A troop of 320 endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, including 25 newborns, was recently spotted migrating at a nature reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province, offering a rare glimpse of these elusive primates.
The footage, filmed in the Longmashan area of the Tianchi National Nature Reserve in Yunlong County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, shows the monkeys climbing an open slope in three groups before entering the dense forest. The family units cross one after another, with vigilant adults keeping a close watch for predators while mothers carrying their newborn infants.
"According to the video, we recorded 320 Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, including 25 newborn infants," said Song Hanbing, an official with the reserve's management bureau.
The Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, known for its distinctive pinkish face and striking black-and-white coat, is a rare and endangered primate endemic to China. As a class-I protected species under China's wildlife protection law, it primarily inhabits high-altitude primary forests. To cope with temperature shifts and seasonal fluctuations in food availability, these monkeys are known to relocate their habitats several times a year.
The Yunlong Tianchi reserve serves as the southernmost habitat for this species. Since 2016, the reserve's management bureau has partnered with research institutions to carry out habitat restoration and build ecological corridors, creating a healthier environment for the population to thrive.
The specific hillside recently captured on camera, for instance, was planted with nearly 1,000 mu (about 66.7 hectares) of Armand pine in 2017, providing an important supplementary food source for the monkeys.
Rare snub-nosed monkey troop migrates at nature reserve in Yunnan
