PHÚ YÊN – Forest rangers of south central Phú Yên Province’s Tuy Hòa City have received two grey-shanked douc langurs, among the world’s 25 most endangered primates, from two locals.

The langurs - a mother langur and her son - together weigh some 5kg.

The forest rangers said on Sunday the grey-shanked douc langur, a species native to Việt Nam, was included in Vietnam Red Book’s list of endangered species.

Nguyễn Quang Đăng, one of the residents who gave the langurs to the forest rangers, said he and his friend found the two langurs being displayed for sale at a restaurant in the city.

Realising that the langurs, which were a rare and endangered species, looked weak, he decided to buy the animals and deliver them to authorised agencies.

Nguyễn Đức Hiếu, head of Tuy Hòa City’s forest management division, said Đăng and his friend’s action was highly appreciated. The division is carrying out necessary legal procedures to deliver the two langurs to a Wildlife Rescue Centre in HCM City.

The two langurs would be released into the forest after they completely recovered, he said.

Doucs are native to Southeast Asia and are categorised under three species -- red-shanked, grey-shanked and black-shanked.

The grey-shanked doucs generally have dappled grey bodies, black hands and feet and white cheeks.

This species, scientifically named Pygathrix cinerea, is native to the Vietnamese provinces of Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Kon Tum and Gia Lai. They feed primarily on leaves and live in tribes comprising up to 50 animals, although individual tribe population numbers have fallen significantly to only 4-15 in recent years.

Grey-shanked doucs, along with three other primates that are native to Việt Nam, have consistently been listed among the world’s 25 most endangered primates since 2000 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s) Species Survival Commission’s Primate Specialist Group, the International Primatological Society and Conservation International.

The species is also on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, categorised as “critically endangered”, with only 800-1,000 animals left worldwide. — VNS