Endangered Primate Rescue Center
The Endangered Primate Rescue Center (EPRC), located in Vietnam's Cuc Phuong National Park southwest of Hanoi, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation, breeding, research, and conservation of endangered primates and their habitats in Vietnam. The center was established in 1993 (as the first rescue center in Indochina) to provide care for primates classified as "critically endangered" and "endangered" that were seized from the black market and to establish populations of these highly endangered primate species in human care for subsequent reintroduction programs.
There are currently 180 primates in 15 species in the EPRC's care, including six species that are not kept in any other facility in the world. Nine species of primates have already successfully reproduced at the center and more than 200 young have been born. Historically, the first young of several langur species born in human care were born at the EPRC.
Threats to Vietnamese primates
Vietnam is home to 25 primate species, the most of any mainland Southeast Asian country. All primate species in Vietnam are under great pressure from poaching, 23 species are threatened with extinction, and for many years 5 species have been listed in the "World's 25 Most Endangered Primates". This means that a fifth of all globally threatened primate species are found in Vietnam, including 3 species found nowhere else outside of Vietnam (i.e. endemic).
EPRC activities
In addition to caring for primates seized from the black market, EPRC's work also includes field projects to study primates and protect their natural habitats. The center works closely with forest conservation authorities and local communities to reduce the impact of human activity on the primates' environment, especially in preparation for releasing the primates back into the wild. The center has already implemented projects to release several endangered species, such as some langurs or slow lorises. The center serves as an important training and research facility for Vietnamese and foreign students and scientists. With its unique range of endemic and highly endangered primate species in captivity, the center provides an excellent opportunity to study a variety of species.
The EPRC has made a fundamental contribution to the knowledge of Vietnamese primates. Thanks to the center's activities, two new species of primates were discovered, and the center also greatly helped raise awareness of Vietnam's primates and their threats. The spread of awareness takes place in public, through visitors and educational programs for children, as well as thanks to publications and information on radio and television.
You can learn more at www.eprc.asia.
How Ostrava Zoo helps
The Ostrava Zoo, together with all its visitors, supports the protection of primates by the EPRC through the "3 CZK for Wildlife" program.
