Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys thrive in nature reserve in SW China

Photo shows Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys at the Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Liu Yi)

The Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province is known as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots and home to the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey, which is under first-class state protection in China and is also an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species.

Yu Jianhua, a 72-year-old former hunter, now works as part of a team responsible for protecting Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys in the Xianggujing section of the nature reserve. Their duties include patrolling the wilderness, combating poaching, protecting animals, and preventing forest fires.

Yu Jianhua patrols at the Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Liu Yi)

Photo shows Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys at the Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Liu Yi)

Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys usually give birth in February and March. According to Yu, the population of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys in the area has now exceeded 80.

"Over the past two months, this area of the nature reserve has seen the arrival of several newborns, with more expected to join their ranks soon," said Yu.

Photo shows a Yunnan snub-nosed monkey at the Baima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province. (People's Daily Online/Liu Yi)