Photo credit: Tim Davenport
The Kipunji, Rungwecebus kipunji, is listed as ‘CRITICALLY ENDANGERED’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Endemic to Tanzania, the Kipunji is Africa’s most recently discovered primate, having been first found in 2003.
This newly discovered primate is already under serious threat of extinction, numbering only around 1,100 individuals and restricted to just two locations. The Kipunji faces a number of significant threats, including habitat loss through logging and charcoal-making, habitat fragmentation, and illegal hunting for food and in retaliation for crop-raiding. Many subpopulations are small and isolated, and are unlikely to be viable in the long-term.
The Kipunji is an important flagship species for conservation in and around Rungwe-Kitulo, and occurs entirely within protected areas, although only Kitulo National Park has any current management activities, and these remain limited. The effective protection and restoration of its habitat, and in particular of connecting forest ‘corridors’, together with ongoing population monitoring and public education, will be vital if this unique monkey is to survive.
Geographic Range of the Kipunji
Credit: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
To learn more about the Kipunji, click here. Or visit the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ by clicking their logo below.
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