Foreign Media: The Long Battle to Save the Chinese Golden Monkey
In the 1980s, the number of golden monkeys in Shennongjia, Hubei Province, China, dropped to less than 500 due to logging and hunting. In 1991, a young Yang Jingyuan (translated name) joined the conservation efforts, and he is now the director of the Research Institute of Shennongjia National Park. He led his team in long-term research and domestication of the monkey groups, spending a year to gain their trust.
The social structure of the golden monkey groups is complex, with one male usually accompanied by 3 to 5 females and their offspring, and the group can reach up to a hundred. Their lifespan is about 24 years, and they will leave alone when they are dying. After decades of effort, the forest coverage has recovered from 60% to 96%, and the number of monkey groups has increased to about 1,600, expected to exceed 2,000 within ten years.
The government also helped local farmers to become forest rangers or tourism workers, achieving a win-win situation between protection and development. Professor Yang is optimistic, saying that the monkeys' home has been well protected, with sufficient food and water, and the population is growing steadily.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841577739690183/
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