Tumbili. Diabetes Monkey.

The Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey is unable to process sugar, like me!

It is official. I have a new favourite animal. Not only are they adorable with killer hair-dos, they, like me, cannot process sugar.

I was lucky enough to visit Jozani Forest which was the best thing I did in Zanzibar. Not only do I love forests of any description, but it was so unlike any place I have been before. The forest is humid, lush and teeming with life, with immense mangroves that you can explore via a boardwalk. It is the largest remaining stand of forest on Zanzibar and an essential habitat for so many creatures, from land to ocean. The National Park authority works with local communities and it seems to be a real success story in ecotourism supporting local enterprise and conservation. One initiative is teaching local people to farm butterflies which are purchased from them for the butterfly park and sale overseas.

The forest is home to endangered Zanzibar Red Colobus monkeys. Sadly, because of the small habitat and threats due to road traffic, these monkeys are listed as endangered. The Colobus around the walking trails are used to visitors, so unlike the Black and White Colobus in Arusha, you can get close without disturbing them. I was  delighted when my ranger guide informed me that they only eat leaves and unripe fruit because they cannot process sugar! While I use insulin to get around this, they eat charcoal to help process trace amounts of sugar. In that moment I wished desperately I could communicate with the monkeys to lament our bodies and their sugar processing abilities. The cruelty of living in a forest with jackfruit and mango abounding and we cannot eat it without medical intervention! I found my kindred animal.

This monkey gets me. How I feel when I'm hypoglycemic... or hyperglycemic.

Beautiful Vine Snake in Jozani Forest.