Plan You Visit
Find out how to make the most of your trip and book tickets here.
Book a Hotel!
Find the perfect place to stay during your visit to Edinburgh and the Zoo!
How you can help
The natural world needs our help...and we need yours! Please consider making a donation to support our conservation, education and research work, both within our parks and across the world.
| Common Name: | Drill | Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Latin Name: | Mandrillus leucophaeus | Diet: | Omnivore |
| Type: | Mammal | Habitat: | Tropical Rainforests |
| Native To: | Africa | Social Unit: | Group |
| IUCN Red List Status: | Endangered |
Drills at Edinburgh Zoo
Our original group of three drills came to the Zoo in 2006 from a zoo in Spain. The group consisted of two males called N’boa and Ilembo, and one female called Kapi. In May 2009 they were joined by two females from the USA, called Nora and Eschu. The two new girls settled in very well.
In April 2010, N'Boa and Kapi left Edinburgh Zoo for Eskilstuna Zoo in Sweden on the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP). This left three drills in our collection: male Ilembo and females Nora and Eschu.
On 24 August 2011 Nora gave birth to the first baby drill to be born at Edinburgh Zoo. As she is being very protective it will take us a few months before we are able to find out if it is a boy or a girl.
Here at the Zoo, the drills feed on a wide range fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, insects and meat. Male drills have huge canine teeth and are much larger than the diminutive females. Drills are the largest monkeys found at the Zoo.
Edinburgh Zoo is one of only three zoos in the UK to house these rare primates. As mentioned above, our drills are part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), in which all the animals in European zoos are managed by a coordinator and a species committee. The animals are listed in a studbook, (similar to a pedigree) and their genetic status is studied to ensure that unrelated animals are paired together.
Where can they be found at Edinburgh Zoo
Monkey House
Drills in the Wild
Drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus) are primates that are closely related to baboons and mandrills. The drill is similar in appearance to the mandrill, but lacks the distinctive face coloration of that primate. In the wild, drills mostly live in the lowland and coastal forests of Western Africa. Drills are found in the countries of Cameroon, Nigeria, and on the coastal island of Bioko.
In the wild, drills are omnivorous and have a wide, varied diet.
Drills are Africa’s rarest and most threatened primate. They are under severe threat from habitat destruction and hunting. They are the preferred game-hunting animal in some areas as they stand their ground when threatened and can easily be picked off by the hunters’ guns.
Because this species’ population has declined by 50% over the past 30 years, the drill is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as an Endangered species. This means that the species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Breeding programme category: EEP
IUCN Red List category: Endangered
View our other animal profiles: