Primates in Peril

and gunshots were recorded commonly in both Tat Ke
and Ban Bung Sectors. Conservation activities carried
out by several organizations have been unsuccessful,
and it has resulted in a reduction of this population
(Thach Mai Hoang 2011).
A population of about 70 individuals was estimated
for Cham Chu Nature Reserve in 2001, also in
Tuyen Quang Province. Based on interviews of local
people during a survey that was reported in 1992, the
population was believed to have dropped to only 20-40
individuals (Long and Le Khac Quyet 2001). A survey
in 2006 provided no sightings and no reliable evidence
of the survival of the population. Local reports indicate,
however, a small group of 8-12 individuals still in the
area (Dong Thanh Hai et al. 2006). The current threats
to the populations of the monkeys are hunting and
habitat destruction. Conservation efforts should target
reducing human activities inside the reserve.
A population of about 60 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys
was discovered in early 2002 and a census in April 2015
confirmed 125–130 individuals in the Tonkin Snubnosed
Monkey Species/Habitat Conservation Area at
Khau Ca, Ha Giang Province (Le Khac Quyet personal
observation). This is the only population that is not
immediately threatened. Here, population and habitat
monitoring, conservation education, public awareness
and community participatory activities are being linked
to increased protection efforts under the supervision
of University of Colorado Boulder, Fauna and Flora
International (FFI) and Denver Zoo.
In 2007, a new population of about 20 Tonkin snubnosed
monkeys was discovered in a small forest patch
in Tung Vai Commune of Quan Ba District close to the
border with China (Le Khac Quyet and Covert 2010),
and was confirmed by a census in 2014 (Nguyen Van
Truong 2014). This is the second population of Tonkin
snub-nosed monkey discovered in Ha Giang Province.
The newly discovered population at Tung Vai appears to
be threatened by hunting and habitat loss due to timber
exploitation, shifting cultivation and the collection of
non-timber forest products for commercial purposes.
The immediate conservation measures are likely to
be training and establishing patrol groups, raising
awareness, assessing the range of the monkeys, and
assessing the impact of cardamom production on their
habitat.
References
Boonratana, R., and Le Xuan Canh. 1994. A Report on
the Ecology, Status and Conservation of the Tonkin
Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus) in
Northern Vietnam. Wildlife Conservation Society, New
York and Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources,
Hanoi.
Dong Thanh Hai, Do Quang Huy, Lu Quang Vinh,
Nguyen Duc Manh, Nguyen Hai Ha, Ngo Duy Bach
and Vu Duc Kham. 2006. A Survey of Distribution
and Population Status of Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey
(Rhinopithecus avunculus) in Cham Chu Nature Reserve.
Report, Department of Wildlife Manangement, Forest
University of Vietnam, Xuan Mai, Vietnam.
Le Khac Quyet and H. H. Covert. 2010. Another
population of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey
(Rhinopithecus avunculus) discovered in Ha Giang
Province, Vietnam. Vietnamese Journal of Primatology
4: 19–25.
Le Xuan Canh, Le Khac Quyet, Dong Thanh Hai and R.
Boonratana. 2008. Rhinopithecus avunculus. In: IUCN
2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version
2013.2. . Accessed 17 March
2014.
Long, B. and Le Khac Quyet. 2001. An initial assessment
of conservation requirements for Cham Chu area, Tuyen
Quang Province, including mammal and bird diversity
surveys, Technical report, Fauna and Flora International
– Indochina Programme, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Nadler, T., F. Momberg, Nguyen Xuan Dang and N.
Lormee. 2003. Vietnam Primate Conservation Status
Review 2002. Part 2: Leaf Monkeys, pp.145-164. Fauna
and Flora International and Frankfurt Zoological
Society, Hanoi.
Nguyen Van Truong. 2014. A report on population
census of Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys in Tung Vai-
Ta Van-Cao Ma Po forest, Quan Ba District, Ha Giang
Province. Technical report, Fauna & Flora International
– Vietnam Programme, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Thach Mai Hoang. 2011. Primate Survey Prioritising
Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus)
and Francois’ Langur (Trachipythecus francoisi) in Na
Hang Nature Reserve, Tuyen Quang Province. Report,
People Resources and Conservation Foundation, Hanoi,
Vietnam.
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