Rare Chinese monkeys spotted scaling cliffs in Hubei

陈小将

More than 100 golden monkeys were recently seen foraging and frolicking on the cliffs of the Badong Golden Monkeys National Nature Reserve in Hubei province. [Photo by Wu Yihong/For chinadaily.com.cn]

More than 100 golden monkeys were recently seen foraging and frolicking on the cliffs of the Badong Golden Monkeys National Nature Reserve in Hubei province.

According to the reserve, this behavior had never before been recorded.

"We have never observed golden monkeys on sheer cliffs before," said volunteer Wu Yihong, whose footage shows the monkeys moving with surprising ease against a 1,100-meter-high backdrop.

These rare primates, which are endemic to China and classified as first-level national protected animals, inhabit high-altitude, dense forests.