Douc Langurs of Vietnam
In December, I embarked on a journey to central Vietnam, in search of two species of primate that are, in my opinion, the most beautiful in the world. The douc langur group (red, grey, and black shanked) can all be found within a relatively contained range that includes pockets of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (Indochina). The three species make up the entirety of the rare genus Pygathrix. Both the black and grey's are listed by the IUCN as critically endangered, and the red-shanked are endangered. Due to ongoing habit loss and hunting concerns, the numbers are rapidly decreasing. Some impressive local Vietnamese conservation efforts, namely on Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh province, and Tam My Tay in Quang Nam Province have, however, ensured some local population regeneration!
I headed to Tam My Tay, in December, in search of the Grey Shanked Douc's. They were tricky to find, and I only got one photo, but the trip was wonderful. I spent a few days alongside local trackers from the region, searching a small patch of jungle where a small and relatively stable population is known to live. Red shanked douc langurs are far easier to find and photograph, if you team up with a skilled local tracker. Most of these photos are, therefore, of reds.
