Briefly
SPOTLIGHT ON PRIMATES Cao vit gibbons on the brink Thanks to new technology, we now have a better idea of just how rare the Critically Endangered cao vit gibbon is. The popula- tion is estimated to comprise 74 individuals in 11 family groups; 38%lower than the pre- vious estimate of 120 individuals. In collab- oration with local partners, Fauna & Flora conducted the latest survey using advanced monitoring techniques to obtain more ac- curate results than traditional methods can typically achieve. For the first time, the team applied a vocal fingerprinting technique, whereby acoustic recorders are used to listen to gibbon songs and identify individual voices. The count was also as- sisted by drones with thermal cameras, en- abling more accurate counts (see Wearn et al., 2024, pp. 183–186 of this issue). There is no evidence that the cao vit gibbon popula- tion has declined; the lower estimate is thought to be a result of double-counting in previous surveys. Sources: Nature (2024)
doi.org/mcdf & Fauna & Flora (2024)
fauna-flora.org/ news/a-primate-on-the-brink
Planting green corridors to save golden lion tamarins Deforestation over centuries has decimated parts of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, the only place where the Endangered golden lion tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia occurs. In November 2023, dozens of young people kneeled under the scorching sun to plant a green corridor that will be a future safe passageway for the region’s most emblem- atic and threatened species. The 300 tree seedlings planted will eventually connect two patches of forest together. Until recent- ly, the bare and dry land being replanted had belonged to a ranch whose owner had removed trees in favour of cattle pasture. The green corridors are important as the monkeys, of which there are fewer than 5,000 individuals remaining in the wild, avoid crossing bare land that separates isles of green vegetation, for fear of preda- tors such as large felids. This replanting was the latest in a series of incremental for- est growth initiatives providing an ever- larger habitat for the monkey. Source: Euronews (2023)
euronews.com/ green/2023/11/13/how-are-green-corridors- saving-one-of-brazils-most-endangered- species-from-deforestation
Monkey trafficking from Africa to Asia In December 2023, Togolese authorities in- tercepted a shipment of 38 monkeys transit- ing through Togo on their way from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to Thailand. Thirty of the animals had not been declared in the official documentation upon leaving the DRC. Togo repatriated the distressed animals to Kinshasa, but 14 died at Kinshasa Zoo before the remaining 24 were transferred to an animal sanctuary. The high mortality rate was a result of the poor conditions in which the traffickers transported the monkeys. Among the ani- mals intercepted were two species categor- ized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: the lesula Cercopithecus lomamiensis and the black crested mangabey Lophocebus aterrimus. Listed in CITES Appendix II, both can be exported from the DRC with the necessary permits, which the traffickers did not possess. Traffickers often use fraudulent documentation to smuggle pro- tected species. Source: Mongabay (2024)
news.mongabay. com/2024/01/togo-monkey-seizure-turns- spotlight-on-illicit-wildlife-trafficking- from-dr-congo
Monkeys become easier prey for felids in damaged tropical forests Primates, generally living high up in the tree canopy, are not usually easy prey for large felids. But jaguars and pumas living in human-modified forests in southern Mexico appear to regularly include more monkeys in their diet. Researchers studied felid faeces in the Uxpanapa Valley and found that primates made up nearly 35% of the prey found in jaguar and puma scats. Primate remains were more likely to be found in scats collected from areas with less forest and more villages, and in forest that was regrowing after being disturbed. The findings may indicate that populations of the felids’ preferred prey species are shrinking, or that changes in the environ- ment, such as a decline in tree cover, make catching primates easier. This could threaten the survival of primate populations and subsequently large cats in tropical for- ests, potentially destabilizing the entire ecosystem. Sources: Biotropica (2023)
doi.org/mdrm & The Conversation (2023) theconversation. com/big-cats-eat-more-monkeys-in-a- damaged-tropical-forest-and-this-could- threaten-their-survival-215091
Orangutan killings in Borneo Critically Endangered orangutans continue to be illegally killed in Borneo, probably in large numbers, even when there are nearby conservation projects aiming to protect them. Killing orangutans is taboo as well as illegal, yet researchers heard evidence of a direct killing from at least one person in 30%of 79 villages surveyed in Indonesia’s Kalimantan region. The research, which in- volved interviews with more than 400 villa- gers, comes more than 10 years after a study claimed that 2,000–3,000 orangutans were probably being directly killed every year. The apes are apparently killed for several reasons, including fear of the animals or be- cause they enter gardens or crop fields. Orangutan mothers may also be killed so that babies can be sold as pets or to be trained as performers. Sometimes people kill them for their meat and body parts. The researchers argue that a key part of im- proving Bornean orangutan conservation practice involves directly addressing these killings and the underlying drivers. Sources: Conservation Science and Practice (2023)
doi.org/mdsc&The Guardian (2023)
theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/11/ borneo-orangutan-killings-likely-still- occurring-numbers-research
Saving Sanje mangabeys in Tanzania Bristol Zoological Society (BZS) has been working to project Sanje mangabeys Cercocebus sanjei, an Endangered primate species found only in Tanzania, since 2014. The rare monkeys live in Udzungwa Mountains National Park and the total population is estimated to be c. 4,000 indi- viduals. Threats to the mangabeys include illegal hunting, habitat loss through land conversion for agriculture, and a growing human population in surrounding areas. As part of the efforts to conserve the species, researchers from BZS are monitoring man- gabey troops and examining factors that in- fluence birth rates and population trends, to identify variables that could lead to popula- tion declines. These data will also be used to model the future viability of the species. The Society also supports local programmes such as community-led anti-poaching pa- trols, which directly protect mangabeys and provide alternative livelihoods for the people living near them. Source: Bristol Zoo Project (2023) bristolzoo.
org.uk/news/saving-the-sanje-mangabey- in-tanzania
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Oryx, 2024, 58(2), 139–144 © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605324000218
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