Mo Ganji: Drill | Drill | Mandrillus leucophaeus | No. 071/250 from work group 8/99

Mandrillus leucophaeus is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. Native to the forests of Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, the species inhabits dense lowland and montane forests. Its population has declined significantly, and remaining groups are increasingly fragmented across a shrinking range.

The primary threats include extensive habitat loss from logging and agricultural expansion, hunting for bushmeat, and the fragmentation of forest landscapes. Because drills rely on large, continuous forest areas and complex social structures, disruption of habitat can quickly undermine population stability. Limited protection and political instability in parts of its range further complicate conservation efforts.

Ganji’s single line opens a moment of recognition beyond classification. In the pared-down contour, the drill appears not as an object of study but as a presence in its own right — gently recalling that humans often imagine themselves outside nature, while remaining inseparably embedded in the same living systems they continue to alter.