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Friday, January 20, 2012

Monkey Thought to Be Extinct Reappears



Jakarta - A monkey species once thought to be extinct has shown not only is it alive, but living in an unexpected area.

Scientists from Simon Fraser University in Canada tracking Indonesian wildlife instead found images of the primate known as the Miller's Grizzled Langur.  They were surprised by the find, especially since they had no way to compare them outside of sketches. 

"We were all pretty ecstatic, the fact that wow, this monkey still lives, and also that it's in Wehea ," said Ph.D. student Brent Loken.  Loken is one of the lead researchers in the find.

Wehea forest is a nearly 40-thousand rainforest in Borneo, the third-largest island in Indonesia.

The fears the monkeys went extinct were expressed several years ago after a search for them turned up nothing.  The theory was that fires, deforestation, human encroachment, and conversion of the land for agricultural use were responsible.

Loken said the next step is to return to the forest to find out exactly how many of the langurs are still alive.  Although there are more than four-thousand images of the animals, scientists say they may be just one or two families reappearing.

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