BAMAKO: An African monkey believed to be extinct since the 1970s have been photographed for the first time in a remote Congo jungle in March, confirming suspicions of a team of field researchers who believed the species still exists.
Two primatologists embarked on a quest in February in the dense African jungle, following reports that Bouvier’s red colobus monkey was spotted by locals in the forests. Their findings were successful, and they came back with the first ever photos of a female monkey and her baby, deep in the jungle of the Republic of Congo.
“Our photos are the world’s first and confirm that the species is not extinct,” Lieven Devreese, one of the researchers, proudly announced. They two-men team recently published its findings in a Wildlife Conservation Society report, offering indisputable proof that the rare primate is still alive.
Bouvier’s red colobus monkey used to live in relatively large communities in the remote swampy forests that flourish along the Congo River. Unfortunately, large scale deforestation done in the area, along with reckless hunting, have reduced the species to only a few individuals, and until now scientists were convinced the small monkey became extinct.
The endeavor of the two paleontologists was a purely independent initiative, as they relied entirely on private funding collected through a crowdfunding website called Indiegogo. Belgium’s Devreese and Gaël Elie Gnondo Gobolo of the Republic of the Congo took matters int their own hands and embarked on a quest to find the monkey they have only seen as an item in a museum before.
According to biologists, the main weakness the Bouvier has in its struggle for survival is its lack of fear. Instead of fleeing when it encounters humans, the monkey stares at them from trees, making it an easy target for hunters and poachers. Fortunately, many Central African countries have designated the jungles along the Congo River as part of national parks and protected areas, so massive logging and hunting have been less encountered in the area lately.
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