Drills in Captivity

Drills are not common in zoos, so most people have never seen a drill, or even a picture of one!  The average person will not know what a drill monkey is if asked.  In contrast, most people will recognize a mandrill.  Why are there so few drills in zoos?  It is possible that because drills and mandrills are so similar, that zoos historically chose to exhibit mandrills because of their more colorful faces.  It is also possible that early collecting expeditions occurred more often in forests below the Sanaga, where mandrills rather than drills occur.  The drill's range and population size may also have always been smaller, meaning less ended up in captivity.  Drills don't reproduce well in zoos either.  In North America, there are only about 16 drills, found in 4 zoos.  In Europe, there are approximately 60 drills, in some 12 zoos.  German zoos have had the most success in breeding drills, but the zoo drill population is just as endangered as their counterparts in the wild!  If you live near a zoo that has drills, visit and tell them you think it is important for zoos to support field efforts (such as Tengwood.org) to save drills!