The Tana River National Primate Reserve was one of the national reserves managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) until early 2007 when the High Court of Kenya ruled that the reserve had not been properly established according to Kenyan law.
The Tana River National Primate Reserve was Gazetted in 1976 to protect the Lower Tana Forests. These forests are the only home of two highly endangered primates, the Tana River Red Colobus (Colobus badius rifomitratus) and Tana River Mangabey (Cercocebus galeritus galeritus). Birdlife is abundant here with over 262 species recorded to date. The forests are home to more than 57 species of mammals.
