CAIRO: A large, grey monkey so scarce it was feared to be extinct has been rediscovered by scientists working in the dense jungles of Indonesia. The Miller's grizzled langur – its black face framed by a furry white collar – was found in an area well outside its previously recorded habitat. Camera traps set up by the team of scientists meant to capture images of clouded leopards, orangutans and other wildlife, captured instead pictures that caught them all by surprise. The groups of monkeys in the photographs had never been seen by the scientists, and it was a challenge to confirm the species, as stated by Brent Loken, a PhD student at Simon Fraser University in Canada, and one of the lead researchers. The only images that had ever been available of the monkeys were museum sketches. “We were all pretty ecstatic, the fact that, wow, this monkey still lives, and also that it's in Wehea,” said Loken. Concerns were raised several years ago that the monkey, which once inhabited the north-eastern part of Borneo and the islands of Sumatra and Java, may be extinct. Forests which were once the monkey's habitat had been burnt down and converted to land for agriculture and mining. “For me the discovery of this monkey is representative of so many species in Indonesia,” Mr Loken told The Associated Press. “There are so many animals we know so little about and their home ranges are disappearing so quickly,” he said. “It feels like a lot of these animals are going to quickly enter extinction.” The next step to be taken by the scientists is to return to the 38,000-hectare forest to try to estimate the population of grizzly langurs. “We are trying to find out all we can,” Loken asserted, “But it really feels like a race against time.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/zaTVc Tags: Endangered Species, The Miller's grizzled langur Section: Animals, Environment, Latest News
