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Yunnan: Golden Monkey's Heaven
Some 2,000 golden monkeys, one of the world's most endangered species, are living in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Diqing in Yunnan Province. Zhao Qikun, a researcher from the Kunming Animals Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the Yunnan golden monkey population has increased rapidly in recent years because more nature reserves have been built to protect them.
Zhao said that over 500 golden monkeys were recently found in the forests in Tacheng Township, south of Baima Snow Mountain, where most of the creatures live. "It is still not clear where these monkeys come from," Zhao said.
Scientists confirmed that there were only 600 golden monkeys in the Baima Snow Mountain area in the 1980s; by the early 1990s, the figure had risen to 1,500. The Yunnan golden monkey has been named a state treasure, just like the giant panda. The State invests 1 million yuan (US$120,000) annually to protect this rare species.
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