A Red Colobus monkey is an example of an endangered primate. (Photo : YouTube/ BBC Worldwide)
A rare primate called the Bouvier’s red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus bouvieri) thought to be extinct was recently spotted in the Republic of Congo.
While working in the forests of Congo, primatologists Lieven Devreese and Gaël Elie Gnondo Gobolo were able to take the first-ever photograph of the Bouvier’s red colobus monkey, which was not seen for more than 500 years, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Devreese and Gnondo photographed the Bouvier’s red colobus monkey within Ntokou-Pikounda National Park. A group of the African monkey thought to be extinct were found by the field researchers in the swamp forests along the Bokiba River in the 4,572 km2 protected area.
The two primatologists were accompanied by locals familiar with the species of the African monkey endemic to the Republic of Congo.
According to Devreese, their photos of the Bouvier’s red colobus monkey are “the world’s first and confirm that the species is not extinct.”
To help search for the Bouvier’s red colobus monkey, the Wildlife Conservation Society provided not only logistical support but also the unpublished survey records of the rare primate in Northern Congo.
Dr. Fiona Maisels of the Wildlife Conservation Society said they are very pleased that Lieven and Gaël were able not only to confirm that Bouvier’s red colobus still exists but to manage to get a very clear close-up picture of a mother and infant, as well.
This is not the first time a monkey species thought to be extinct was rediscovered. In January 2012, the shy monkey (Presbytis hosei canicrus) also thought to be extinct was found in the remote forests of Borneo and first ever photos of the elusive monkey were taken, Live Science reported.
