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Six golden snub-nosed monkey cubs were recently born at Dalongtan Golden Monkey Research Center in the Shennongjia National Park in central China’s Hubei Province.
The golden snub-nosed monkey is a typical arboreal animal living all year round in the forests at an altitude of 1,500 to 3,300 meters. The species is now under first-class state protection in China.
The six monkey cubs are very healthy, according to staff members of the research center. The number of golden monkeys in Shennongjia has reached over 1,470, an increase of more than 200 over 2005. Its habitat area has expanded from 210 square kilometers to more than 350 square kilometers in the national park.
“The existence of the golden snub-nosed monkey represents China’s unique natural heritage and biodiversity. Protecting the monkeys is to protect the ecological security and natural resources,” said Huang Tianpeng, director of the research center.
Shennongjia is one of China’s three major biodiversity centers and was approved for inclusion in the World Heritage List in 2016. It has the largest primary forests remaining in central China and provides a habitat for many rare animal species.