25 May 2012
FFI’s experts said that they saw around 80 snub-nosed monkeys, including 16 newborn, in Khau Ca.
The unusual and mysterious Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is one of the 25 most endangered species of primates in the world. It is only found in Vietnam and was believed extinct until its rediscovery in the early 1990s.
It is believed there are fewer than 200 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys left in the world. They are Vietnam’s largest primate species and have a very distinctive look that is almost comical due to the upturned nose, tufted ears, pale blue rimmed eyes and thick, pink lips. They have different calls including a loud hiccough-like alarm call.
The main long-term threat to the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey at Khau Ca is the limited area of the forest. Surveys have highlighted several potential threats to the species and its habitat locally, including illegal logging, hunting, exploitation of a range of non-timber forest products, shifting cultivation, fuel wood collection and grazing of livestock in the forest.
FFI has cooperated with Ha Giang authorities to implement a community-based primate conservation project with the aim of providing long-term conservation for the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey in Ha Giang.