The World Conservation Society (WCS) is reporting that the first ever photograph of Bouvier’s red colobus monkey has been taken in the Republic of Congo. There have only been a handful of verified sightings of the rare primate ever and none in the last 50 years, leading many to think it was extinct.
Primatologists Lieven Devreese and Gaël Elie Gnondo Gobolo found the monkey in the 1,765-square mile Ntokou-Pikounda National Park, a protected area created to safeguard some of the Congo’s endangered species including elephants, chimpanzees and gorillas.
The researchers took the photographs in February of 2015 on an expedition specifically to find Bouvier’s red colobus and try to establish its population.
“Our photos are the world’s first and confirm that the species is not extinct,” said Devreese in a statement.
The monkeys were found in the Bokiba River swamp forests with help from local people who are familiar with the species as well as logistical support and survey records from the WCS.
“We’re very pleased indeed that Lieven and Gaël were able to achieve their objective of not only confirming that Bouvier’s red colobus still exists, but also managing to get a very clear close-up picture of a mother and infant. Thankfully, many of these colobus monkeys live in the recently gazetted national park and are protected from threats such as logging, agriculture, and roads, all of which can lead to increased hunting,” said Dr. Fiona Maisels of the WCS.
Even with this confirmed sighting, very little is known Bouvier’s red colobus (Piliocolobus bouvieri). The species was first described in 1887 and is primarily known from a few museum species collected over 100 years ago. The species and its known locations were also mentioned in a book in 1949 but the last sightings of the monkey were in the 1970s and those were unverified.
The species has brownish-red fur, with a patch of black or dark brown fur on its head, a white chin and whiskers. It also has a band of black fur extending from the eyes to the temples. The eyes of Bouvier’s red colobus are surrounded by pink eyerings and its tail is long in proportion to its body. The animal’s fur is also lighter underneath.
The sighting confirms that the species is not extinct, however Bouvier’s red colobus monkey remains endangered. According to the WCS they, like all species of red colobus monkeys are threatened by their lack of fear. Instead of running from humans, red colobus monkeys simply stare down from the trees. The demand for bushmeat in the Democratic Republic of Congo has made the animals very rare in areas where humans hunt.
“Confirmation that Bouvier’s red colobus still thrives in the this area reminds us that there remain substantially intact wild places on Earth, and should re-energize all of us to save them before it is too late,” said James Deutch, Vice President for Conservation Strategy at WCS.
The Ntokou-Pikounda National Park was established on December 28, 2012 by the Congolese Ministerial Council and President Denis Sassou Nguesso. The park is home to nearly one thousand chimpanzees as well as 8,000 forest elephants and 15,000 lowland gorillas.
