On 1 November, the traditional Wildlife Protection Month opened in Shanghai, and the main news came as an unexpected gift: three Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys, sent a year ago from the local zoo to the Beauval Zoo in France, have successfully produced two young. This is the first case of natural reproduction of the species outside China.
Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) are rare inhabitants of mountain forests, whose wild population remains under threat due to habitat fragmentation. The transfer of three individuals in April 2025 was part of an international programme to create reserve populations. After quarantine and acclimatisation, the females "Jindou" and "Jinhua" gave birth to healthy babies — a female and a male — in March and April 2026.
The success of reproduction in an unfamiliar climate and zoo conditions shows how finely care for sensitive primates can be organised. French specialists took into account the specifics of the diet, the social structure of the groups and even the microclimate of enclosures imitating high-mountain forests. Such projects are a kind of insurance: if something goes wrong in the wild, a reserve population will help preserve genetic diversity.
This year's Shanghai Wildlife Protection Month is not only about the monkeys. The city is developing a network of natural areas where rare birds winter, native species such as water deer return, and residents take part in citizen science projects — for example, counting raccoon dogs. Such initiatives turn the metropolis into a living laboratory where people learn to coexist with wildlife.
International cooperation plays a key role here. The exchange of experience with nature reserves in Yunnan and European zoos makes it possible to apply proven conservation methods in different regions. When one country shares animals and another provides the conditions for them to reproduce, the whole species wins.
Stories like this make one think: the conservation of rare animals has long ceased to be the business of a single nation. It is a chain of mutual efforts, where every successful baby is proof that even in artificial conditions it is possible to recreate what nature created over millions of years.
Wildlife protection begins with attention to detail — from the right diet in the zoo to a ban on feeding animals in city parks.
