Beijing Jan 13 (IANS) A large group of rare Phayre s leaf monkeys has been spotted in southwest China an animal expert said.
More than 200 of the leaf monkeys a Class I state-protected wild animal were seen by volunteers in Yunnan s Dehong Dai and Jingpo earlier in January.
It was the biggest group ever spotted in China Xinhua news agency reported. "A group of Phayre s langurs usually consists of no more than 30 so the latest discovery is really unusual " Chen Jianwei with Beijing Forestry University said.
Phayre s leaf monkeys also known as Phayre s langurs scatter in western Yunnan and in eastern and northern Myanmar.
They usually live in forests which are upto 2 700 metres above sea level said Chen.
Files compiled in the 1980s show less than 2 000 Phayre s langurs lived in Yunnan. By the end of the 20th century logging had further reduced their habitat and their number.
--IANS
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