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Hauntingly soulful black eyes and a flawless porcelain complexion are perhaps the most striking features of douc langurs, considered among the most beautiful and most threatened primates in the world. As recently as 1997, a third species of douc became one of several new large mammals to be discovered in the Greater Annamites Ecoregion of Vietnam in the late 20th century. With population numbers hovering at an estimated 600 due to habitat loss and hunting, the excitement of finding the grey-shanked douc langur was eclipsed by concern for its survival. Vietnam's "newest" langur species was quickly listed as one of the world's 25 most endangered primates.

Red-shanked and black-shanked douc langurs, the other two forms of douc, are also endangered. The future of all three of these highly specialized, folivores (leaf-eaters) largely depends on the efforts of Vietnam's Endangered Primate Rescue Center, the World Wildlife Fund, a handful of zoos and your consumer choices.

According to Conservation International and the IUCN Primate Specialist Group, 20 percent of the world's most endangered primates live in Vietnam, a country only slightly larger than the state of New Mexico. Habitat loss is one of two primary reasons for the decline of these Asian primates. The effects of chemicals used during past years of war, coupled with the rampant logging and slash and burn farming practices of modern times, have reduced Vietnam's forest cover by 70 percent. Only 10 percent of what remains provides intact primate habitat, and even that is at risk due to a growing international demand for wood products.

The douc is also threatened by the trade in wildlife. It is prized for its common use in traditional medicines and its appeal to the pet market, and its popularity on restaurant menus in Vietnam has made it a valuable commodity as "bushmeat." The douc's instinctive curiosity and habit of watching rather than running from danger makes it particularly susceptible to hunters collecting animals to sell in this illegal business.

The international wildlife trade is fueled by the commercial demand for wild animals and body parts. To meet this demand, the unsustainable hunting of hundreds of species around the world is taking place-pushing everything from shrimp to tigers towards extinction. The Endangered Primate Rescue Center (EPRC) recognizes that one of the most important steps in addressing Vietnam's bushmeat issues is raising public awareness.

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