Extinction threat for mankind’s closest relatives

50 percent of man’s close relatives (monkeys, apes and other primates) are in danger of extinction according to a report of IUCN issued at the 22nd International Primatological Society Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland. The comprehensive list covers world’s 634 kinds of primates. The report is part of an examination of the state of the world’s mammals to be released at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona in October. In Asia, more than 70 percent of primates are classified on the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered. Habitat destruction is the major threat to primates. Other threats include the hunting of primates for food and an illegal wildlife trade.
For a list of the assessments of all primate species and subspecies as they will appear on the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (www.iucnredlist.org) in October, please visit the website of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group (www.primate-sg.org)