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Since its inception in 1993, the EPRC has become Vietnam's leading rehabilitation and rescue center for highly endangered primates. The Center is known for the vital role it plays in helping to confiscate illegally held primates all over Vietnam. Located on approximately 15 acres of protected forest within Cuc Phuong National Park, the Center has developed expertise in caring for and breeding sensitive primate species and has significantly increased scientific knowledge on their distribution, status and taxonomy. The Center has also developed outreach materials to address issues that bring primates to its doors for rescue, including a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indochina program to produce an educational film on these rare animals. This monthly documentary series on the life of a baby douc langur in captivity at the EPRC will, according to WWF, serve as a vehicle to "convey both the struggle to secure protected areas and the potential for collaborative conservation measures."

When faced by challenges like those of the douc langur, conservation efforts in an endangered animal's home country are critical. The added assistance of external projects can also help ensure the survival of the species. The Philadelphia Zoo is one of only two zoos in North America to house red-shanked douc langurs and is working to raise awareness on the conservation issues affecting their wild populations. The Zoo has also successfully bred its doucs, which are among the most sensitive and delicate of all primates.

Diet is critical to the successful breeding of any species and, due to their complex stomach and digestive system, douc langurs require an even higher level of menu management than most animals. In Vietnam, EPRC staff hand-pick an assortment of tasty leaves twice daily in the surrounding forest areas to feed their langurs. Adjusting to natural food sources after being reared in zoos or rehabilitation centers is known to be an obstacle in re-introduction programs, so it is in the best interest of doucs that live at the Center to remain on an all-natural diet. Here at the Zoo, our family of doucs eats a healthy rotation of 14 produce items such as carrots, potatoes and zucchini. The Zoo's staff takes care to avoid foods with long, fibrous strands that are difficult for the doucs to digest. "Leaf-eater variety" monkey biscuits provide 70 percent of the animals' daily caloric intake.

As part of our global conservation efforts, the Zoo provides funds to the EPRC, and, as an active member of the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, works to raise awareness on the bushmeat issue.

The Food for Thought: Bushmeat Interactive Exhibit developed by the Zoo's education department in 2003, and Return the Call of the Wild, a Philadelphia Zoo Docent Council initiative benefiting douc langur conservation efforts, are each aimed at raising awareness on important wildlife topics. Food for Thought provides a valuable means of discussing the issues surrounding the "bushmeat crisis." The benign cultural traditions of local people using wildlife resources to feed their families and their communities are contrasted against a growing commercial demand for bushmeat that has become the primary threat to the future of many wildlife populations. Volunteer docents have been especially supportive of the EPRC conservation project. Return the Call of the Wild demonstrates how recycled cell phones can help protect the environment and save wildlife. These are just two examples of the many opportunities the Zoo offers to increase environmental awareness and reduce our impact on the planet.

Go to Take Action for more information on how your buying and recycling habits can protect douc langurs and other endangered animals around the world.

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