Global News - July 2008

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Newly discovered African monkey 'is already in danger of extinction'

Tue 29 July 2008 13:00 UK — Africa,Primates

A species of primates discovered only five years ago is in danger of becoming extinct, a new report has warned.

The kipunji monkeys were only formally identified in 2003 and live in two pockets of forests in the highlands of Tanzania.

Now, the first formal survey of the animals, published in the journal Oryx, has suggested that the monkeys are in grave danger of becoming extinct.

The research team found that there were approximately 1,042 kipunji monkeys living in the Rungwe-Kitulo area and another 75 in Ndundulu.

After conducting their research, the experts estimated that the total population of the primates is less than 1,150.

What's more, they suggested that the Ndundulu population "may no longer be viable" and that the animals in the Rungwe-Kitulo forest were "highly fragmented" and impacted by "degraded habitat".

As a result, lead researcher Tim Davenport and the rest of the team concluded: "We believe the kipunji faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild and recommend the species and genus be categorised as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List."

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