Hanoi. The lively morning calls of a rare species of gibbon has led to the discovery of the only known "viable" community of the talkative primates in remote Vietnamese forests, conservationists said Monday.
A "substantial" population of 455 critically endangered northern white--cheeked crested gibbons were found living at high altitudes and far from human settlements on the border with Laos, Conservation International (CI) said.
Researchers, who had previously found sparse groups in other areas, used the animals' "loud, elaborate and prolonged" calls to locate the creatures in Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An province, northern Vietnam.
The community represents two thirds of the total number in Vietnam and the "only confirmed viable population" of the variety worldwide.
"This is an extraordinarily significant find, and underscores the immense importance of protected areas in providing the last refuges for the region’s decimated wildlife," said CI president Dr Russell Mittermeier.
Gibbons, which are threatened across the world, are considered the "most romantic" of primates as they mate for life and serenade their partners with song.
Habitat loss and hunting for the pet trade and the "assumed medicinal value of primate body parts" are among the major threats to the creatures in Vietnam, the CI statement said.
White--cheeked gibbon numbers are thought to have declined by as much as 80 percent in the last 45 years, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Mittermeier, who also works with the IUCN, described the species as "on the brink of extinction".
They are believed to be "functionally extinct" in China and while there could be significant numbers in Laos, CI said a lack of research means the situation in the country is unclear.
But CI said plans to build a road through the Pu Mat area to increase patrols on the Vietnam--Laos border pose a "serious threat" to the future of the rare primates.
"The major issue will be the hunting of these gibbons that were previously protected by the harsh terrain; so gun control will be vital," said primatologist Luu Tuong Bach, a consultant to CI who led field surveys for the research.
"Without direct protection in Pu Mat National Park, it is likely that Vietnam will lose this species in the near future."
AFP
Largest population of rare gibbon found in Vietnam
AP Yahoo News 18 Jul 11;
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Conservationists listening to a critically endangered primate's morning calls in central Vietnam's mountains heard a surprising response. About 455 animals were counted there based on their calls, making it the largest known population of northern white-cheeked crested gibbons.
In this July 2011 photo released by Conservation International, an adult female northern white-cheeked crested gibbon, right, carries its baby as an adult male sits nearby at Pu Mat National Park, Nghe An province in Vietnam. About 455 northern white-cheeked crested gibbons were discovered in the National Park during a survey by the wildlife group Conservation International. The group is the largest known remaining population of the critically endangered primate. (AP Photo/Conservation International, Terry Whittaker)
Wildlife group Conservation International conducted the census in 2010 by recording the loud song-like vocalizations the gibbons use to mark territory and attract and keep mates.
The primates were in 130 different groups living in thick jungle of the mountains near the Laos border, the group said in a statement Monday. Earlier surveys elsewhere in Vietnam had not documented any populations larger than a dozen groups.
The primate was known to exist in China, Vietnam and Laos. It is considered functionally extinct in China, but its numbers are unclear in Laos because little research has been conducted there.
The count was conducted in Pu Mat National Park in Nghe An province, and the conservation group expressed concerns about planned road projects that could destroy habitat in the place where the species has its last known viable population.
"The major issue will be the hunting of these gibbons that were previously protected by the harsh terrain," Luu Tuong Bach, a Conservation International consultant who led the surveys, said in the statement. "Without direct protection in Pu Mat National Park, it is likely that Vietnam will lose this species in the near future."
All of the 25 gibbon species existing worldwide are threatened, and eight of the Indochinese crested gibbon species are near extinction, including the northern white-cheeked crested gibbon.