Rare leaf monkeys spotted in Yunnan

Photo taken by an infrared camera on Oct. 30, 2021 shows a group of Phayre's leaf monkeys in the Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve/Handout via Xinhua)

A group of Phayre's leaf monkeys were recently spotted and captured on camera in a nature reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province, sources with the reserve said.

Reserve staff said it was the first time that images of the species were captured in the Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, representing the northernmost latitude the species have been observed at in China.

The Phayre's leaf monkey is one of China's most endangered wild animals and is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list. They are found in western Yunnan and eastern Myanmar.

"Images showed a group of Phayre's leaf monkeys resting on branches and grooming each other. An adorable monkey infant with golden fur cuddled up against its mother," said Yin Jianqiang, a reserve staffer.

The images were captured by infrared cameras installed in the evergreen broad-leaved forests at an altitude of 2,000 meters in the Gaoligongshan mountain range.

Yin said they will strengthen monitoring and protection of the rare species and determine its population as soon as possible. ■