ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Soaked Solace captures a tender moment between a juvenile gelada monkey and her mother, huddled together for warmth during a frigid rainstorm in Ethiopia’s highlands. Taken during a year-long field research season in the Guassa Community Conservation Area—where I lived in a tent and followed a wild herd of geladas for behavioral ecology research—the image reflects the striking yet harsh realities of life at over 3,000 meters above sea level. The rainy season, marked by near-freezing temperatures and relentless downpours, creates dramatic challenges for these unique primates, endemic to Ethiopia’s Afro-alpine highlands. Geladas are the only surviving member of their genus, Theropithecus, and are known for their entirely graminivorous diet and complex multi-level social systems. Listed as “Decreasing” by the IUCN, their populations face mounting threats from agricultural expansion and hunting, making conservation efforts critical. This portrait highlights both the resilience of geladas and the fragility of the ecosystems they depend on, offering a poignant reminder of the challenges these remarkable primates face in a rapidly changing world.

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