Endangered monkey making a comeback in Tibetan reserve

The Hongla Mountain National Nature Reserve, in Markam county of the Tibet autonomous region, has seen a steady increase in recent years in the number of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, a severely endangered species, according to a local official.

The population of the monkeys, which are under China's level-one protection, has grown from fewer than 400 in the 1980s to nearly 800, thanks to a special national fund and the enhanced awareness of local residents, said Rentsing Pyingtsuo, head of Markam's Bureau of Forestry.

The Hongla Mountain area is a major habitat of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey. In 2003, the area was established as a national-level nature reserve to protect the rare species.