Scientists discover rare endangered primates in Vietnam’s north

24 August, 2016 | Vietnam News
(Photo courtesy: Nguyen Van Truong (FFI))

A new group of critically endangered primates has been spotted by a team of scientists from Fauna and Flora International in Vietnam.

The Delacour’s langurs – black and white with a full face of whiskers – is indigenous to Vietnam.

Their numbers have dwindled in recent years because of poaching and mining activity in the country’s northern forests.

The recent sighting saw a group of about 40 of the primates, mostly juveniles and infants, bringing their total population to less than 250.

The rare animals are protected under Vietnam’s conservation laws, but critics say the legislation is not effectively enforced and poaching of rare or endangered species continues unchecked.

– with other agencies