A family of the critically endangered gray-shanked douc langur have just been found in the central province of Quang Ngai.
The Quang Ngai Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced on November 17 said that wild animal experts have just found 10 families of gray-shanked douc langurs with 104 members living in the forest in Ba To District following their recent survey.
"The experts believed that there might be more of them as they continued their search," the department said.
Head of the Quang Ngai Forest Ranger Department, Pham Duy Hung - said that the survey was conducted so local authorities could draft plans to preserve the animals.
"We're proposing to local authorities to organise a conference to discuss measures to protect gray-shanked douc langurs in Ba To District," he said. "There should be a nature reserve to better protect them and other wild animals in the area," he said.
The gray-shanked douc langur is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list as one of the world’s 25 critically endangered primates.The primates can only be seen in Vietnam.
It is estimated that some 2,000 gray-shanked doucs have been found in forests in some central and central highlands provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Kon Tum and Gia Lai.
The province of Quang Ngai is also setting up a project to protect 10 Rhesus monkeys (Macara Mulatta), rated as endangered and sighted living on Hon Tra Island in Binh Son district’s Binh Dong Commune.
