Death Row

By Charles P. Alexander

As far as we know, no primate became extinct during the 20th century. That's an impressive record, since the world loses about 100 species a day. But luck may soon run out for the animal order that includes humans. As their habitats are destroyed by human population growth, dozens of our closest relatives--from the gorillas in the mists of East Africa to the wise-looking orangutans of Sumatra--are on the brink of oblivion. Sounding the alarm are Conservation International, a private environment group based in Washington, and the Primate Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of IUCN/the World Conservation Union, an international alliance of public and private organizations. Together they compiled a list of the 25 most endangered primates. These pages offer an exclusive look at that diverse cast of simians least likely to survive the new century. Some are so rarely seen that no photos exist; all we have are drawings. Some may be gone before we get a good look at them. Others may disappear before we knew they existed. Might one of them offer clues about how humans evolved? Or harbor natural antibodies that could fight aids or cancer? We may never know. And here's an even more disturbing question: How long will Earth be a hospitable place for humanity when it is no longer a fit home for our next of kin?

--By Charles P. Alexander

1 GOLDEN LION TAMARIN HOME Brazil's Atlantic Forest POPULATION 800 in the wild --Prized by zoos, it became the focus of an international breeding program led by the Smithsonian Institution that has produced a captive population of 500

2 GOLDEN-CROWNED SIFAKA HOME Madagascar POPULATION fewer than 5,000 --Discovered in 1974 by Ian Tattersall of the American Museum of Natural History, it is crowded by human settlers and besieged by gold miners

3 DRILL HOME West Africa POPULATION unknown --Hunted for its meat, it is considered the top primate-conservation priority in the region

4 YELLOW-TAILED WOOLLY MONKEY HOME The tropical Andes in Peru POPULATION fewer than 5,000 --First known only for its skin, used by Peruvian muleteers as saddle covers, this monkey disappeared for more than four decades before being rediscovered in the 1970s

5 MOUNTAIN GORILLA HOME Congo, Rwanda, Uganda POPULATION about 320 --Studied by Dian Fossey and caught in the cross fire of regional warfare, the world's largest primate has become irresistible to tourists and critically endangered

6 SILKY SIFAKA HOME Madagascar POPULATION fewer than 1,000 --One of the largest lemurs, it is known to inhabit only two protected areas of rain forest

7 DELACOUR'S LANGUR HOME Vietnam POPULATION about 200 --It has become a favorite target of hunters because its bones, organs and tissues are used in traditional medicines

8 TONKIN SNUB-NOSED MONKEY HOME Vietnam POPULATION 100 to 200 --Much rarer than its Chinese snub-nosed cousins, it was considered possibly extinct until it was rediscovered in 1989

9 HAINAN GIBBON HOME China POPULATION fewer than 50 --It is known only on the island of Hainan, but there is hope that other populations will be found on the mainland

10 CAT BA ISLAND GOLDEN-HEADED LANGUR HOME Vietnam POPULATION 100 to 200 --Appealing to hunters because its organs are reputed to have medicinal powers, it may find a safer future as a tourist attraction

11 JAVAN GIBBON HOME Indonesia POPULATION 300 to 400 --It hangs on precariously in a handful of national parks on Java, one of the world's most densely populated islands

12 BLACK LION TAMARIN HOME Brazil's Atlantic Forest POPULATION 900 or more --Thought to have become extinct because it hadn't been seen for decades, it was rediscovered in 1970 in the forests of Morro do Diabo State Park

13 NORTHERN MURIQUI HOME Brazil's Atlantic Forest POPULATION about 300 --The largest remaining group, consisting of more than 100 animals, has been protected for 50 years by Feliciano Miguel Abdala, a private landowner

14 CROSS RIVER GORILLA HOME Nigeria, Cameroon POPULATION 150 to 200 --Found in the forested hills along the border between the two countries, it was recognized as a subspecies distinct from other West African gorillas only last year

15 SCLATER'S GUENON HOME Nigeria POPULATION 2,000 to 3,000 -- Hurt by hunting, farming, logging, firewood collecting and oil-industry operations, it is protected only in two villages, where it is considered sacred

16 WHITE-NAPED MANGABEY HOME Ghana, Ivory Coast POPULATION 2,000 to 3,000 --So common in the 1950s that it was considered a crop pest, it is found in only a fraction of the forests it once roamed

17 PERRIER'S SIFAKA HOME Madagascar POPULATION 1,000 to 2,000 --Pressured by agriculture, logging and mining for gemstones, it may have vanished from one of two reserves where it is protected

18 GRAY-SHANKED DOUC LANGUR HOME Vietnam POPULATION fewer than 1000 --Once considered just a variant of its black- and red-shanked cousins, it is thought to be distinct and critically endangered

19 MISS WALDRON'S RED COLOBUS HOME Ghana, Ivory Coast POPULATION unknown --If an African expedition turns up no evidence of this colobus, it may have been the only primate to become extinct in the 20th century

20 BLACK-FACED LION TAMARIN HOME Brazil's Atlantic Forest POPULATION about 400 --Scientists were amazed that this tamarin, discovered only in 1990, could remain undetected so long in a highly developed part of Brazil

21 BUFF-HEADED CAPUCHIN HOME Brazil's Atlantic Forest POPULATION fewer than 5,000 --Hunters shoot the adults for meat and capture the younger animals to sell as pets

22 SANJE MANGABEY HOME Tanzania POPULATION fewer than 1,500 --Discovered in 1981, this distinctive-looking species, with its orange underbelly and white eyelids, resides only in the fragmented forests of the Udzungwa Mountains

23 SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN HOME Indonesia POPULATION fewer than 5,000 --It is protected in parks and reserves, but these areas are vulnerable to illegal human encroachment and agriculture

24 GOLDEN BAMBOO LEMUR HOME Madagascar POPULATION about 1,000 --Discovered in 1985 in the island's eastern rain forests, this bamboo eater is threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture around Ranomafana National Park

25 LAC ALAOTRA BAMBOO LEMUR HOME Madagascar POPULATION fewer than 5,000 --Irrigation projects reduce water levels in its habitat on the shores of Madagascar's biggest lake, and local people cut the papyrus and reeds on which it feeds