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THE CENTER
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Delacour's langur infant, four weeks old.
T. Nadler
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The Endangered Primate Rescue Center (EPRC), located at Cuc Phuong
National Park, southwest of Hanoi, Vietnam, is a non-profit
organization dedicated to the rehabilitation, breeding, research, and
conservation of endangered primates, and to the protection of their
habitats.
The EPRC was established in 1993, with a Memorandum of Agreement
by the Ministry of Forestry and concerned international conservation
organizations, following the confiscation of “Critically Endangered” and
“Endangered” primates with the beginning of the “Vietnam Primate
Conservation Programme” of the Frankfurt Zoological Society. Since then,
the center has been managed under the supervision of Frankfurt Zoological
Society and continues to be a part of the Programme.
The final goal of the EPRC is the establishment
of stable populations of highly endangered primate species in captivity
as a source for further reintroduction programs.
Animals at the EPRC
Today the EPRC is home to more than 140 primates
in 15 taxa (species and subspecies), including six species which are kept
only at the EPRC and in no other facility in the world. These include the
“Critically Endangered” grey-shanked douc langur, Delacour´s langur, Cat
Ba langur and the “Endangered” Hatinh langur, black langur and Laos
langur. More information on the primates of Vietnam can
be found here.
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 Hatinh
langur, adult male. T.Nadler
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Other than the captively bred primates, all of
the animals at the EPRC are victims of poaching and the illegal animal
trade. The animals are confiscated in cooperation with Vietnam’s forest protection
authorities all over the country. Staff members often have to travel 1000
to 2000 km to pick up confiscated primates in remote areas in central or
south Vietnam.
Nine primate species have bred at the center and
a total of more than 50 infants have been born. The first animals ever
born in captivity for Delacour’s langur, Cat Ba langur, Hatinh langur and
grey-shanked douc langur were born at the EPRC.
Facilities, equipment and
staff at the EPRC
The enclosures at the EPRC reflect scientific
considerations and efforts to resemble the animals’ natural living
conditions. The center provides veterinary care at international
standards and has a well- equipped quarantine station with an operation
room, a special section for infant care and a fully equipped technical
workshop.
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 EPRC. T.Nadler
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The primates are kept in more than 40 large
enclosures and in two electrically fenced semi-wild areas of primary
forest which are 2 ha and 5 ha.
The Vietnamese staff working at the center is
encouraged not only to learn and work under foreign supervision but also
to creatively contribute to the working process. The center employs 20
Vietnamese people as animal keepers. The majority of them have been
recruited from the local villages and thus the center is an important
contributor to the local livelihood.
The EPRC as training and
research institution
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Grey-shanked douc langur, T.Nadler
The “youngest” Vietnamese primate species. In
1997 scientific description based on confiscated animals at the EPRC.
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The center also serves as an important training and
research facility for Vietnamese and foreign students and biologists.
With its unique collection of endemic and highly endangered species the
center provides excellent possibilities to study various species.
The EPRC has close relationships with several
Vietnamese and foreign Universities and institutions. In cooperation with
scientists of Universities in the US (University of Colorado, Boulder;
Kansas City University of Medicine and Bioscience; John Hopkins
University, Baltimore; Ohio University Collage of Osteopathic Medicine),
several studies have been conducted on the locomotion of primates. In
cooperation with the German Primate Center, the taxonomy of Vietnamese
primates has been clarified – an important step for their successful
conservation. New species like the grey-shanked douc langur and the
Assamese silvered langur have been identified and the taxonomy of other
species like the black langur, grey langur, eastern black crested gibbon,
pygmy loris have been clarified on a molecular genetic basis. Food and
nutrient studies have been carried out with biologists from Hanoi
National University, Vietnam, University of Forestry Xuan Mai, Vietnam,
University Cologne, Germany, and George Washington University, USA.
Habitat protection and
field work
With the goal to reintroduce highly endangered
primates bred at the center an important part of the work is to preserve
and protect the natural habitats of these species. For the protection of
their flagship species, the Delacour’s langur, the EPRC and the “Vietnam
Primate Conservation Programme” of the Frankfurt Zoological Society have
worked in close cooperation with the Management Board of Van Long Nature
Reserve. The Van Long Nature Reserve, located close to Cuc Phuong
National Park, has been supported with its border markings of the area,
construction of 5 ranger stations, continuous payment of staff
wages, uniforms and equipment for
20 guards.
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 Delacour’s langur at Van Long Nature
Reserve. T.Nadler
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Another focus species of the program is the
“Critically Endangered” grey-shanked douc langur. There are field studies
currently in progresses in central Vietnam and a Vietnamese biologist of
the center is doing research on the grey-shanked douc langur for a PhD,
under the supervision of Cambridge University, UK.
Within the “Vietnam Primate Conservation
Programme” the center has conducted numerous field surveys to gather
information about status, distribution and threats of Vietnamese primates
as an important source of information for further conservation
activities.
Reintroduction programs
With the establishment of semi-wild enclosures
the center has taken first steps towards its ambitious goal – the
reintroduction of the primates to their natural habitat. Langurs and
gibbons have been released into such areas and have been successfully
maintained there for several years.
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 Release
site at Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park. T.Nadler
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In 2005, construction of an 18 ha release site
in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in central Vietnam began in
cooperation with Cologne Zoo, Germany. The transfer of captively bred
Hatinh langurs from the center back to their native distribution area in
central Vietnam is planned for 2007.
The Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park is also
the home of red-shanked douc langurs and southern white-cheeked gibbons.
The experience with the Hatinh langurs and the management capacity can
also be used for further reintroduction of these naturally occurring
species.
The center’s contribution
to awareness and education
The center has greatly contributed largely to
the public’s knowledge about Vietnamese primates and their perilous
situations. Awareness has been raised in both visitors and local
communities. Numerous national and foreign TV programs and newspaper
articles have reported on the center’s work and the situation of the
primates in the wild.
Funding of the center’s
work and activities
Since its inception, the EPRC has been funded by
donations from concerned organizations and individuals, mainly from
overseas. This support has allowed the center to continue its work. The
demand on funds increases with the constantly growing number of animals
and an increase of protection activities, like the habitat protection at
Van Long Nature Reserve, and the reintroduction project in Phong Nha – Ke
Bang National Park.
The center and the continuation of its work
depends upon the donations of organizations and individuals. The center
also runs an “Adopt-A-Monkey-Program”. To view
the list of donors click
here.
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