Hidden in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a rare monkey exists away from humans’ prying eyes. When Izaak Antoine Malengela with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) came across this rare monkey species, he captured the first-ever video footage of it. WCS has shared the footage for the world to see.
“A very rare sight from Kabobo Wildlife Reserve in Democratic Republic of Congo,” wrote the WCS in a Facebook post. “This footage shows the Foa’s red colobus—the first ever footage of this Endangered species.”
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The Foa’s red colobus (Piliocolobus foai) is an endangered species of Old-World monkey. It used to be much more common in the region until humans hunted the species to near extinction.
“Nowadays, the Kabobo Wildlife Reserve may be the only location where the species continues to exist,” WCS adds in its post.
In the video, two Foa’s red colobus monkeys sit on a branch in the forest, gazing curiously at the human recording them. One of the monkeys itches its backside.
See the first footage of this rare monkey species here:
Header stock image of Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo by by Marc Guitard/Getty Images