New Population of Extremely Rare Monkey Discovered
Scientists are excited by the discovery of a new Tonkin snub-nosed monkey population in northwestern Vietnam. Photo: Tilo Nadler.
Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has discovered a new population of the critically endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) in northwest Vietnam.
A team of biologists, led by FFI, observed between 15 and 20 individuals after a tip off from locals prompted them to visit the area.
The monkeys were found in forests near the Tung Vai Commune by the Chinese border. This makes it the first known population in Vietnam’s Quan Ba District.
FFI is excited by the fact that some of the monkeys were infants - indicating that the population is breeding, and therefore (hopefully) increasing.
Reviving the Species’ Population
“All recent indications suggest that we have a fantastic opportunity to secure this population and significantly increase the chances of survival of this species,” said Paul Insua-Cao, FFI’s Vietnam primate programme manager.
But conservation biologist Le Khac Quyet, who observed the monkeys, says urgent action is needed.
“When I saw the Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys in Tung Vai Commune I was overjoyed.” said Quyet, who is also credited with discovering another 70-strong population of the species in Khau Ca forest in 2002.
“This new discovery further underlines the importance of learning more about the Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys’ range and distribution. There is still time to save this unique species, but with just 200 or so left and threats still strong, we need to act now”
Hopeful of More Sightings
And FFI would no doubt be hopeful to find more of this primate species in the area. Reports from locals suggest that there is also another, larger population of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey yet to be seen by the FFI team.
Conservation Status
Until the late 1980s, the monkey was believed to be extinct. Since then, only around 200 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys have been known to exist.
The monkey is currently listed as “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 1996 when it was upgraded from “Endangered”.
Video Footage
Below is rare video footage of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey:
Tags: endangered species, monkey, protected species, threatened species
May 15th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
Beautiful pics! I adore the post so much!