The white side-burned black langur found in the Kim Hy Nature Reserve (Source: Kim Hy Nature Reserve)
Bac Kan (VNA) – A white side-burned black langur (Trachypithecus francoisi), a critically endangered primate species, has been spotted for the first time in the Kim Hy Nature Reserve in Na Ri district, the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan.
Forest rangers of the Na Duong forest protection post found an animal with characteristics similar to those of the white side-burned black langur, also called François' langur, on June 26 while it was seeking food.
Le Xuan Dieu, who is in charge of the Kim Hy Nature Reserve’s management board, said the board conducted verification after receiving the notification from forest rangers. Close-up photos and videos captured on July 10 noon confirmed that the animal is a white side-burned black langur.
This is the first time the species has been spotted in the Kim Hy Nature Reserve, he noted.
Meanwhile, some villagers in Na Leng hamlet of Van Lang commune, Na Ri district, said they saw a troop of five or six langurs for several times in late April.
Shortly after finding the rare species, the Kim Hy Nature Reserve’s management board has coordinated with the People’s Committee of Van Lang commune to hold communications to improve people’s awareness of langur protection; order the Na Duong forest protection post to increase patrol, especially in the area where the animal was recorded; and build a plan to conserve the primate that is on the verge of extinction, according to Dieu./.
