The Colombian squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus albigena), endemic to central Colombia, is classified as Near Threatened on the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Its geographic distribution is restricted to a small area of the Colombian Llanos, where there are major human impacts, involving the loss, fragmentation and degradation of its forests due particularly to agricultural conversion, and this species' persecution for the pet trade. Here we review its status, and argue that it is threatened and that it be considered as Vulnerable (VU) on future iterations of the IUCN Red List. We suggest the possibility, based on comparative studies of 1140 base pairs of the cytochrome b mitochondrial gene of 38 Saimiri specimens of nine different taxa, that the Colombian taxa could be considered subspecies of Saimiri cassiquiarensis (not S. sciureus as is currently believed), all showing similar haplotypes that are different from Saimiri sciureus sciureus of the eastern Amazon. An alternative arrangement could place the three Colombian taxa north of the Río Amazonas—albigena, macrodon, and cassiquiarensis—as full species.

An inductive GIS (Geographical Information System) process was used to create a realistic Habitat Suitability Model (HSM) for the current distributional range of the Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Oreonax flavicauda) to aid current conservation initiatives and to help set future conservation priorities for the species. In combination with this, we produced an ecological risk assessment model of the study region to assist in site selection for priority areas for conservation actions, which included the expansion of the existing protected area system and the creation of new reserves in areas forming natural biological corridors in the northeastern Peruvian departments of Amazonas and San Martin. This study incorporates information regarding the threat of hunting and other anthropogenic pressures on the species into the site selection process. Oreonax flavicauda, currently on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Critically Endangered, was once thought to be extinct. Since its rediscovery in 1974, however, there has been little research on this species due to its small population size, restricted distribution, and the difficulty of access to its mountainous habitat. A gap analysis showed that the current protected area network was inadequate to conserve the yellow-tailed woolly monkey's current suitable habitat. This finding underlines the urgency of upgrading the protected area network as well as implementing other conservation initiatives. The selection of sites suitable for the creation of new protected areas was based on habitat composition, altitudinal and geographical limits, and proximity to human influences, using an inductive process of extracting information from locations where O. flavicauda is known to occur, from existing demographic information on human populations, and by qualitative judgments. We recommend urgent action to protect this species before population numbers decrease further.

The report by Sery et al. (Primate Conservation 21: 55–61, 2006) that Colobus polykomos dollmani had been observed in southern Côte d'Ivoire during surveys in 2003–2004 is questioned. Not only is this taxon of the black-and-white colobus monkeys of uncertain validity (being regarded by some authors as a set of hybrids between Colobus polykomos and C. vellerosus), but Sery et al. also do not provide sufficient evidence on the features of the monkeys they observed for these to be reliably assigned to a taxonomic entity. Whether or not C. p. dollmani is a valid taxon, future research in the region between the Sassandra and Bandama rivers should be encouraged so as to clarify the affinities of any remaining black-and-white colobus populations and to formulate concrete plans for the conservation of any evolutionarily distinctive populations located.

A survey to assess the distribution and status of chimpanzees in the southwest region of Nigeria was conducted in order to identify areas where effective conservation action could be taken. Seventeen sites in five states were surveyed. Information was gathered through directed searches, using hunters as guides, and through interviews with local hunters, community members and government personnel. Findings suggest that chimpanzees survive at only about half the survey sites, and that the viability of these remaining populations is in doubt. According to interviewees, chimpanzees were present at all the survey sites 10 to 15 years ago. These findings suggest that in southwest Nigeria as a whole, their population size and distribution has sharply declined over the last decade. Recommendations include the formal and effective protection of some of these sites.

We investigated the current situation of chimpanzee tourism at the Mahale Mountains National Park by direct observations of tourists, tour guides, and trackers. The median number of people in a tourist group was seven, which is within the number allowed by park regulations; however, the actual number was sometimes as large as 11 because groups occasionally included several trackers and guides in addition to six tourists. On 23.1% of 121 observation days, the number of groups observing chimpanzees was greater than that permitted by park regulations. This resulted in as many as 39 people visiting one group of chimpanzees in a day. Problematic behaviors on the part of tourists included moving too close to chimpanzees, observing chimpanzees without authorized park guides, and simultaneous observation by two or more groups of tourists, among others. Based on these analyses, we argue that better control of tourist groups is needed in order to reduce the potential negative impacts of tourism on chimpanzee health and behavior.

The green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) of West Africa ranges from the north-west coast of Senegal to the White Volta in Ghana. In Côte d'Ivoire, C. sabaeus was thought to be mainly distributed through the savannah and savannah-forest mosaic habitats north of the rain forest zone. During primate surveys in the forest zone of southern Côte d'Ivoire we were unable to confirm the presence of C. sabaeus in any of the forest reserves; however, we did find the species in a littoral forest outside its expected range. Chlorocebus sabaeus was also reported from two other forests in the coastal region of Côte d'Ivoire. The discovery of these three populations is surprising and shows that there is an urgent need for more surveys in the region. The absence of C. sabaeus in areas where it was reported 30 years ago is another alarming indication concerning the conservation of primates in Côte d'Ivoire.

Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, has a rich (eight genera, 11 species), unique (seven endemic subspecies), and threatened (five species) primate fauna, but the taxonomic status of most forms is not clear. This uncertainty is a serious problem for the setting of priorities for the conservation of Bioko's (and the region's) primates. Some of the questions related to the taxonomic status of Bioko's primates can be resolved through the statistical comparison of data on their body measurements with those of their counterparts on the African mainland. Data for such comparisons are, however, lacking. This note presents the first large set of body measurement data for each of the seven species of monkeys endemic to Bioko; means, ranges, standard deviations and sample sizes for seven body measurements. These 49 data sets derive from 544 fresh adult specimens (235 adult males and 309 adult females) collected by shotgun hunters for sale in the bushmeat market in Malabo.

