On the Brink: Extinction Risks for the Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey

Figure 1: Four Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkeys (Photo by Lekhac Quyet)

This blog has previously addressed the importance of nonhuman primate conservation.  This point has been highlighted by a series of endangered primate profiles written by the blog author and guest authors comprised of her students (a sample exists here, here, and here).  Today’s blog post continues with this vein of inquiry by addressing a critically endangered primate species that was previously believed to have been extinct until its rediscover a few decades ago.  This rediscovery has earned it the label of a “Lazarus” species, but this is a misnomer because it remains on the brink of extinction presently.  This blog post will discuss the Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey (Figure 1) and the difficulties in preserving this particularly nonhuman primate species.

 

The Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey is the only snub-nosed species located in Vietnam. The other three types of snub-nosed species exist in nearby China.  As of 2019 it is estimated that there are no more than 130 individuals left in the wild, which are dispersed into very small groups throughout isolated conservation areas.  This presents a serious problem in encouraging population growth due to limited mate options among the troops. 

 

Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkies are arboreal, diurnal (active during the day) primates.  They are characterized as being slender, large bodied, and sexually dimorphic species.  The males are doubled the size of females.  Both are characterized by black and white bodies with small patches of brown fur on the back of their heads and orange fur on their throats.  Their faces have bald patches characterized by blue skin around their eyes and blue-black skin around their mouths. 

 

The Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkeys are consumers of a variety of hard plants that various other forest dwelling species do not consume, in large part due to the difficulties in chewing and digesting the plants and the poisonous nature of their consumption.  This means that the Tonkin-Snub Nosed Monkeys have minimal competition in the consumption of the leaves, stems, fruits, and seeds they consume, which is a positive aspect of their existence.  It also means that they cannot be easily removed from their home environments due to their specialized diets. 

 

Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkeys have been observed existing in primate social organizations defined by either one male or multimale groupings.  It is unclear if this is a natural grouping or if this is one that has developed out of a lack of options (due to small troop sizes).  What is also troubling is the lack of survivor behaviors among these primates.  Typically, species that are heavily hunted by humans develop an aversion to them, but this is not the case with Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkeys.  They show little to no fear of humans, demonstrated by them not running away when they encounter humans.  This leads to them being easily hunted.  Villagers have admitted to hunting the Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey, although it is unclear why.  As hunting contributes to the decline in their populations this behavioral pattern is concerning, but it is not one that humans can change.

 

The human endangered factor that is proving to be the biggest factor in reducing the Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkeys’ ability to survive and grow its populations is forest fragmentation and deforestation.  The forests these primates exist in are being cut down to make room for agricultural activities, largely activities used to produce crop exports (e.g., cardamon, potatoes, and bananas).  As the Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey is a largely arboreal primate, the forest fragmentation disables their ability to travel, limiting their opportunities to acquire new mates and produce more offspring.  Several attempts to restore the forested regions have been made, but they have largely been unsuccessful.  Also, the attempts to conserve the forests where the Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey reside have failed because the populations disappear, rendering the conservation of that area mute. 

 

Despite these challenges scholars and conservationists continue their efforts to document and preserve this species.  Due to their small size there is very little precisely known about them, but it is clear based on the extinction of other species across the world that the extinction of the Tonkin Snub-Nosed Monkey will probably have a negative impact on its habitat.  This is just one reason why these conservation efforts continue despite the challenges previously and currently faced.

 

References

James, N. (2017). Movement and Socioecology of the Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey and recommendations for future conservation. Oxford Brookes University.

 

Le, X.C. and R. Boonratana. 2006. A conservation action plan for the

Tonkin snub-nosed monkey in Viet Nam. Hanoi/New York: IEBR/PCI.

 

Nguyen, N. (2000). A survey of Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus avunculus) in Northern Vietnam. Folia Primatologica, 157-160.

Quyet, L. K., Nguyen, A. D., Tai, V. A., Wright, B., & Covert, H. H. (2007). Diet of the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus avunculus)in the Khau Ca area, Ha Giang Province, Northeastern Vietnam. Vietnamese Journal of Primatology, 75-83.

Schwitzer, C., Mittermeier, R. A., Rylands, A. B., Chiozza, F., Williamson, E. A., Byler, D., . . . McCabe, G. (2019). PRIMATES IN PERIL: The world’s 25 most endangered primates 2018-2020. Washington, D.C.: IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, International Primatological Society, Global Wildlife Conservation, and Bristol Zoological Society.

