China’s Monkey Business

One of Earth’s greatest treasures are the natural areas of the world. These rich green areas that have been around since life first started on our planet. Sadly, people have abused this gift, and the repercussions will have a huge impact for years to come.  Being the world’s dominant species has its price. People have had a huge effect on their environment as our technology has improved. This allows for a way of living for some people that can hurt other people and animals alike. This can be seen currently in China with the endangerment of the snub-nosed monkey.

This particular subspecies of snub-nosed monkey is known as Rhinopithecus roxellana, one of the five known subspecies within this family and there are currently about 2,000 snub-nosed monkeys left in the wild. They make their habitat in a tiny part of a forest in China’s Yunnan Province. This is one of the last unspoiled regions left in a country where wilderness is fast disappearing because of deforestation. This species was first photographed in 1993 by Xi Zhinong, who was a photographer for the forestry bureau. This species is unique in that it makes its home at a higher elevation than any other known species.

The photos taken were a huge hit with the Chinese public and this turned out to be the cause of a huge protest against the logging industry that was taking place in Yunnan. The logging taking place was resulting in habitat loss for these primates. The public’s outcry was heard by the Chinese government and this species was put on the same standard for protection and conservation as the Panda.

When most people picture monkeys, they picture jungles, warm temperatures and lots of greenery. The snub-nosed monkey actually lives in snowy mountainous conditions, often in subzero temperatures. They have several adaptations other primates lack in order to survive in this biome. They have a very thick coat of fur for warmth, light skin to keep in heat from the sun, shorter extremities (arms and legs) and their small nose and ears which perform better in the bitter cold. This pelt is a prized product among poachers and the local people believed it to be a cure for rheumatism.

Poaching and habitat loss would have doomed this species if not for the public’s efforts to protect this species. This is a great example of how small things like a few picture can a have a big impact on society. People have to take responsibility for our planet, it was us who caused many of these problems and it falls to us to fix them. Hopefully many other endangered species can be positively impacted by the actions of people. They need to be saved and none of their livelihood deserves to be snubbed.