- Feb 5, 2002
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From the Far East comes fantastic news for species conservation after new populations of the gorgeous ‘Skywalker’ gibbon, known to science for only 6 years, were recently found living in the politically chaotic nation of Myanmar.
Also called the hoolock gibbon, this dainty vocalist was first described in 2017 living in the extreme south of China on a mountain in Yunnan. Classified as Endangered by the IUCN, the population was estimated to number a paltry 150 individuals, but others were believed to live in Myanmar.
Even before the recent military junta usurped the president and plunged the country into civil war, Myanmar was a difficult state to explore owing to the ongoing conflict between Yangon and several restive populations, in particular in the states called Shan and Kachin.
Now in open revolt against the military junta, these two states were nevertheless destinations for an intrepid team of scientists from the Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, Fauna & Flora International–Myanmar Programme, the IUCN’s ape specialist group, and field researchers from universities in England, China, and the US.
Continued below.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
Also called the hoolock gibbon, this dainty vocalist was first described in 2017 living in the extreme south of China on a mountain in Yunnan. Classified as Endangered by the IUCN, the population was estimated to number a paltry 150 individuals, but others were believed to live in Myanmar.
Even before the recent military junta usurped the president and plunged the country into civil war, Myanmar was a difficult state to explore owing to the ongoing conflict between Yangon and several restive populations, in particular in the states called Shan and Kachin.
Now in open revolt against the military junta, these two states were nevertheless destinations for an intrepid team of scientists from the Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, Fauna & Flora International–Myanmar Programme, the IUCN’s ape specialist group, and field researchers from universities in England, China, and the US.
Continued below.
The ‘Skywalker’ Gibbon Thought to be Nearly Extinct Has Significant Populations Uncovered in Myanmar
The team that discovered them in China in 2017 loved Star Wars, and called them "tianxing" which is Chinese pinyin for "heaven movement".
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
