- New research into the little-known southern patas monkey indicates that fewer than 200 of these primates remain, all confined to protected areas in northern Tanzania.
- Without intervention, researchers say, the species could die out within a decade, as it faces mounting pressure from habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting and competition for food and water.
- Despite the grim situation, experts say quick, well-targeted conservation actions can still save the species.
Primate experts say they hope to bring international attention to its plight and spur efforts to save it.
Recently published research into the southern patas monkey (Erythrocebus baumstarki) sheds light on its natural history, but also shows how close the animal, which is already designated as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, is to dying out.
Having once been present in Kenya, from where it was extirpated in about 2015, the historic range of the species has declined by about 85% since the early 20th century, due to the growing human population, according to study authors Yvonne de Jong and Thomas Butynski. The monkey is currently restricted to the protected areas of the western Serengeti in northern Tanzania.
https://news-mongabay-com.cdn.amppr...inction-in-a-decade-without-intervention/amp/
