Who is the Drill Monkey?

The drill monkey is one of the least understood and little-known primates in Africa.  Found only in Nigeria and Northwestern Cameroon, from the Cross to the Sanaga River, they inhabit an area roughly the size of Switzerland with possibly fewer than 3000 left in the wild. They prefer living in dense forest and will flee from humans. Drills are also not common in zoos, so most people have never seen a drill, or even a picture of one! This species has been called a forest baboon, but is part of a unique genus, Mandrillus, which includes only one other primate, the colorful mandrill.  Drills are also very colorful, with the same brilliantly hued backside as the mandrill and a bright red chin patch on  dominant males. They are not well-protected in any of their remaining habitat, and are hunted for bushmeat, while their forest home continues to be logged and farmed.  The drill is one of the largest monkeys and most endangered primate species in the world.  Like the Nigerian-Cameroon chimp, drills will go extinct if conservation action is not taken soon!