Going Ape

Nice ones, Laophil!





These are from 2009 and show the mongoose lemur, as well as plants cultivated or native to the Comores islands.

The mongoose lemur is not native to the Comores islands but introduced there from Madagascar. Unfortunately, they are now critically endangered because of hunting and habitat loss. And sailors must still take them as pets - there is a small zoo in Gibraltar (worth visiting, run almost entirely by volunteers) that takes in animals confiscated by customs when found on ships, and as illegal and involuntary passengers. They have a small group of these lemurs as well as of macaques and also of rare birds.

World Gorilla Day - September 24, 2025

World Gorilla Day, observed annually on 24 September, is dedicated to learning about gorillas and their role in the natural world. The day also encourages and empowers global communities to take meaningful action toward protecting these endangered animals and supporting long-term conservation efforts.

Thanks Laophil for that commemoration of World Gorilla Day. Below are issues from Sao Tome & Principe for the 2016 Year of the monkey. The issues are limited to 1000, and the stamps shape is different, a pentagon shape:



MS, SS, "Ano de macaco", no 0302/1000
Db 96000, pentagonal, shield-like shape
White-fronted capuchin (Cebus capucinus), same design as Db 31000
In surround: Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes); Japanese statue of monkey dressed as Shinto priest, and wearing red capelet, in front of picture of three wise monkeys from Nikko




MS of 4, "Ano de macaco", no 0153/1000
Db 31000 each, pentagonal, shield-like shape
Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta), Chinese painting of monkey reaching for the reflection of the moon in a lake in background
Common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)
White-fronted capuchin (Cebus capucinus)
Purus red howler (Alouatta puruensis), Chinese painting of gibbon in background

Oops! Inserted the same issue twice

Here is the single stamp issue:

R.I.P Jane Goodall (1934-2025)

Jane Goodall, celebrated for revolutionizing our understanding of chimpanzees and advocating tirelessly for conservation, has died yesterday, October 1st, at the age of 91. Her pioneering fieldwork in the 1960s in Tanzania revealed that chimpanzees make and use tools and live in complex social systems, challenging long-held assumptions about human uniqueness. In addition to her scientific breakthroughs, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots youth program, dedicating her later years to education, environmental advocacy, and inspiring people around the world to act for the future of our planet. Her loss marks the end of an era, but her legacy will continue to influence generations to come.


Here are items commemorating Goodall issued by Micronesia, Uganda and Guinea Bissau.

R.I.P Jane Goodall (1934-2025) (II)

During her research, Goodall named each chimpanzee in the group she researched. Here are several members of the Gombe chimpanzees that were observed by Goodall on stamps issued by Tanzania. Note that one of the chimpanzees name is Leaky, after Goodal's university instructor, Prof. Louis Leaky, a famous anthropologist.

Chimpanzees of Gombe, Tanzania, 1992.

R.I.P Jane Goodall (1934-2025)

One famous discovery of Goodall in Gombe (see above post) was that chimpanzees use tools for several purposes like for termite digging and for fishing. Until her observation, scientists believed humans are the only tool-making species. Here are several items feature chimpanzees using tools for digging and fishing.

R.I.P Jane Goodall (1934-2025)

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Gombe National Park, Tanzania issued in 2010 a set of five SS's feature Jane Goodall discoveries during her chimpanzee research. Each SS contains one stamp feature Goodall and the Gombe chimpanzees.

- True altruism
- Chimpanzee personalities and emotions
- Violence and warfare
- Hunting
- Tool making

Mountain Gorilla, issued by Benin in 2001.

More gorillas!

The Benin gorillas were issued but not listed; often, the set is offered missing a fifth stamp:




There is also a MS:

Many thanks, Cobie, for sharing the complete set and the SS. I have two copies of the set and both are missing the fifth stamp of 750f. This set, with or without the fifth stamp is little scarce and hard to find.
_____________

The Golden-lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) is a small New World monkey native to the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil. The golden lion tamarin is an endangered species with an estimated wild population of about 3,200 individuals spread between four places along southeastern Brazil.

Here is a small selection of Golden-lion Tamarin stamps and banknote.







Banknotes of 20 Reais issued by Brazil, the first was in circulation from 2002-and was replaced in 2010 by the second one which is still in use. These are the only banknotes featuring Golden-lion Tamarin in my collection and and I believe no other banknotes in the world depict this adorable monkey.

Thanks Laophil - that handsome little golden primate is on quite a few stamps!

Here's some bigger primates again:



MS, SS, "Monkeys"
Le 40000
Emperor tamarin (Saguinus impereator)
In surround:
Golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellanae)
Golden langur (Trachypithecus geei)

And:
MS of 4, "Monkeys"
Le 9800 each
Mandril (Mandrillus sphinx)
Dusky leaf monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus)
Red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus)
Javan lutung (Trachypicthecus auratus)

Oops:

Not uploaded the MS SS from Sierra Leone:



but got another one with 4 stamps:
MS of 4, "Monkeys"
Le 12500 each
Red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus)
Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus)
In surround: Crested langur (Trachypithecus cristatus)

This has a SS MS to go with it:
MS, SS, "Monkeys"
Le 50000
Red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus)
In surround: Cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus)

Great Sierra Leone primate stamps! thanks, cobie, for sharing.

Primates of Thailand, issued by Thailand on December 26, 1982 to publicize the national wild animal preservation day:

- Pileated Gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)
- Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina)
- Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang)
- Silvered Leaf Monkey (Presbytis cristatus)




The Pileated Gibbon stamp issued in a booklet.

The Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), issued by Indonesia in 1991 to publicize the International Conference on Great Apes of the World.