Mates sing duets to each other at dawn, but for how much longer? With only 25 individuals left, the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) is the primate closest to extinction, but it could be saved thanks to a rescue plan announced this week by the .
鈥淚t鈥檚 the world鈥檚 rarest primate and the rarest mammal,鈥� says of ZSL. It is also evolutionarily unique, as it was the earliest of four gibbon lineages to split off. 鈥淚ts genetic distinctiveness makes saving it a global priority,鈥� says Turvey.
In the 1950s there were 2000 gibbons on Hainan, the island at the southernmost tip of China.
Advertisement
But the population plummeted following the growth of rubber plantations and habitat loss, and it has been at the current, precarious level for around three decades.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know why that is, although it could be that there鈥檚 limited habitat available, the individuals can鈥檛 find mates, or they don鈥檛 want to mate,鈥� says Turvey.
The has 44 actions, including building forest canopy bridges and closer monitoring of individuals to find out why they aren鈥檛 forming new social groups beyond the remaining three.
鈥淥ne major priority is to make sure the existing population doesn鈥檛 go extinct,鈥� says Turvey. 鈥淭he other, more important, objective is to make sure it increases and expands geographically 鈥� that鈥檚 the key.鈥�
