Monkey thought extinct is rediscovered

JAKARTA, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- A monkey so rare it was thought extinct has been photographed in the jungles of Indonesia, researchers said.

The species called the Miller's grizzled langur was found in the Wehea Forest on the eastern tip of Borneo, an area far from its previously observed home range.

Scientists had set up camera traps in the area with the intention of capturing images of clouded leopards, orangutans and other wildlife known to congregate at mineral salt licks.

They were surprised when the images of the monkeys were retrieved.

"We were all pretty ecstatic -- the fact that, wow, this monkey still lives, and also that it's in Wehea," researcher Brent Loken, a Ph.D. student at Simon Fraser University in Canada, told Britain's Sky News.

It was a challenge to confirm the identity of the animals since the only images researchers had were old museum sketches, Loken said.

The monkey once occupied the northeastern part of Borneo as well as the islands of Sumatra and Java but concerns were raised in the past about their possibly being extinct.

Fires, human encroachment and conversion of land for agriculture have destroyed their habitats and an extensive field survey in 2005 found none of the animals.

A team of local and international scientists says they will return to the forest to try to find out how many langurs there are.

"We are trying to find out all we can," Loken said. "But it really feels like a race against time."