The Bun Festival of Cheung Chau

Figure 1: Participants climbing a bun tower (Source: HongKongFP)

 

Cultural groups around the world have unique traditions and celebrations that they observe.  The purpose of these festivals varies.  Ultimately, celebrations bring groups of people together for a specific purpose, leading participants to feel a sense of belonging or togetherness with their fellow attendees.  Today’s blog post is dedicated to discussing a unique festival celebrated on the island of Cheung Chau, outside of Hong Kong: their Bun Festival.

 

The Bun Festival of Cheung Chau originated 200 years ago.  It came about after the Hailufeng, an ethnic group originating from the Guangdong Province of China, migrated to the Cheung Chau island.  Their migration, however, was not without challenges.  They suffered greatly from famines, plagues, and pirate attacks.  According to local lore the Hailufeng’s reaction to these challenges was the creation of the Taoist ritual and festival named Taiping Qingjiao.  It is unclear if this festival came about as a means of honoring a principal god, Pak Tei (or Beidi), the ‘Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven,’ who is credited with ending the plague, or if the festival is the result of a collective desire to appease the spirits of the dead (similar to the Hungry Ghosts Festival).  Whatever the reason, the Bun Festival continues on today as a cherished tradition the celebrates the islanders’ continued resilience.

 

The Bun Festival of Cheung Chau typically takes place in April or May (based on the Lunar Calendar).  This five-day festival hosts several festivities, including a children’s parades, street cleaning rituals, offerings to the gods, lion and dragon dances, opera, vegetarian meals, and specific religious activities that are only observed by specific islanders.  The end of the five-day festival, however, is punctuated by the tradition from which the festival derives its name: the bun collecting tournament (Figure 1).  Three 13 meter (60 feet) high towers that hold close to 20,000 hot buns are erected, and participants race up the towers, collecting as many buns as they can before their time runs out.  The hot buns are believed to bring good luck to the participants. 

 

Ultimately, the Bun Festival of Cheung Chau is a fun ritual that has evolved over time.  Today, it continues to serve the needs of local residents, but it is also used as a means of drawing foreign tourists to the island.  This helps the islanders increase their revenue streams, while also showcasing their unique culture and heritage to outsiders.

 

Works Cited

Hiu Yan, Lee. "A CASE OF “DISNEYIZATION”? THE CHEUNG CHAU BUN FESTIVAL, HONG KONG." Tourism, Culture & Communication (2017): 107-117.

No Author. " The Cheung Chau Bun Festival: A Hong Kong Soundscape Study ." n.d. The University of Hong Kong, Department of Music. 17 March 2026.

Richards, Greg and Brian King. "The experience of cultural festivals: evidence from Hong Kong." Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events (2022): 296-309.

Gift Giving Guide 25: Ideas for the Budding or Current Anthropologist in Your Life

Biannually I dedicate blog posts to the presentation of gifts that may be suitable for anthropologists or individuals interested in anthropology (any and all subfields).  As we are currently in the December holiday (and gift giving) season it seems appropriate to dedicate a post to this very topic.  Below are some of the latest additions to the list of gift ideas that may be appropriate for your anthropologically interested person.

Archaeology

Witty and funny archaeologically themed lanyards; available through PirateSnerk.

 

Archaeologists typically spent their summers in the field excavating sites to learn more about people's existence and ways of life in the past.  They do, however, attend conferences where they present their research and network with colleagues.  Either way, these humorous archaeological themed lanyards could be the appropriate gift for the archaeologist you know.  They can use it to hold their IDs, name tags, keys, or anything they may need to carry-be it in the field or a scholarly conference.  You can purchase one or more of these through PirateSnerk. 

 Cultural Anthropology

Sticker with a Margaret Mead quote, available through AnsleyStreetPress

 

Cultural anthropologists study living human groups throughout the world and even in their own backyard.  It can be difficult to find something that works for the variety of cultural anthropologists, particularly as they may always be on the go.  Therefore something light weight that they can carry around on anything they want, such as the Margaret Mead sticker, may be just the thing!  They can stick it on their water bottle, computer, luggage, notebook, or wherever they choose. Check it out through AnsleyStreetPress!

