Ma Chongyu, a local wildlife protection official, attributed the growth to strengthened nature reserve construction, improved protection awareness and successful artificial breeding efforts.

Currently, some 40 nature reserves with a combined land area of8.5 million hectares, about 18 percent of the province's total land area, have been established.

Li Yan, engineer at the Gansu Endangered Wild Life Research Center, said the center has raised 20 golden monkeys since 1992, of which 11 were artificially bred.

Unique to China, the animal has been placed under state protection. There are currently three species of golden monkeys insouthwest China's Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, respectively.

(Poeple's Daily February 13, 2003)