Tafi Atome - The hallow Mona Monkeys

Tafi Atome is a village in the middle of the Volta region and has been awarded several times by the Ghanaian Tourist Board - among other things as the cleanest village in the country. But the reason why the place has become a tourist magnet is of a different nature and is due to the monkeys living around here. These have long been religiously revered here which led the regional authority to place the population living around Tafi Atome under special protection and to establish a wildlife reserve around this place.
This was opened up to tourism, with the aim of not placing too much strain on the region through ecotourism and at the same time increasing the interest of visitors to the area. For a corresponding fee you will be guided directly to the monkeys whereby a very simple trick ensures that you will definitely see these pretty animals. You buy a bunch of bananas from the local dealer and these, combined with the whistles of the guide, lead to the fact that you don't have to look for the cute monkeys for long. In fact, it was enough for us, at least, to walk just a few meters along the road, when we could already hear the first rustling in the trees. On a small clearing not far from the road we were quickly surrounded by the monkeys, who romped around us in a mixture of slight shyness and great appetite for bananas.
The species living here are in particular Mona monkeys, which are common from Ghana to Cameroon. These usually come together in smaller groups of about twelve animals, but occasionally larger groups can also occur. In addition to the so popular fruits, they feed primarily on insects and slightly less simply on leaves. In general, they have few problems living close to humans, as is also evident here in Tafi Atome. One of the biggest problems of coexistence should probably be the problem of road traffic, which can certainly pose a danger even to experienced people in Ghana.