well this ones interesting. whilst i don't necessarily disagree with the choice the australian zoos have made, i would be interested in knowing why they chose it.
if we were actually basing our descisions factoring in endangered status and rarity in captivity, we probably all should have switched to purple-faced langurs (perth zoo). there are very few in major zoos and they are listed as endangered by the IUCN..
javan langurs (melbourne zoo) are also listed as endangered by the IUCN. but they number around 200 in zoos - just over twice that of the francois langur (though my numbers are based on isis figures which does not include breeding centres such as the EPRC) which is actually listed as only VU by the IUCN (though i wonder how up to date this is...)
duskys are rare in captivity outside of small zoos. no doubt a reflection of their LR stutus..
sri lankas purple-faced langurs are outside of southeast asia, as region prioritised by australian zoos. this may have been a contibuting factor in not chosing them. duskys are fairing better in the wild than other species. so i can understand the choice there also.
but when it comes to francois' vs javan. i wonder what took priority? was it that the javans more endangered status was offset by the fact that they are more numerous in captivity? (though still hardly common). was it just that there was bit more personal interest in the francois in zoo circles? certainly i'm sure more a couple of primate keepers have been to the EPRC...
in any event i'm quite fond of francois' langurs...
