VIETNAM, Cat Ba Island - June 2007
Relocation of female Cat Ba langurs
(Vietnam 2002, Vietnam 2003)
Click photo to enlarge
Since 2000, the Cat Ba langur has been listed as one of ‘The World’s Top 25 Most Endangered Primates’ (Conservation International and IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group), due to its small population and restricted range. In the past, poaching constituted the primary threat to the langurs’ survival and resulted in a population decline from an estimated 2500-2800 individuals in the 1960s to a mere 53 individuals by 2000. In November 2002, Seacology began support for a langur-guarding program, instituted by the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP), whereby local residents are in charge of guarding particular subpopulations against illegal poaching. The langur population has increased since the onset of this project, comprising 65 individuals at present, yet the overall status of this species is extremely critical. The remaining langur population is severely fragmented into seven isolated sub-populations, four of which are all-female groups. Due to the isolation of langur groups, an exchange of individuals between groups is no longer possible. The only solution is the relocation of some individuals and groups on Cat Ba Island to the strictly protected langur sanctuary that the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project established in 2001. An isolated group of three females has been designated as the first target group for relocation. These females are trapped on a small offshore island, and their return to the main island on their own is no longer possible because the mangrove forests between the main and off-shore islands were destroyed. Seacology will help fund the relocation of these isolated females in an attempt to help the Cat Ba langur population continue to grow. 
UPDATE October 2007 - Project coordinator Dr. Rosi Stenke and her colleagues are currently assessing the habitat use and migration routes to determine suitable sites for catching and relocation. They are scheduled to begin relocation in October 2007.
UPDATE May 2008 - As of January 2008 relocation plans for the three female langurs continue to develop, despite staffing challenges and the difficult access to the langurs’ habitat. The best possible site for capture, a sleeping cave 40 feet above the forest floor, is being tested in spring 2008 with bamboo ladders.
