Nature

The Funkiest Monkeys

Twenty-five years ago, filmmaker Colin Stafford-Johnson (recently the central character in NATURE's Broken Tail: A Tiger's Last Journey) travelled to Sulawesi in Indonesia and fell in love with crested black macaques. These feisty monkeys are beach bums with punk hairstyles, expressive faces, copper colored eyes and some very unusual habits, making them some of the most charismatic of all monkeys. Learning that their numbers have dropped dramatically, he makes a return visit to find out why and to see if he can help. Teaming up with a local expert and making a film about them and their plight allows him to share their story with the local schools and communities in the hope that a new understanding of the wonderful creatures in their midst will make them want to help, as well.