Golden Monkeys

Our guide Xiaoming and I left early and followed waterways and animal trails deep into the bush. After we had quietly hiked for several hours we heard a stirring in the forest canopy. We had come across a band of Golden Monkeys! Golden Monkeys (Jin si Hou) are a rare primate found only in the Qinling Mountains. I got to watch the alpha male for a while before he noticed me. Once he saw me he took a giant leap and slid down a tree like a firemens' pole. Moments later he had scaled another tree about 40 ft away in order to keep an eye on me. Golden Monkeys generally live in family groups of 20 to 30 members. I watched as the adult members of the group moved through the canopy, climbing, swinging, bounding from tree to tree. I saw a group of juvenile monkeys quarreling over some nuts. Three baby monkeys made their way over to the tree closest to us, all the while squeeking and clicking. They perched right above us and looked at us with the most curious little faces. Golden Monkeys have a golden orange coat and a blue face! They are very vocal and make a wide range of sounds to communicate with one another. They live at high elevations (between 6000 and 9000 ft.) and feed on leaves, nuts, berries, fruits, and bird eggs. They must've known that I'm a monkey too because they didn't get frightened or hurry off but stayed and played in the canopy all around me! As we continued to hike we found tracks and hair of the takin (lin yun) which is a large white animal that looks like a cross between a goat and a yak. We also found Panda droppings. Panda poop smells just like bamboo. Although Pandas were originally lowland carnivores they were pushed into the highlands by human encroachment. They adapted to survive on bamboo shoots and leaves and have become sedentary in order to conserve energy. We definitely intend to bring Kalila back to the Foping Nature Reserve to enjoy the prestine ecosystem and get a glimpse of these rare and beautiful creatures.