The Golden Monkey, a marvel not to miss on a visit to Mgahinga park in Western Uganda

The golden monkey is a species of Old World monkey found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, including four national parks: Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, in south-west Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga and Kahuzi-Biéga, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It is restricted to highland forest, especially near bamboo.

Like many other monkeys, the local people call them Enkima in Uganda and the Banyarwanda call them Inkima. The round faced monkeys have a golden glittering patch on the upper flanks and on the back of their soft fur coat. The males are darker than the females.
The golden monkeys have the resilience to live at an altitude higher than any other primate (4,500 meters) although a number of times they bring their settlements lower when the conditions become too cold up high.

To easily get food, the golden monkey prefers a habitat with abundant fruit and bamboo. The golden monkey will move in between areas depending on the season. During the season where ripe fruit is available they will remain in those areas where they can get fruit easily. When the rainy season begins this causes bamboo shooting to occur and the golden monkeys are found more in areas of bamboo forests.

Studies have found that if there is an area consisting of mixed fruit and bamboo, the monkeys will tend to frequent that area more than an area of just bamboo. However, one study reported that golden monkeys are most frequently seen in forests with bamboo, and this may suggest that this is one of the major preferences of the species.

The golden monkey will often return to one of several different sleeping areas after a day of feeding. The monkeys often sleep in small subgroups of four, at the top of bamboo plants. They will often use a dense bamboo plant, or a combination of several bamboo plants that weave together to make a sufficient foundation for sleep. The golden monkey will often feed near the sleeping area and return to this same sleeping location day after day.

Owing to the gradual destruction of their habitat and recent wars in their limited habitat, the golden monkey is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. 

Like the mountain gorillas’ families, the golden monkeys live in communities ranging from 3 to 62 members. They never walk alone and therefore build strong social ties with other members of the community. Mgahinga’s habituated group is becoming more and more used to people. The golden monkeys are the perfect complement to the famous mountain gorillas in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. 

At just 33.7 sq.km, Mgahinga National Park is Uganda’s smallest national park. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in the southwestern corner of Uganda. The Park covers the northern slopes of the three northernmost Virunga Volcanoes which are extinct: Mt. Muhavura (4,127 m), Mt. Gahinga (3,474 m), and Mt. Sabinyo (3,645 m). The Park is about 10 km south of Kisoro and is bordered to the south by the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda and to the west by the Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

From far away, the huge cones of the Virunga volcanoes dominate the landscape and beckon you as you approach. When you reach the park you can get a great overview of the area by walking up the viewpoint, just 15 minutes from Ntebeko Gate.

The park is part of the larger Virunga Conservation area that spreads over the three countries. Each of these countries protects its own portion of the Virungas, in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Virunga National Park in DR Congo respectively. The three parks together form the 434-sq. km. ‘Virunga Conservation Area’ or VCA. Mgahinga is just 8% of the VCA. The entire Park is in Bufumbira County of Kisoro District.

Mgahinga Park has great biological importance because throughout the climatic changes of the Pleistocene ice ages, mountains such as these provided a refuge for mountain plants and animals, which moved up or down the slopes as climate became warmer or cooler. The Virungas are home to a large variety of wildlife, including about half the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas.

(Source: https://www.mgahinganationalpark.com)