The main threat to the survival of primates in Sumatra is habitat destruction, but there is also an increasing problem of conflict with local people due to crop-raiding. This study characterizes the perceived impacts of primate crop-raiding in four villages in North Sumatra. Ninety-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data on (i) crop species, (ii) which vertebrates are thought to damage crops, (iii) the perceived extent to which each vertebrate species damages crops, and (iv) the preventive measures taken in the four villages. Farmers reported an average of 16 different crop species; 85.7% had rubber plantations. Crop-raiding by wildlife was reported by 94.9% of the interviewees as the single most important determinant of crop yields. Thirteen vertebrates were reported causing damage to cultivars; most important were squirrels, porcupines, pigs, deer, elephants and primates. However, primates were perceived as damaging crops differently from the other vertebrate species. Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and Thomas' leaf monkeys (Presbytis thomasi) were considered to be the most destructive cropraiders in all locations. Contrary to what was expected, only a small proportion of farmers complained about the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii). The interviewees reported twenty different crop protection techniques. Shouting was the most common.

In India, the hoolock gibbon, Hoolock hoolock, is found only in a small part in the northeast, south of the Brahmaputra River and east of the Dibang River. This article describes its distribution, habitat and conservation and also compares its relative status over the past 15 years in Karbi Anglong, the largest district of Assam in India. The hoolock gibbon still occurs over a large part of the district but in depleted numbers. It has been recorded from altitudes of less than 100 m to above 1,300 m. Hoolocks have become rarer due to habitat loss and hunting and, except for a few protected areas and larger reserved forests, they are found in scattered groups, where they may not survive for long. Karbi Anglong has the largest known habitat and estimated population of the species in Assam. A rough population estimate indicates that the total numbers of hoolock gibbons today could be between 2,400 and 3,200. This can be compared to an estimate in 1991–1992 of 3,500–4,800. The hoolock gibbon is protected by law and occurs in all the five protected areas and in at least 20 reserved forests and 14 proposed reserved forests in the district. Of these, its continued presence is doubtful in at least four reserved forests and one proposed reserved forest. The creation of further protected areas, adequate protection of existing protected areas, control of jhum cultivation and poaching, and awareness and involvement of churches and village headmen in conservation are recommended.

A survey was carried out at 14 sites to investigate how forest fragmentation affects populations of the Endangered western hoolock gibbon. Encounter rates were used as an index of gibbon population densities, and gibbon group size and age class ratios as an index of the status of the population. The 28-day survey was carried out in May and June 2002 in the Doomdooma, Dibrugarh, Digboi and Tinsukia Forest Divisions of Upper Assam. Sites comprised 11 forest fragments in two size classes (small <5 km² and medium 20–30 km²) and three large forest-tracts (>100 km²) that served as controls. Two survey teams, each of three to five people, sampled each site over two days, walking between 6–21 km/site. Encounter rates for gibbon groups were lowest (0.09/km) in the small forest fragments, increasing as the forest size increased (0.23/km in 20–30 km² forest fragments and 0.58/km in the controls). Similar trends were recorded with group sizes. The smallest groups (mean 2.5, n = 2) were in the small fragments. Larger groups were found in the mid-size fragments (mean 3.29, n = 24) and the three large forest-tracts (mean 3.9, n = 28). Although infant-to-female ratios were similar among size classes, the total young (infant and juvenile)-to-female ratio was as low as 0.5 in the <5 km² size class forests. The ratios were higher in the 20–30 km² and 100 km² size classes; 1.28 and 1.46, respectively. Ways that forest fragmentation affects hoolock gibbons are discussed.

Miller's grizzled surili, Presbytis hosei canicrus, is the rarest of the four hosei subspecies, all endemic to the island of Borneo. From 5 March to 6 April 2008, we carried out a survey to examine the status of this monkey in the eastern part of Borneo, most particularly in Kutai National Park. We were unable to find any evidence for the continued existence of Presbytis hosei in the park. We were able to locate just one group occupying the riverbank habitat of Baai River, isolated by oil palm plantations in the District of Karangan, East Kalimantan. Forest fires, particularly in 1997–1998, and hunting for food and for their bezoar stones are probably the main causes of the probable extirpation of P. hosei in the Kutai National Park. Forest loss due to extensive oil palm plantations is the main threat to this species in the areas of Sangkulirang and Karangan.

Previous research on Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Mt. Huangshan, China, suggested that ecotourism can have detrimental consequences. This study identified sequences of behaviors that typically occur in macaque-tourist interactions to examine whether particular tourist behaviors precipitate monkey responses. Focal sampling was used to record relevant behaviors from tourists and 10 macaques over 28 data collection sessions in August 2006. Data collectors recorded whether each behavior occurred as part of a sequence. Sequences were defined as two or more behaviors in which each behavior occurred within five seconds of the previous behavior. Of 3,129 total behaviors, 2,539 (81.1%) were from tourists and 590 (18.9%) were from monkeys. Tourists initiated significantly more sequences than did macaques (412 [84.6%] versus 75 [15.4%]). Tourist pointing, rail slapping, fleeing, and rock showing occurred significantly more than expected in tourist-macaque sequences. Points were also among the most common tourist behaviors preceding macaque threats. By discouraging tourists from engaging in these behaviors, macaque threats could be reduced, thereby improving macaque-tourist interactions. These results may aid in the management of other macaque tourist sites to minimize stress-inducing interactions.