Global News - May 2008
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Scientists declare ape extinct in China
Thu 29 May 2008 14:00 UK — Asia,Primates
A new report has warned that another species of ape has become extinct in China.
Researchers from Zurich University and the Kunming Institute of Zoology said that China currently has a unique diversity of apes but these primates are facing increasing risks of extinction.
The team carried out a survey in all Chinese forests where white-handed gibbons had been reported in the last 20 years.
Last officially observed in 1988, the distinctive call of the white-handed gibbon has not been heard since 1992.
After two weeks of field work, the researchers concluded that deforestation, pollution and hunting meant that the primate was now extinct in China.
Thomas Geissmann commented: "This loss is particularly tragic because the extinct Chinese population was described as a distinct subspecies, the so-called Yunnan white-handed gibbon.
"The extinction of the Chinese white-handed gibbons is an urgent alarm signal, because several other ape species in Chinas are also endangered by extinction."
Dr Geissmann said that the white-cheeked crested gibbon had not been seen in China since the 1980s and that fewer than 50 Cao-Vit crested gibbons are thought to still survive.
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