Recently, wild monkeys were once again captured on camera near Baipenzhu Reservoir in Huidong County, Huizhou City.
In one video, a monkey is seen cautiously scanning its surroundings before confidently climbing onto an isolation fence when it sensed no danger. Another clip shows a monkey picking and eating berries from a tree along an iron railing by the roadside. Although briefly startled by the sound of the observer, it soon returned to its meal.
The witness mentioned that the monkeys were spotted near the road beside Baipenzhu Reservoir and around a nearby garden, likely in search of food. After feeding on the fruits of a chinaberry tree, they stayed for about ten minutes before moving on.
This is not the first time monkeys have been recorded in the Baipenzhu area. Back in May 2017, the Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana), a nationally protected second-class wildlife species, was first observed here. This finding marked the southernmost known distribution of the species in China, establishing its presence at the lowest altitude and closest to tropical conditions ever recorded.
In recent years, Huidong County has reported several new sightings of protected and rare species, including the Chinese pangolin, Tibetan macaque, Eulophia zollingeri, and Stapfiophyton huizhouensis. These frequent wildlife encounters are closely linked to the county's ongoing efforts to restore and protect its ecological environment.
To date, the forest coverage in Huidong has reached 3.83 million mu (approximately 255,333 hectares), with a forest coverage rate of 72.4% and a forest stock volume of 16.48 million cubic meters. As the green ecosystem continues to improve, both the diversity and population of wild animals and plants in Huidong are growing.
Reporter | Wu Tianyu
Video | Wang Changhui, Wen Fucai
Editor | Wei Shen, Ou Xiaoming, James Campion, Shen He
