackling Paraguy's Primate Pet Trade |
Gary Shapiro |
Sumatra |
MECU6: Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF)'s Mobile Education & Conservation Unit, Year 6 |
Research
Outcome of the 2018 Research grant awards
Melanie Fenton |
USA |
Coercive and affiliative mating tactics in Olive Baboons (Papio anubis) |
Thalita Sumampow |
USA |
Identifying cryptic species of tarsiers on North Sulawesi, Indonesia |
Tainara Sobroza |
Brazil |
Sounds, cities and "Sauins": the effect of acoustic environment in the pied tamarin (Saguinus bicolor) (Primates: Callitrichidae) communication behavior |
Rachel Peterson |
USA |
Mechanisms of sperm perference in the female reproductive tract of a non-human primate |
Sofya Dolotovskaya |
Germany |
Does social monogamy translate into genetic monogamy in red titi monkey (Callicebus cupreus) |
Adam Pope |
USA |
Evaluating the kin selection hypothesis of cooperative infant care in tamarins (Leontocebus weddelli) |
Sharmi Sen |
USA |
Examining the fitness consequences of male alternative male reproductive tactics in wild geladas |
Helen Slater |
UK |
The importance of micro-climate refuges for primate responses to climate change and human disturbance |
Eve A Smeltze |
Canada |
Consensus decision-making of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) during group movements |
Jayashree Mazumder |
India |
Tool-aided foraging behaviour by macaca fascicularis umbrosus of Nicobar islands |
Outcome of the 2017 Research grant awards
Elizabeth Tapanes |
USA |
Diversity of pelage patterning and function in wild sifaka lemurs (Propithecus diadema) at the Tsinjoarivo Forest in Madagascar. |
Benjamin Finkel |
USA |
Foraging Strategies of Old Chimpanzees (Uganda). |
Erin Weigel |
USA |
The use of multiple play signals in captive immature western lowland gorillas |
Chris Marsh |
UK |
The effects of forest degradation on arboreal apes within Sikundur, the Gunung Leuser Ecosystem, Northern Sumatra |
Amanda Tan |
USA |
Using stable isotopes to measure the nutritional advantages of stone tool use in a primate model, the coastal stone-tool-using longtailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) of Thailand |
Lucie Rigaill |
Japan |
Do male olive baboons (Papio anubis) attend to female odor signals? |
Kelly van Leeuwen |
UK |
Habitat use at a landscape scale for savanna chimpanzees at Issa Valley, Ugalla, Tanzania |
Elizabeth Mallott |
USA |
Do white-faced capuchins use preferred partners to mitigate foraging costs associated with color vision phenotypes? (Costa Rica) |
Laura Abondano |
USA |
Mating strategies and reproductive endocrinology of female lowland woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii): Implications for female mate choice in a promiscuous primate. |
Outcome of the 2016 Research grant awards
Matthew De Vries |
Canada |
An exploration of intragroup variation in behaviour across habitat types during the dry season in Saguinus imperator |
Susie Lee |
USA |
Role of androgens in the modulation of parental effort and protectiveness in female macaques |
Rachel Sawyer |
UK |
Briding the gap between primate food selection and sensory ecology: how do nocturnal folivorous strepsirrhines determine food quality? |
Mareike Janiak |
USA |
Adaptations for insectivory in digestive enzymes of new world primates |
Gillian King-Bailey |
USA |
Androgens, cortisol, behavior, and food seasonality in wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) in Sector Santa Rosa, Área de Conservación de Guanacaste, Costa Rica |
Brandon Wheeler |
UK |
Can nonhuman primates socially learn the meaning of signals? An experimental test with wild capuchin monkeys |
Rachel Perlman |
USA |
The energetics of male reproductive strategies in geladas (Theropithecus gelada) |
Ghislain Thiery |
France |
Uncovering food mechanical properties from the teeth of extant and extinct primates |
Captive Care
Outcome of the 2018 Captive Care grant awards
Susannah Thorpe |
UK |
An enclosure design tool to encourage wild-type behavior and enhance welfare in sanctuary chimpanzees |
Greg Tully |
USA |
Primate care training program for rescued primates at African wildlife centers |
Sonya Kahlenberg |
USA |
Installing a water source to complete a new forest habitat for orphaned Grauer's gorillas in Democratic Republic of Congo |
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