Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Programme

Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Programme

The goal of the rescue project, which is led by the Vietnamese non-governmental organization CeREC (Centre for Resources, Environment and Climate Change), is to expand the protected area with the occurrence of critically endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys (TSNM) and to connect individual localities, and thus also the TSNM population, by bio-corridors. However, education and involvement of local communities are also a necessary part of the project.

Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus)

The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is among the 25 most endangered primates in the world. This largest Vietnamese primate was long considered extinct. In the 1990s, however, it was rediscovered in the remote forests of northern Vietnam. Over the past 35 years, these langurs have declined by 80% to just 200 surviving in five small populations in the north of the country. The last 108-113 individuals are estimated to remain in the Khau Ca area, the population size in the Du Gia area is unknown due to its vast territory, and the last approximately 20 individuals are found in the Quan Ba area.

Threats to Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys

The greatest threat to the survival of this species is the loss of the environment due to massive deforestation and illegal hunting. However, the increase in its population is also hampered by ineffective protection by Vietnamese institutions, the isolation and small area of its habitats, and surrounding human settlements.

Program activities

Thanks to conservationists including the Ostrava Zoo, one population in the Khau Ca Reserve is at least partially protected from poachers, as local people are motivated to protect these animals. One of the goals of this conservation project dealing with the protection of TSNM is the expansion of the protected area and the connection of individual populations through a natural corridor. As part of the project, individual populations are regularly monitored in cooperation with local communities. A thorough knowledge of their behaviour and their survival strategy in the natural environment is essential for the successful operation of the project. Thanks to this, there is more hope that these rare primates and the forests of Vietnam they inhabit can be saved.

You can learn more at www.cerec.org.vn.

How Ostrava Zoo helps

Ostrava Zoo together with all its visitors supports the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Conservation Programme through the “3 CZK for Wildlife” program. In 2017, Ostrava Zoo also hosted a charity run for these monkeys, which raised more than 140,000 CZK (5,700 EUR) for the needs of the rescue program.