 

Biological Anthropology

A fancy tie could be just what the bioanthropologist you know needs, particularly if they study skeletal biology.  Available from Cyberoptix.

Biological anthropologists come and all different shapes and sizes, at least academically speaking.  It is the most broad of the four subfields, but this spine and sternum themed tie may be the right fit.  Paleoanthropological types, forensic anthropologists, and skeletal biologist may truly appreciate this customizable piece from Cyberoptix.  This store offers a variety of other ties that may fit the bill for biological anthropologists, including ties themed for genetics, brains, and more.

Linguistic Anthropology

International Phonetic Travel mug by BilingualSLTStore makes staying hydrated a breeze!

 

Last but not least is the linguistic anthropologist, who not only study but may play with language, too.  All that listening and talking, however, is bound to make a linguist thirsty, and this travel mug with an International Phonetic theme could do the trick by mesmerizing your giftee.  It and several other linguistically themed gifts is available through BilingualSLTStore.

Pet Cemetery: 2000-year-old Cemetery for Pets Discovered in Egypt

 

Figure 1: Cat wearing a collar buried at the pet cemetery at Berenice (Source: M. Osypinska)

Today people often have strong attachments to their pets.  This is seen in the language people use to refer to them (e.g., “fur babies”), the multimillion dollar pet food, clothing, and accessories industries, memes, pet animal social media accounts, and more.  For a long time people believed that this was a more recent phenomenon, but research is demonstrating that was not actually the case.  Today’s blog post will share the results of a decade’s worth of research concerning what may be the world’s oldest pet cemetery.

 

The port site of Berenice was a Roman period stronghold that served as a trading center for much of the Mediterranean.  Various imported and exported goods, including ivory, fabrics, and other high status items from India, the Middle East, and Europe, passed through this city, delighting residents far and wide.  Unexpectedly, however, scholars discovered something else at this site: potentially the world’s oldest pet cemetery.

 

Initially, an archaeological team led by Marta Osypinska and her colleagues at the Polish Academy of Sciences initially discovered a trash dump outside of the city walls.  As they excavated further they discovered the remains of hundreds of cats.  A fellow scholar at another institution wrote off the discovery, assuming it was an extension of the trash dump, but Osypinska and her team wanted to be certain.  This led to a ten-year excavation and analysis that ultimately yielded 585 deceased animals, including cats, dogs, a small sampling of macaques, and one piglet.  

 

Figure 2: Dog buried under a ceramic pot at the pet cemetery of Berenice (Source. M. Osypinska)

 

 

The dogs and cats were adorned with collars (Figure 1) and necklaces.  Their bodies were carefully placed on mats or under pottery (Figure 2), further demonstrating that this was not a trash dump.  Further analysis of the animals’ remains showed that they died from natural (e.g., old age or disease) and accidental (e.g., traumas from falls) causes.  Many lived long beyond a time when they would have been able to care for themselves as evidence by toothless animals and animals with healed injuries that rendered them incapable of meeting their daily nutritional needs.

 

As the evidence came together Osypinska and her team reached the conclusion that these animals were well taken care of and potentially loved by their human counterparts.  They may very well have been treated similarly to modern day pets, demonstrating that humans have had a long history of caring from animals outside of utilitarian purposes.  Some scholars are hesitant to make this declaration, however.  They cite the presence of the cemetery at a port city as potential evidence that these animals were used for utilitarian purposes: they may have protected the imported and exported goods from vermin, pests, or thieves.  This may have rendered them indispensable and cherished above other animals, such as farm animals. 

 

While it remains unclear why specifically the residents at Berenice cared so much for these animals they were cared for differently than animals used solely for agricultural purposes.  Ultimately, this 2000 year old cemetery is not just the first evidence of a pet cemetery, but it broadens our understanding of human-animal relationships throughout human history.

 

References

Geggel, L. (2021, March 8). World's oldest 'pet cemetery' discovered in ancient Egypt. Live Science.

Grimm, D. (2021, February 26). Graves of nearly 600 cats and dogs in ancient Egypt may be world's oldest pet cemetery. Science.

 Osypinska, M., Skibniewski, M., & Osypinski, P. (2020). Ancient Pets. The health, diet and diversity of cats, dogs and monkeys from the Red Sea port of Berenice (Egypt) in the 1^st-2^nd centuries AD. World Archaeology, 52(4), 639–653. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2020.1870545