🐒 Deep in the lush forests of Yunnan Province, the Chinese mainland's endangered Phayre's leaf monkeys are making a fabulous comeback! With their silver-blue fur and adorable glass-rimmed eyes, these long-tailed acrobats are swinging back into the spotlight. 🌳✨
Recently, a playful troop of Phayre's leaf monkeys was spotted frolicking in Dehong, weaving through dense woods, hanging upside down, and snacking on wild fruits. An enchanting sight? Absolutely! Especially when a golden-furred baby cuddles up to its mama. 😍💛
These monkeys aren't just cute—they're a big deal! Listed as one of the Chinese mainland's most endangered wild animals and on the IUCN Red List, Phayre's leaf monkeys are primarily found in northeastern India, eastern Bangladesh, Myanmar, and here in the southern swaths of Yunnan. 🌏
But what's behind their bounce-back? It's all about community power! 💪 In Mangshi city, near the Myanmar border, over 500 of these leaf monkeys call a 1,600-hectare forest home. Back in 2018, researchers counted about 320 monkeys in five families. Thanks to local efforts, that number is climbing! 📈
Local villagers, once just forest patrolmen, have become guardians of the monkeys. They trek up to 10 km daily, monitoring the monkeys' antics and keeping the forest safe from fires. Talk about dedication! 🏞️🔥
But wait, there's more! With help from a nearby NGO, the community expanded their protection squad to cover other cool creatures like the giant flying squirrel, clouded leopard, and bearcat. 🐿️🐆
Since 2020, the monkeys have their very own \"canteen\"—an 8-hectare area filled with their fave trees like winter cherry and paulownia. 🍒🌳 Plus, locals get eco-friendly perks like solar water heaters to reduce forest resource use. 🌞♻️
High-tech helps too! The Dehong government set up a smart monitoring network with infrared cameras to keep an eye on forest happenings. 📹🌐
The result? A thriving monkey population and a community that believes in living in harmony with nature. 👫🌿 \"With joint efforts, more monkeys will share our home in the coming years,\" say the locals. And we can't wait to see it! 💚
Reference(s):
China makes significant progress in biodiversity conservation
cgtn.com
