People's attitude to the conservation of mona monkeys in University of Lagos, Nigeria

The mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona) the only surviving wild mammal that predates the establishment of the University of Lagos presently lives in close proximity with people due to habitat destruction. The attitude and... [ view full abstract ]

The mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona) the only surviving wild mammal that predates the establishment of the University of Lagos presently lives in close proximity with people due to habitat destruction. The attitude and orientation of students and staff of the University on the presence and conservation of this wildlife whose habitats have been fragmented and degraded is not clear. This study determined the attitude, orientation and views of members of the University towards the mona monkey in this urban habitat. A four point Likert-scale questionnaire of Strongly Agreed, Agreed, Disagreed, and Strongly Disagreed was used to obtain data from the respondents. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the 235 retrieved responses. Principal component analysis was used to compress multiple variables extracted from the responses to a single one. To determine the effect of sex on the factors, T-test was used, while analysis of variance was used for that of age and educational level of respondents.  The respondents were  63.00% males and 34.00% females; 70.60% in Age group 20-30 years, while 84.20% had one form of formal education or the other.  Although 76.40% agreed that the mona monkey is a gift from nature, 76.10% agreed that they disturb people and thus a nuisance.  88.80% of respondents both agreed that hunting was an age long profession and hunters hunted for income purpose. It is only when policies are made for the conservation of mona monkeys, and the law enforcement agencies ensured that such policies are observed that the conservation would be possible was agreed by 78.90% and 84.60% respectively of the respondents.   Sex, age and educational level of respondents did not have significant effects (P ≤ 0.05) on their attitude, orientation, and views on the role of government on the monkeys’ conservation. To conserve this resilient wildlife in this urban habitat, the University Management needs to enact a conservation policy, and create a conservation zone for the mona monkey. Members of the University community need to sensitized on the educational, ecotourism and recreational value of this wildlife.