The number of snub-nosed monkeys, an endangered species, in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang has grown to over 100, said Hoang Van Tue, the head of the Khau Ca Species and Habitat Conservation Centre’s management board.

He added that Ha Giang has the largest population of snub-nosed monkeys anywhere in the world.

Statistics released by Fauna and Flora International (FFI) showed that in 2002, there were only 250 snub-nosed monkeys left in the world, of which 60 were living in Khau Ca Forest.

The Khau Ca snub-nosed monkey conservation centre was set up in 2008, covering Tung Ba, Yen Dinh and Minh Son communes in Vi Xuyen and Bac Me districts.

Thanks to support from FFI along with a host of other international organisations and the provincial authorities and local people, the centre set up a community based forest protection and conservation area. This enabled the centre to protect the snub-nosed monkey population and monitor their development.

The shy and mysterious snub-nosed monkey is one of the 25 most endangered primates in the world.-VNA