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The southern patas monkey is one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates

The southern patas monkey Erythrocebus baumstarki is included in the 11th edition of The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates (2022–2023), a joint initiative of the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, International Primatological Society, and Re:wild. This report (Mittermeier et al. 2022. ‘Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates 2022-2023’) was launched on August 30th at the 19th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Primatology in Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The 2022–2023 list of the World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates includes six species from Africa, four from Madagascar, eight from Asia, and seven from the Neotropics.

The southern patas monkey is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The geographic distribution of the semi-terrestrial patas was roughly 66,000 km² in the early 20th century. This declined about 85% to around 9700 km² at present (post‐2009). This species was extirpated from Kenya in about 2015 and from the Kilimanjaro Region in Tanzania in about 2011. At present, the southern patas monkey appears to be restricted to the protected areas of the western Serengeti, with the western Serengeti National Park being the stronghold. The number of individuals remaining is probably between 100 and 200, including between 50 and 100 mature individuals (De Jong & Butynski 2021).

Southern patas monkey (Erythrocebus baumstarki) in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Photograph by George Shaller.

The ultimate threat to the southern patas monkey is the rapidly increasing human population, while the main proximate threats are the degradation, loss, and fragmentation of natural habitats, and the related competition with people and livestock for habitat and water, particularly during droughts. Additional problems include hunting by poachers and domestic dogs, and probably loss of genetic variation and climate change (De Jong & Butynski 2020, 2021).

We hope that the inclusion of the southern patas monkey in the list of the 25 Most Endangered Primates will heighten awareness of the dire conservation status of this monkey and encourage an increase in research and conservation action.

Please read the southern patas monkey profile from ‘Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates 2022-2023’ here.

Additional information can be found in the publications below or contact us at yvonne@wildsolutions.nl

De Jong, Y.A. and Butynski, T.M. (2020). Erythrocebus baumstarki. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T92252436A92252442.

De Jong, Y.A. and Butynski, T.M. (2021). Is the southern patas monkey Erythrocebus baumstarki Africa’s next primate extinction? Reassessing taxonomy, distribution, abundance, and conservation. American Journal of Primatology. e23316. 10.1002/ajp.23316.

De Jong, Y.A., Butynski, T.M., Isbell, L.A. and Lewis, C. (2009). Historic and current distribution of the southern patas monkey Erythrocebus patas baumstarki in Tanzania. Oryx. 43: 267–274.

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